Help USS Hornet Forge its Future!
Since 1998, the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum has connected generations through honoring the legacy of aircraft carrier USS Hornet and those who served aboard her from World War II's Pacific Theater to the recovery of NASA's Apollo 11 and 12 missions. The Museum provides an ideal platform for public education in science, technology, Naval history, Naval aviation, and lunar exploration, as well as a popular venue for veterans and families of all ages to visit.
Adam Savage from Tested! visiting with the crew while shooting for the show!
We need your help today to sail into tomorrow!
Restoring and maintaining an 82-year old ship is a challenge, but it is also an opportunity to educate and inspire over 85,000 visitors a year, including over 15,000 students. We can't carry out this mission without your generous support!
As a National and State Historical Landmark and Smithsonian Affiliate, the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum is an educational and inspirational treasure. USS Hornet fought with distinction in World War II, served faithfully in the Cold War, completed three deployments to Vietnam, and finished up her service career as the recovery ship for Apollo 11 and Apollo 12, the first two manned missions to the Moon.
The USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In general, it is not supported by grants from city, county, or federal resources, including the US Navy or other military institutions.
Since opening in 1998, the museum has served the community as a history and science museum, educating visitors about not only the history of USS Hornet but also the broader context of her place in the world. This includes the innovations, social changes, and benchmarks of history experienced by people in the Bay Area, the United States, and the world. In 2018, the museum became a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum after a rigorous evaluation by the Smithsonian Institution that ensured it meets its high standards and policies of “catalyzing public engagement, sparking curiosity and learning, and ultimately inspiring a deeper understanding of our world and how it can be changed for the better.”
The Hornet Museum’s growing collection consists of over 20,000 artifacts that include the ship itself plus aircraft, military artifacts such as disarmed torpedoes and bombs, ship-related equipment and tools, documents, photographs, military decorations and commendations, uniforms, cruise books, plane models, firearms, and personal crew ephemera.
Operating a historic ship museum such as the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum involves challenges that other, more conventional museums do not face. Notably, the museum’s primary artifact is the ship itself, which is the about the same length as San Francisco’s 48-story Transamerica Pyramid lying on its side. Consequently, USS Hornet demands the maintenance and engineering skills that any very large floating vessel would require, plus the facilities and staff needed to run a first-class museum. It is a unique attraction that relies on a wide variety of experience and expertise.
