The USS Hornet Foundation Board of Trustees is launching its first annual campaign for the historic aircraft carrier’s Hornet Heritage Fund.
The USS Hornet Museum, which opened in 1998, is dedicated to inspiring people of all ages through educational programs focusing on naval history, science and space technology along with field trips and live-aboard experiences. Photo Courtesy USS Hornet Museum
Published: February, 2015
The USS Hornet Foundation Board of Trustees is launching its first annual campaign for the historic aircraft carrier’s Hornet Heritage Fund. The Hornet Heritage Fund is designed to receive financial gifts and donations in order to support the museum’s operations, restoration efforts, exhibitions, and acclaimed science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) educational programs.
The USS Hornet Museum, a popular tourist destination in Alameda, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to inspiring people of all ages. Through field trips and live-aboard experiences, the USS Hornet, which opened as a museum in 1998, offers educational programs focusing on naval history, science and space technology. The purpose of the inaugural campaign is to raise $800,000 in order to repair and resurface the 100,000-square-foot flight deck and repair two aircraft elevators.
“The Heritage Fund Campaign marks the first significant fundraising effort by the USS Hornet since the mid-1990s, when a determined group of volunteers opened the museum to the public,” said Randall Ramian, CEO of the USS Hornet Museum and chair of the Annual Hornet Heritage Fund Campaign. “Since then, the USS Hornet Museum been awarded both National Historic Landmark and California Historical Landmark status, and has become a premier destination for those seeking the most authentic, period-appropriate representation of the naval-aviation and space exploration traditions on the West Coast.”
The restoration and repair projects are critical to museum operations. After historic service in World War II, the Cold War, the Vietnam War and as part of the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 lunar landings, the USS Hornet was retired from service in 1970. This means that no major structural work has been done on the flight deck or aircraft elevators in nearly five decades. The projects will provide Hornet customers with a better quality visitor experience and allow the museum to maintain crucial business operations that underwrite a significant portion of its annual operating budget.
“The USS Hornet Museum receives no funds from the U.S. Navy or government,” said Ramian. “We depend solely on business revenues and philanthropic support to operate as one of the Bay Area’s most unique and relevant educational experiences for guests of all ages and from around the world.”
For visitor safety, improved visitor experience and long-term preservation, the Hornet Heritage Campaign funds will address flight deck issues by caulking cracks to prevent additional drainage onto the original teak deck below the surface, repairing soft spots and weather-damaged sections, weatherproofing and resurfacing the flight deck—an area that is about as large as two football fields.
The USS Hornet flight deck is a major attraction, where guests can view a collection of aircraft that currently includes an F-4N Phantom, an F-8 Crusader, an S-3B Viking, a T-28 Trojan and a TBM-3 Avenger. Between regular visitors, attendees at special events and overnight live-aboard programs, and guests of private functions, approximately 80,000 people visited the museum’s flight deck this past year alone.
“At the heart of the Heritage Fund Campaign is our commitment to education. The USS Hornet not only serves as a living history of some of the most significant events in our country’s history, but it also represents a dynamic contribution to our nation’s future through our STEM education program,” said Tom Hyland, the museum’s director of development. “This is an ‘all hands on deck’ opportunity for our supporters to help chart the Hornet’s future and to enable us to inspire future generations for decades to come.”
The first Annual Campaign for the Hornet Heritage Fund is a short-term effort to request a donation or multi-payment pledge of $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 or more, before June 30. However, support at all levels and donations of any amount will be gratefully accepted. To make a donation or for more information, including group tours and event planning, visit www.uss-hornet.org or call (510) 521-8448.
The ship is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and permanently berthed at 707 W. Hornet Ave., Pier 3 in Alameda. Regular museum admission is $10 for youths age 7-17 (age 6 and under are free with paying adult); $15 for students with ID, seniors and military with ID; and $20 for adults. Admission is free for museum members. Ample free parking is available across from the pier.
This TBM-3 Avenger torpedo bomber was purchased by the Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation in 1998 and restored by volunteers with funds provided through donations. It is painted with the markings of VT-17, the torpedo squadron that fought from the deck of the Hornet during WWII. Photo Courtesy USS Hornet Museum
This Apollo Space Capsule used for suborbital space flights to test the heat shield designed for Apollo capsules was recovered by Hornet in 1966. Photo Courtesy USS Hornet Museum
