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| USS Hornet (CV-8) at port, with ship camouflage for anti-submarine operations. |
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SPECIFICATIONS: USS HORNET (CV-8)
LENGTH: 824 Feet, 3 Inches
BEAM: 114 Feet, 0 Inches
CREW: 2900 Officers and Enlisted Men
MAXIMUM SPEED: 33 Knots
ARMAMENT:
8 x 5-inch Guns
4 x 28-mm Quadruple-Mount Anti-Aircraft Guns
30 x 20-mm Oerlikon Machine Guns
PLANE FORCES: 72 Total Aircraft
32 F4F Wildcat Fighter Planes
24 SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber / Scouting Planes
16 TBD Devastator Torpedo Planes
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It had been a constant ever since mid-November 1941: forward
deployment of Aircraft Carriers proved to be the most valuable weapons for
winning the War in the Pacific, first at Pearl Harbor and then during the
Doolittle Raid. Aircraft Carriers could be outfitted with as many fighters and
bombers as necessary, depending on the mission type. Additionally, Carriers could
move men and equipment between islands.
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While the Kido Butai was comprised of a robust six-Carrier
force, the American Fleet was split between two Oceans. Four Carriers, the Enterprise,
Yorktown, Lexington, and Hornet left to fend for themselves. Even with the
profound distance between Tokyo and San Francisco, these Carriers could easily
narrow the gap.
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