Haunting of the USS Hornet: Ghosts in Alameda

USS Hornet (CV-12)

Now disused and permanently docked in Alameda, California, the USS Hornet remains one of the most successful and decorated ships of the United States Navy. It is also said to be one of the country’s most haunted.

It was commissioned in 1943 and by March of 1944, sailed out of Pearl Harbor, ready to fight in WWII. The ship was an impressive aircraft carrier equipped with fighter, bombing and torpedo squadrons that managed to shoot down hundreds of enemy planes, a number of other ships and hundreds more enemy sea vessels during its active years of combat.

In addition to the ship’s many battle successes, she also possessed a great deal luck, with the Hornet being involved in 59 separate air attacks and never sustaining serious damage as a result. Sadly, the ship was to see some amount of despair and negativity, which often accompanies times of war. It is said that at one time the USS Hornet held the title of having the highest rate of suicide in the Navy. This is something that many people believe to have led to her now haunted reputation.

Haunting of the USS Hornet

1970 saw the Hornet decommissioned and she now sits permanently docked in Alameda, where she continues to function as a museum. Many to work upon or visit the former battleship these days have claimed to have strange encounters with the paranormal onboard.

Paranormal activity on the ship is sad to be a mix of both intelligent spirits, as well as some residual, trapped energy. It seems that visual phenomena is a common occurrence, with many to board the ship claiming to sight light anomalies, shadow figures and even full-bodied apparitions ranging from sailors still wearing their whites and captains in full uniform.

Poltergeist activity has also been witnessed on board with items being moved or thrown, hair being pulled or played with and with some even claiming to see doors open or close on their own. Other paranormal activity includes the auditory kind, with out of place, unexplainable noises being common place. This includes loud taps and movement, footsteps when no one is around and even voices from the past. These voices have even been captured as evp’s by investigators.

Others to spend time on board have claimed to feel as though there is a presence following them, feel as though they are physically touched by someone unseen, having felt the sensation of someone getting into the same bed they were laying in or even as though someone was assisting them in the ship’s medical bay, despite no one physically being present.

Visiting the Haunted USS Hornet

The USS Hornet is an amazing place, preserving the United States’ military past. It contains an extensive number of artifacts including war-time aircraft and even some items from the Apollo 11 and 12 missions, which it assisted with, picking up Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin from the Pacific Ocean.

The ship can be toured with a guide and is open during select days and on weekends. Occasionally the ship will host special events where paranormal investigations can be participated in.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like to learn of other haunted locations in the Bay Area, such as these haunted houses in San Francisco.

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