WHEREAS, Alameda has a long history associated with the U.S. Navy and Naval Air Forces, and Alameda was shaped by the birth of aviation technology and is proudly and inextricably linked to the military’s presence; and

WHEREAS, The acquisition of the aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-12) would preserve a vital part of the U.S. military history and its establishment as a museum would be a fitting memorial to Alameda’s contributions to U.S. efforts in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS, In the 18 months of combat during World War II, the aircraft and gunners of the U.S.S. Hornet (CV-12) destroyed 1,410, enemy planes, sank 73 ships, and damaged more than 400 vessels, including the first hits on the Japanese battleship Yamato, which was sunk on April 7, 1945, as it steamed toward Okinawa; and

WHEREAS, The U.S.S. Hornet (CV-12), a 53-year old ESSEX Class carrier is one of eight warships that bore that name, but it was the most decorated of them all, earning a presidential unit citation and seven battle stars in action during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS, The first U.S. Navy aircraft carrier named “Hornet” was CV-8 (YORKTOWN Class, including: Enterprise/CV-6 and Yorktown/CV-5) laid down in September 1939 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company. It was launched on December 14, 1940, and commissioned on October 20, 1941; it displaced 20,000 tons, measured 761 feet long, and had a complement of 2,200 personnel; and

WHEREAS, The Hornet (CV-8) was designed with the benefit of real operating experience, sharing the basic design principles of a large, open hangar deck topped by a thin, rectangular wood and steel flight deck; and

WHEREAS, On April 2, 1942, the U.S.S. Hornet (CV-8) having just completed its workups, left Alameda with an unusual deckload of 16 Army Air Corps B-25 Mitchell bombers commanded by Lt. Colonel James “Jimmy” Doolittle, sailing to join a task force with Enterprise (CV-6) targeting the Japanese Cities of Tokyo, Nagoya, Yokohama, and Kobe; and

WHEREAS, On April 18, 1942, still some miles to the east of the intended launch point, the ships of the task force were sighted by Japanese picket boats. Faced with the decision whether to abort the mission, push on to the planned launch point against an alerted enemy, or launch immediately with full knowledge that the B-25s lacked the range to reach their intended landing fields in China, “Doolittle’s Raiders” launched immediately, and struck the first successful attack upon the homeland of Japan; and

WHEREAS, The Hornet (CV-8) was further involved during World War II in the Central and South Pacific carrying out operations in the Battle of Midway, June 4-6, 1942, and the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands, where it received six Japanese bomb hits, two torpedo hits, and two hits by suicide aircraft, and sank on October 27, 1942; and

WHEREAS, The second U.S. Navy aircraft carrier named “Hornet” was CV-12 (modernized ESSEX Class, including 19 ships), constructed by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company, and launched August 29, 1943. The Hornet (CV-12) was commissioned November 29, 1943, it displaced 38,500 tons, measured 889 feet long, carried 45 aircraft, and had a complement of 2,400 personnel; and

WHEREAS, In June, 1945, a typhoon ripped a 24-foot gash in the forward section of the flight deck, but the Hornet (CV-12) was simply turned around and the aircraft were launched off the stern; and

WHEREAS, Postwar modernization of the Hornet (CV-12) under the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization program allowed it to be refitted with improved elevators, a reinforced flight deck, increased aviation fuel storage, and other features for operating jet aircraft including modernization of its aircraft arresting system. These refittings increased the Hornets’ ability to operate advanced aircraft and to improve antisubmarine capabilities; and

WHEREAS, The aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-12) contributed to U.S. efforts in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, and served as the command ship for recovery of the Apollo XI and XII reentry vehicles; and

WHEREAS, The aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-12) was decommissioned on June 26, 1970, and is in good structural condition, and will soon be considered for sale as military surplus; and

WHEREAS, The McDonald Douglas F/A 18 Hornet multiple-role air superiority/ground attack aircraft that has become the fleet’s principal carrier-based fixed wing aircraft, was named in honor of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet; and

WHEREAS, In 1995, the weathered-gray warship was scheduled for demolition despite its 1991 designation as a National Historic Landmark; and

WHEREAS, The decision to demolish the ship outraged former crew members, who recruited approximately 100 volunteers and embarked on a campaign to save the ship; and

WHEREAS, The Aircraft Carrier Hornet Museum is proposed to be permanently berthed in Alameda at Pier No. 2 and to be secured by eight 2-inch chains to existing chain pads welded on the shell, and would immeasureably enhance the maritime ambience of the regional shipyards, the Port of Oakland, and the Alameda Naval Air Station; and

WHEREAS, The Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation (ACHF) has arranged to acquire four 110-foot long by 34-foot wide YCs for mooring (that are certified as suitable for use associated with nuclear submarines) from Mare Island Naval Shipyard. This arrangement will provide a 440-foot long parallel load distribution plane from the hull to the fenders of the pier; and

WHEREAS, Use of this system of chain attachment to the pier bollards in conjunction with the four YCs will provide an arrangement of positive mechanical attachment sufficient to secure the ship and withstand 100-year weather requirements; and

WHEREAS, The carrier museum would be an attraction to both domestic and foreign tourists, thereby enhancing the global competitive position of the San Francisco Bay area; and

WHEREAS, According to the Historic Naval Ships Association, a 1994–95 survey shows attendance to similar historic U.S. naval ship museums as follows: battleship Texas (BB-35)—300,000; battleship Arizona (BB-39)—1.5 million; battleship North Carolina (BB-55)—225,000; battleship Massachusetts (BB-59)—140,000; battleship Alabama (BB-60)—245,000; aircraft carrier Intrepid (CV-11)—410,000; aircraft carrier Lexington (CV-16)—340,000; submarine Bowfin (SS-287)—195,000; submarine Pampanito (SS-383)—250,000; 3-masted frigate Constitution—420,000; and

WHEREAS, The added attraction of a carrier museum would result in longer tourist stays, with consequent increases in retail sales, hotel and motel occupancy, and restaurant patronage, resulting in higher sales and transient occupancy tax revenues; and

WHEREAS, Estimates indicate that establishment of the proposed museum and cultural center would employ up to 150 people within three years, and would annually infuse between 12 and 22 million dollars into the local economy; and

WHEREAS, A carrier museum could be used as an ongoing exposition to showcase Alameda’s leadership in aerospace and defense technology, to develop educational programs for schoolaged children, and to provide entertainment attractions based on naval aviation history; and

WHEREAS, The presence of a military museum in Alameda would promote positive community relations between the citizens and the military; and

WHEREAS, Support for legislation pending before the 104th Session of the U.S. Congress entitled “The World War II Education and Research Act” would authorize that at least one site per state be officially designated a National World War II Education and Research Center; and

WHEREAS, The purposes of this Congressional Act are to enable industry, universities, research facilities, presidential libraries, museums, and public and private sector organizations to make available to the public all relevant information on the collective war effort involving the military, industrial, and civilian sectors; and

WHEREAS, The Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation intends to raise sufficient resources from various possible sources (donations, pledges, venture capital, and revenue bonds) to pay for all relevant startup costs and to develop a long-range master plan to do all of the following: (1) include a 1940–60’s museum in hangar bays 1, 2, and 3, with an emphasis on Pacific theater battles including airplanes and artifacts from that era; (2) incorporate Airwings, Squadrons, Marine Detachments, and Reserve and Veterans Associations called “Bringing the Ship Back to Life”; (3) provide mobile displays and exhibits in hangar bays for large community-sponsored events; and (4) establish Apollo XI and Apollo XII displays; and

WHEREAS, The Alameda Reuse and Redevelopment Association (ARRA), which will be responsible for the base after the Navy leaves in 1997, has indicated its willingness to enter into an interim lease of one of the piers for this purpose, and to adopt a resolution in support of the U.S.S. Hornet renovation project; and

WHEREAS, A group of Alameda citizens have established a nonprofit corporation and a committee, along with the support of the ARRA, the World War II Education and Research Commission, the Mayor and City Council of Oakland, the San Francisco Veteran’s Affairs Commission, the City of Vacaville, the Oakland Navy League, the Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation, the Historic Naval Ships Association, and the Smithsonian Institution, to pursue the acquisition of the aircraft carrier Hornet (CV-12); now, therefore, be it