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Celebrate the Fourth of July at the USS Hornet’s ‘Steel Beach Party & BBQ’

by Post Staff Reporting On In Alameda Life | Comments Disabled

Alameda is definitely the place to be on the Fourth of July. After the parade — and before you go out to your favorite spot to watch the fireworks — head on over to the USS Hornet for the “Steel Beach Party & BBQ [1]” to celebrate America’s 250th birthday. The party aboard the historic aircraft carrier, located at 707 West Hornet Avenue (Pier 3), starts at 10 a.m. and lasts until 5 p.m.

Alameda Post - The poster for the 4th of July celebration aboard the U.S.S. Hornet and a photo of the aircraft carrier decorated with red, white, and blue flags for the fourth. [2]
Photo by USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum via Facebook.

The entire ship will be converted into a Steel Beach, featuring music by Swingin’ Blue Stars and King Tide Players, food and drinks to purchase, tables and chairs where you can hang out and enjoy the party with friends and family, free tours of the Island (the tall superstructure that rises above the starboard side of the flight deck), games to play, and an arts and crafts fair next to the ship on the pier.

In the Hangar Bay, all of the normally accessible areas of the ship will be available for self-touring. You can see the rest of the aircraft and Apollo program artifacts — including  the Apollo Block 1 capsule, the Mobile Quarantine Facility, and the SeaKing helicopter used in the filming of Apollo 13 — plus the ship’s newest acquisition, an F/A-18C, an all-weather supersonic fighter jet.

On the Second Deck, you can visit the Torpedo Workshop, Sick Bay, Officer’s Wardroom, exhibits such as African Americans in the Military, Women in the Military, Air Group 11 and many more.

All of that food, fun, and music should keep you busy until it’s time to head out to your favorite spot to watch the fireworks. (There will be NO fireworks at the USS Hornet.)

The celebration also honors the very first ship to bear the name Hornet, a small 10-gun sloop acquired in 1775 for the newly formed Continental Navy. Among the first vessels to serve the cause of American independence, the Hornet helped to establish a proud naval tradition that continues nearly two and a half centuries later.

Tickets for the USS Hornet Fourth of July Steel Beach Party and BBQ are available online [3]. Admission for adults is $35, or $100 for the family (adults and 2 youth).