Celebrate Independence Day on the flight deck
The USS Hornet is all decked out and ready to celebrate Independence Day with a Steel Beach BBQ party on the Flight Deck—and we’re all invited. The Fourth of July celebration starts at 10 a.m. and will finish at 5 p.m. after a Memorial Squadron flyover.
The Flight Deck will be converted to a Steel Beach for the party, with music playing, food and drinks to purchase, tables and chairs, games, and free tours of the “Island”—a 150-foot-tall structure on the Flight Deck that houses the ship’s primary command and control centers. The Island tour normally costs $12, but will be free to party attendees on the Fourth of July.
In the Hangar Bay, partygoers can self-tour all the normally accessible areas of the ship. See the rest of the Hornet Museum’s 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. Don’t miss the Hornet’s newest acquisition, an F/A-18C fighter jet.
On the Second Deck, visit the Torpedo Workshop, Sick Bay, Officers Wardroom, exhibits such as African Americans in the Military, Women in the Military, Air Group 11 and many more.
And on the Pier, see the collection of Military Vehicles that will come over after the 4th of July parade.
After all that—and the flyover, of course—the party will close early enough for you to leave the ship and go to your favorite spot to watch the fireworks. (There will be NO fireworks at the USS Hornet.)
Tickets for a family of four—two adults and two children—are $100, including admission to the party, four one-scoop ice creams, and a full-year membership (free entry) to the USS Hornet Museum. Individual adult tickets are $25 per person.
The USS Hornet is located at 707 West Hornet Avenue in Alameda.
