USS Hornet (CV-8), made famous through its launching of the 16 US Army
B-25 Mitchell bombers flown by Jimmy Doolittle's raiders in the first US
strike on Japan in May 1942, was the third and last Yorktown-class
aircraft carrier completed. Serving the US Navy for just over one year,
the warship had a brief yet heroic life. This volume explores Hornet's
construction, wartime activities (including the Battle of Midway), and
ultimate sinking during the Battle of Santa Cruz in October 1942,
through carefully researched photos, many of which have never before
been published, which are reproduced in remarkable clarity. This clarity
and the large size of many of the photos, coupled with descriptive and
informative captions, put the reader on the deck of this historic
warship throughout its short history. Part of the Legends of Warfare
series.