Will Be On Hand To Commemorate The Jimmy Doolittle Raid

As part of Living Ship Day on April 16, the USS Hornet Museum (Hornet) will commemorate the 74th anniversary of World War II's famous Doolittle Tokyo Air Raid, which was led by Alameda-born Gen. James "Jimmy" Doolittle. Events include a presentation by WWII veteran and former CV-8 crewmember, Richard Nowatzki who, as an eyewitness to the launch of the historic Raid, will share his memories.

Born in Chicago in 1922, Nowatzki was a young seaman fresh out of boot camp when he was assigned to the USS Hornet CV-8 before it was commissioned in October of 1941. His normal battle station was as a sight-setter on a 5-inch anti-aircraft gun at the aft end of the ship. During the Tokyo Raid launch, Nowatzki positioned himself right next to the flight deck and watched as the 16 B-25's were launched on their one-way mission. He has many fond memories of the Army Air Forces flyers while they were en route across the Pacific to the take-off point. He remained part of the Hornet CV-8 crew until the carrier was sunk in combat in October 1942.

As one of the few living eyewitnesses to the April 18, 1942 launch of Doolittle Raid, Nowatzki will share vivid memories of the Raid and other wartime experiences onboard the Hornet CV-8.  His fascinating book about his career, Memoirs of a Navy Major, will also available for purchase and author-autograph during the Living Ship Day event. Nowatzki currently resides in Roseville, CA.

On April 18, 1942, 16 Army B-25 Mitchell bombers were launched from the storm-tossed deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet CV-8. Each bomber carried a crew of five personnel and had to navigate over 700 miles of ocean to reach Japan. The Raid was led by aviation pioneer and U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle (who was born in Alameda in 1896).

The joint Army/Navy plan was created as retaliation for the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Also known as the Tokyo Raid, it was the first air raid to strike the Japanese islands and called for the bombing of industrial and military targets near several cities. All the bombers were eventually lost, as all but one crash-landed in China and one other landed in Russia and was confiscated.

The Hornet's April 16th Living Ship Day will run from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and will include a big band performance by The Hornet Band from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

(Top Image provided with USS Hornet Museum news release. Lower image from file)

FMI: www.uss-hornet.org