Read part one here.
We had breakfast at IHOP and once we were filled to the brim with pancakes, we decided to google a few attractions. One popped up time and time again- the USS Hornet.
The USS Hornet is an aircraft carrier turned into a museum for Navy and the Apollo Programme.
I had absolutely no idea that when Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins made it back to Earth from the Apollo 11 mission that the USS Hornet was the vessel that came to their rescue. President Nixon also came aboard to welcome the brave men back and to ease the boredom of being stuck in quarantine for 21 days.
The Mobile Quarantine Facility is still on the USS hornet!
The USS Hornet itself is incredibly cool, it’s filled with all sorts of aircrafts, you can even go on a tour of the entire ship, they really don’t mind you asking as many questions as you like. All the tour guides are veterans, so you get real stories from real people as you go around this gigantic ship. It’s a shame its so hidden away.
The Hornet was commissioned in 1943, serving in World War II and playing a major role in the Pacific battles, The Hornet then went on to serve in Vietnam as well as aiding the Apollo 11 and 12 missions to the moon.
After our trip to The Hornet we ventured up to Coit Tower a 210ft podium in the heart of San Francisco offering spectacular 360 degree views of the city and it’s bay.
Coit Tower was built in 1933. A woman called Lillie Hitchcock Coit left the city money when she died, and due to her active part in helping with the fire department in the 1850’s onwards, the city decided to dedicate this monument to her using the money she had left.
In the evening we decided to have a wander around Fishermans Wharf, sampling incredible food and taking in the night life.
Next in the San Francisco blog posts: ALCATRAZ!
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Great post!!