102nd Birthday of WWII Veteran Alfred J. Payne and Opening of New CV-8 Doolittle Raid Exhibit

USS Hornet Museum Celebrates 102nd Birthday of WWII Veteran Alfred J. Payne and Opens New CV-8 Doolittle Raid Exhibit.

The USS Hornet Museum will honor World War II veteran Alfred J. Payne, the last known survivor of USS Hornet (CV-8), on his 102nd birthday with a special public celebration on Monday, May 4, 2026. The event will also mark the official opening of a new exhibit on the ship’s 2nd deck, USS Hornet: Legacy of the Name. 

The celebration begins at 12:00 PM with brief remarks, followed by a festive gathering with birthday cake. Guests will also have the opportunity to meet Mr. Payne for a meet-and-greet, available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Alfred J. Payne served as an Aviation Machinist’s Mate with Fighter Squadron 8 (VF-8) aboard USS Hornet (CV-8), the Yorktown-class aircraft carrier that launched the Doolittle Raiders and was later lost during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands in October 1942. He maintained the propellers of the F4F Wildcat fighter aircraft, helping keep the squadron mission-ready.

Payne joined the U.S. Navy in August 1941 at just seventeen years old, trained at Alameda Naval Air Station, and reported aboard Hornet in Hawaii shortly after the Doolittle Raid in April 1942. He served through key moments of the Pacific War, including the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, where he helped fight fires after the ship was attacked by several enemy aircraft, before ultimately abandoning ship. 140 sailors and aircrew were killed during the final battle and sinking.

The USS Hornet Museum is USS Hornet (CV-12), an Essex-class aircraft carrier commissioned after the loss of CV-8 and named in her honor, continuing the legacy of the original ship and her crew. The new exhibit highlights that legacy, featuring artifacts prior to her sinking, along with a recently recovered fragment from B-25 Doolittle Raider, “Whirling Dervish,” which crashed in China following the April 1942 raid.

“Mr. Payne’s story bridges the legacy between both Hornets,” said Museum Executive Director Laura Fies. “It is especially meaningful to formally open this exhibit with his blessing, aboard the ship that carries forward the name and honor of the one he served on.”

The museum invites the public to celebrate Alfred J. Payne’s extraordinary life and service and to be among the first to experience the new exhibit, USS Hornet: Legacy of the Name.