USS Hornet Museum Launches Multilingual Self-Guided Audio Tours

ALAMEDA, CA – The USS Hornet Museum is pleased to announce that visitors onboard the ship will have the option of using a self-guided audio tour to learn the history of the famous WWII aircraft carrier-turned-museum. Beginning Oct. 1, the new one-hour, 36-stop audio tour will be available in English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. The lightweight, easy-to-use, hand-held device can be picked up at the Hornet’s admission desk. The Museum is introducing the self-guided tours in order to better serve its ever-growing population of diverse and multicultural visitors.

“Our new audio tours will not only enhance visitors’ onboard experience, but they will also enable more people to learn about the Hornet’s major role in American history,” said Randall Ramian, chief executive officer of the USS Hornet Museum.

The self-guided tour features stories told by 10 men who served on the aircraft carrier, which provides a deeply personal and at times entertaining perspective about life onboard the ship.

Along with serving in World War II, the aircraft carrier USS Hornet CVS-12 also recovered the first two NASA missions that landed humans on the moon, Apollo 11 and Apollo 12. The carrier is the largest surviving artifact from these space exploration events, which are acknowledged to be among the most important in human history. The USS Hornet opened to the public as a museum in 1998.

“The hand-held audio devices for the tour come from Antenna International, the same company that provides audio tour equipment for Alcatraz Island, the USS Arizona Memorial, and the USS Midway Museum,” said Holly Gallagher, the USS Hornet’s Director of Museum Collections. “Museum staff member Keith Hedley and docent council member Chuck Myers developed the script, ensuring that visitors will enjoy tremendously interesting and accurate historical information about our displays and the ship itself. As a further convenience, guests can also start their tour at any point along the route by simply keying in the tour stop number.”

Hornet personnel will be looking to add more languages in the future. In addition to the new audio tours, docent-led tours of the USS Hornet below the second deck and up to the island superstructure will also continue as before.

“Our docent-led tours are extremely popular. Now, our audio tours will benefit visitors’ experience in areas where docents are not available, or when guests prefer to explore the Hornet on their own,” said Gallagher.
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About the USS Hornet Museum:

The USS Hornet Museum, a popular tourist destination for families located in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to inspiring people of all ages. Through field trips and live-aboard experiences, the USS Hornet offers educational programs focusing on naval history, science, and space technology. A registered state and national historic landmark, the ship is open to the public daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and permanently berthed at 707 W. Hornet Ave., Pier 3 in Alameda, CA. As of Oct. 1, 2014, regular museum admission is $10 for youths age 7-17 (age 6 and under are free with paying adult); $15 for students with ID, seniors, and military with ID; and $20 for adults. Admission is free for Museum members. Ample free parking is available across from the pier. The USS Hornet is also a unique, unforgettable venue available for corporate events; trade shows and expos; private parties and big band dances; and TV and film productions. For more information, including group tours and event planning, visit: www.uss-hornet.org or call (510) 521-8448.

Media Contact:
Victoria Sanchez De Alba, De Alba Communications: (650) 270-7810, victoria@dealba.net