Join us at the USS Hornet on Jan. 22, 2022 as we honor the aircrew that went missing off the coast of Vietnam in 1966 with a memorial event on January 22, 2022 at 1:00 PM. Entry to this event is included with daily admission.

The Museum’s volunteer AirGroup have restored a Grumman S-2 Tracker as a memorial to the four-man crew of Anti-Submarine Squadron Thirty-Five (VS-35). During the Vietnam War, the USS Hornet conducted anti-submarine warfare operations in Southeast Asia. They also assisted in search and rescue operations for downed pilots. On January 22, 1966, William S Forman, Edmund H Frenyea, Robert S Sennett, and Erwin B Templin Jr took off from the flight deck of the USS Hornet in a S-2 Tracker (BuNo.149252) and never returned.

The restored aircraft (BuNo.136691) was delivered to the U.S. Navy in 1959 and flew until 1982. In 1986 it was sold to a private collector and flown at air shows for many years. In the year 2000, the aircraft was donated to the Hornet Museum. AirGroup volunteers have been restoring this aircraft with the identical markings of the plane that went missing on January 22, 1966. With family members of the missing Aircrew in attendance, the aircraft will be unveiled to the public in a special presentation with a flag and wreath ceremony by the ship’s Chaplain– 56 years to the day.

Here is a short video with some footage of the restored S-2 and some other information: https://youtu.be/NQLAzgX6fUo