⚓️ 250 Years of the Hornet Legacy
This Independence Day, as our nation celebrates America’s 250th birthday, we also honor the very first ship to bear the name Hornet, a small 10-gun sloop acquired in 1775 for the newly formed Continental Navy. Among the first vessels to serve the cause of American independence, she helped establish a proud naval tradition that continues nearly two and a half centuries later.
From that first Hornet in 1775 to the legendary aircraft carriers that followed, generations of servicemembers have carried the Hornet name in defense of our nation. Today, that legacy lives on aboard the historic USS Hornet Museum.
Join us on July 4, 2026, as we celebrate and reflect on 250 years of courage, service, and sacrifice. As fireworks light the skies across the nation, remember that the Hornet story began at the birth of the United States and continues today through the people who preserve and share its history.
Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday aboard USS Hornet!
📅 July 4, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
⚓ Steel Beach Party & BBQ aboard the historic aircraft carrier
🎶 Live music throughout the day
🍔 Food and beverages available for purchase
🛍️ Arts & crafts vendors on the pier
🎟️ Museum admission includes access to exhibits and tour of the ship’s island superstructure
🎉 Perfect stop after the Alameda Fourth of July Parade—and you’ll still have time to find your favorite fireworks viewing spot afterward!
We will be selling commemorative American Flags flown about the USS Hornet on the 4th of July/250th birthday of the USA that comes with a certificate and a stamp of authenticity. Or you can fly the flag yourself!
Tickets available here!
King Tide Band:
Performing in the band Doug Closson and The King Tide Chantey Band on the Hornet for the 4th of July 2026 are Doug Closson (Guitar), James (JD) Nelson (Banjo), Linda Andersen (Viola) and John Palme (Bass). We may also have a special guest on the 4th.
Doug Closson, a bay area-based singer-songwriter had the good fortune to know and perform with Skip Hendersen in the early 80’s and again in the 2000’s with the Starboard Watch Band at Quinn’s Lighthouse on the Oakland Waterfront for fourteen plus good years.
More recently Doug and Ozzy Osborne, a music educator and performer based out of Alameda, teamed up to form The King Tide Band to continue the tradition of performing quality Maritime music (along with other ditties) in the Bay Area. They have performed at the San Francisco Maritime Museum’s Chantey Sings with violist Linda Andersen livening up the vibe. Linda is an accomplished, classically trained violist. She has performed as principal and section violist in a number of nationally recognized orchestras and has also contributed to San Francisco based Argonne Jazz Jam in addition to her current stint with the King Tide Band. Jim Nelson was a central player and singer performing in Skip Henderson’s Starboard Watch and more recently in the Sons of the Buccaneers and Shipwrecked Shanteys. John Palme provides the band’s warm and driving bass guitar sound and also contributed many years to the sound of the Starboard Watch.
Together they perform in the Bay Area at a number of venues, including monthly Chanty Sings at the National Maritime Museum in San Franciso. In 2024 and 2025 they performed at the National Park System’s revival of the yearly summer Sea Music Festival in San Francisco and well as the Eugene O’Neill Festival in Danville in September 2025 to rave reviews.
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