Welcome to the USS Hornet Reenactment League!
The USS Hornet Museum’s Historical Reenactment League aims to bring the History of the USS Hornet to life through theatrical recreation. Twice a year, we aim to bring the ship to life by turning Hornet into a living museum through acting, educational activities, and interactive experiences.
OUR NEXT EVENT: August 5, 2023
Want to participate in the League?
All of our actors are volunteers who love historical costuming, acting, and museums as much as you do. If you are interested in joining, please read the information below and fill out your application today! Applications are always open.
To contact us, please email hornetreenactment@gmail.com
FAQs
We have lots of roles available! We’ve split them up into divisions to make it easier for you to pick. In addition, each division has specialty roles for you to show off your unique skills. If you’re interested in a specialty role, please email us directly. Please note that there are only a certain number of roles available for Aviators and they are first come first serve.
Available Divisions are:
- Civilians – for actors who wish to talk about what life at home was like during WWII
- Riveters and other Home Front Industries – for actors who want to talk about work at home
- WAVES and other Reservists – For actors who wish to talk about the reserve units and help out with museum guest services
- Enlisted Sailors – For actors who wish to help portray the backbone of the carrier, and want the widest variety of roles
- Marines – For those who wish to portray a Marine
- Aviators – For those who wish to portray the many men who flew off the carrier into battle
- Officers – For those who wish to portray the leadership roles of the ship
If you don’t know what division you want to join yet, that’s okay! You can apply and decide later.
Nope! We welcome everyone with every knowledge level of the United States Military. There will be opportunities to learn about Hornet and her history.
Nope! You can come from anywhere you wish, but you must be able to travel and participate in person at least once a year. Housing and food will be provided if you wish to utilize those accommodations, however, you are more than welcome to find your own accommodations when you visit.
No. You are expected to provide your own costume. Outfit recommendations are provided upon joining.
Kids and teenagers were an integral part of the war effort, and we welcome minor participants! However, due to safety reasons, minors MUST be accompanied by a guardian participant during reenactment events. The guardian MUST also be a participant of the League. There will be no exceptions made for this rule.
We ask that minors be at least 4 years of age and toilet trained.
Our ship is a designated National and State Historic Landmark, and most of our spaces are accessible only by steep stairs or “ladders.” This, unfortunately, means that those with mobility issues may have difficulties participating in the USS Hornet Historical Reenactment League. Please see the Museum’s website on accessibility for further information: https://uss-hornet.org/accessibility-information. This link also includes a picture of one of our ladders as an example.
We ask that you make the best judgement about your ability to move around and navigate the ship. We ask that if you have any questions or concerns about your ability to move around the ship and participate, please email us and we can describe in further detail the space and see if we can find accommodations.
USS Hornet Reenactment League Policies
Our ship is a designated National and State Historic Landmark, and most of our spaces are accessible only by steep stairs or “ladders.” This, unfortunately, means that those with mobility issues may have difficulties participating in the USS Hornet Historical Reenactment League. Please see the Museum’s website on accessibility for further information: https://uss-hornet.org/accessibility-information. This link also includes a picture of one of our ladders as an example.
We ask that you make the best judgement about your ability to move around and navigate the ship. We ask that if you have any questions or concerns about your ability to move around the ship and participate, please email us and we can describe in further detail the space and see if we can find accommodations.
While the history of USS Hornet is filled with many notable and inspiring achievements, we at the Hornet Museum acknowledge that many groups were victims of social disenfranchisement. We also acknowledge that becoming truly inclusive and equitable is an ongoing process. We hope to educate about these issues to help society not repeat the injustices of the past and continue to change our current society to reflect our vision of social equity.
Social discrimination caused disenfranchised groups to be discriminated against in the Navy, including the roles of the many men who served aboard USS Hornet. However, we at the USS Hornet Historical Reenactment League will not adhere to these past societal rules, nor discourage any person of any race, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation from portraying a role they wish to portray.
This is not to say; however, the Museum or League will shy away from the tougher discussions about discrimination in the military. If any member of the League wishes to educate the public about events and policies that discriminated against a group or groups of people, the Museum and League will assist with facilitating these conversations.
The USS Hornet Historical Reenactment League does not tolerate any racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, religious discrimination, sexism, or other harassing behavior. The League reserves the right to remove and ban any participant who partakes in any of these behaviors.
The USS Hornet Historical Reenactment League will not tolerate any reenactment of Nazis, Japanese Imperialists, or fascists. Suggestion of reenactment or reenactment of any of these groups will result in an immediate ban from The USS Hornet Historical Reenactment League. The League reserves the right to reject any application for participation.
