Facing new restrictions that limit its ability to host raves and other large events, the nonprofit foundation that has operated the USS Hornet Sea, Air and Space Museum on Alameda Point since 1998 is taking a long, hard look at moving the 82-year-old aircraft carrier to San Francisco or another Bay Area location.
The Aircraft Carrier Hornet Foundation has been exploring the idea of moving the historic ship to a more accessible location for years, foundation board member Sam Lamonica told the Alameda Post. But the City of Alameda may have added a sense of urgency to the search for a new home in February, when it limited the maximum number of visitors permitted on board the ship at one time to 660, due to safety concerns.
“We have been having conversations with the leadership at the Port of San Francisco for some time now, but that’s not our only conversation,” Lamonica said. “Basically, we are on a mission to find a location that’s going to allow us to grow for the next 20 or 30 years.”
Capacity issues
In addition to requiring a “good, solid pier,” Lamonica said the museum needs the ability to host large events for up to 3,000 to 5,000 people. In 2023, nearly 5,000 people visited the ship on Veterans Day, and “Rattleship,” a two-day rave, attracted 5,600 people to the ship on July 1 and July 2, according to the foundation’s annual report for that year.
Rattleship returned in 2024, but plans to hold a third one on the Hornet last year fizzled because the City’s capacity limits…