USS Hornet in Alameda ranks #4 among California's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, the USS Hornet in Alameda ranks #4 among California's ten most haunted places in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 554 California sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

USS Hornet ranks #4. The carrier's 13 separate published accounts are the most of any California site, the earliest dated to 2009. The Essex-class ship was commissioned on November 29, 1943, and recovered the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 astronauts in 1969. Overnight visitors and staff describe young men in 1940s sailing uniforms in the chief petty officers' mess and engine room, and the aft elevator activating on its own.

Statewide, the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado ranks #1, and the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, the state's most famous haunted site, misses the top ten.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:USS Hornet, 707 West Hornet Avenue, Alameda, is a museum ship open Wednesday through Sunday for self-guided visits, with evening and overnight paranormal programs scheduled in advance.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/california/The fact sheet, with cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/california/Photo: the USS Hornet, on the fact sheet.Venue contact: uss-hornet.orgA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

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