Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier (usually anywhere west of the Mississippi River) and typically set during the late nineteenth century. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published from the late 1940s through the 1950s (though the genre had continuing popularity in Europe, and persists in limited form in American comics today). Western comics of the period typically featured dramatic scripts about cowboys, gunfighters, lawmen, bounty hunters, outlaws, and Native Americans. Accompanying artwork depicted a rural America populated with such iconic images as guns, cowboy hats, vests, horses, saloons, ranches, and deserts, contemporaneous with the setting.
Western comics | |
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Charlton Comics' Billy the Kid #9 (November 1957). Cover art by Dick Giordano and Vince Alascia.
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This topic covers comics that fall under the Western fiction genre. | |
Publishers | Marvel Comics Charlton Comics DC Comics Fawcett Comics Magazine Enterprises |
Publications | Kid Colt Outlaw Billy the Kid All-Star Western Two-Gun Kid Rawhide Kid |
Creators | Tom Gill Fred Guardineer Paul S. Newman Carl Pfeufer Pete Tumlinson |
Subgenre | |
This type of comic can be broken down into: Weird West |
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2'Golden Age': 1948â1960
- 2.1Characters
- 5Outside of the United States
- 6Notable American Western comics
- 7References
Origins[edit]
Western novels, films, and pulp magazines were extremely popular in the United States from the late 1930s to the 1960s.
Western comics first appeared in syndicated newspaper strips in the late 1920s. Harry O'Neill's Young Buffalo Bill (later changed to Buckaroo Bill and then, finally, Broncho Bill), distributed by United Feature Syndicate beginning in 1928, was about a group called The Boy Rangers, and was a pioneering example of the form.[1] Starting in the 1930s, Red Ryder, Little Joe, and King of the Royal Mounted were syndicated in hundreds of newspapers across the United States. Garrett Price's White Boy (later changed to Skull Valley) was another syndicated strip from the 1930s.[2]
The first Western stories to appear in the comics were in the mid-1930s: National Allied's New Fun Comics #1 (Feb. 1935) ran the modern-West feature 'Jack Woods' and the Old West feature 'Buckskin Jim'; Centaur Publications' The Comics Magazine #1 (May 1936) ran the feature 'Captain Bill of the Rangers'; and David McKay Publications's Feature Book #1 (May 1937) and a single issue of King Comics (also 1937) featured King of the Royal Mounted reprints before Dell took over licensing of the character. Dell Comics' The Funnies published a run of short adaptations of B-movie Westerns starting in vol. 2, issue #20 (May 1938). Whitman Comics' Crackajack Funnies ran regular Western features (including Tom Mix stories) beginning with issue #1 in June 1938.
The first stand-alone Western comics titles were published by Centaur Publications. Star Ranger and Western Picture Stories[3] both debuted from the publisher in late 1936, cover-dated Feb. 1937. Star Ranger ran for 12 issues, becoming Cowboy Comics for a couple of issues, and then becoming Star Ranger Funnies. The series ended in October 1939. Western Picture Stories ran four issues in 1937. Dell Comics published Western Action Thrillers #1 shortly thereafter (cover-date Apr. 1937), and began publishing Red Ryder Comics,[4] initially reprinting the long-running comic strip, in 1941.
'Golden Age': 1948â1960[edit]
Western comics became popular in the years immediately following World War II, when superheroes went out of style. Adult comics readership had grown during the war years, and returning servicemen wanted subjects other than superheroes in their books. The popularity of the Western genre in comic strips and other media gave birth to Western comics, many of which began being published around 1948.[5][4]
Most of the larger publishers of the period jumped headfirst into the Western arena during this period, particularly Marvel Comics and its forerunners Timely Comics and Atlas Comics. Kid Colt Outlaw debuted in 1948, running until 1979 (though it was primarily a reprint title after 1967). The company soon established itself as the most prolific publisher of Western comics[6] with other notable long-running titles, including Rawhide Kid, Two-Gun Kid, and Wild Western.
The six-issue 1950 Harvey Comics series Boys' Ranch, by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, was a seminal example of the Western comics genre. DC Comics published the long-running series All-Star Western and Western Comics. Charlton Comics published Billy the Kid, Cheyenne Kid, Outlaws of the West, Texas Rangers in Action, and the unusual title Black Fury, about a horse that roamed the West righting wrongs. Both Dell Comics and Fawcett Comics published a number of Western titles, including The Lone Ranger (Dell) and Hopalong Cassidy (Fawcett, later continued by DC after Fawcett folded in 1953). Many issues of Dell's Four Color featured Western stories during the 1950s. Avon Comics published a number of Western comics, the most notable titles being based on historical figures like Jesse James and Wild Bill Hickok. Youthful published the Western titles Gunsmoke, Indian Fighter, and Redskin (later known as Famous Western Badmen). And Toby Press published its own Billy the Kid Adventure Magazine.
Characters[edit]
The first Western hero to have his adventures published in the comics was the Masked Raider, published by Timely Comics beginning in 1939.
Timely/Atlas/Marvel favored Western characters with the word 'Kid' in their name, including the Apache Kid, Kid Colt, the Outlaw Kid, the Rawhide Kid, the Ringo Kid, the Two-Gun Kid, and the Western Kidâas well as the more obscure heroes the Prairie Kid, the Arizona Kid, and the Texas Kid. Other companies followed suit, with DC's Stuff the Chinatown Kid and the Wyoming Kid; Charlton Comics' Billy the Kid and the Cheyenne Kid; and Dell's the Cisco Kid.
Black Rider and Phantom Rider were two other Marvel company characters from the genre's peak. Other early DC Comics Western characters included Johnny Thunder, Nighthawk, Pow Wow Smith, Tomahawk, the Trigger Twins, and Vigilante. Dell Comics featured the Lone Ranger, and Dell's Lobo (debuting in 1965) was the medium's first African-American character to headline his own series.
Cowboy actor comics[edit]
The years 1946â1949 saw an explosion of titles 'starring' Western film actors and cowboy singers. Almost every star, major or minor, had their own title at some point; and almost every publisher got in on the action: Fawcett published Allan Lane, Monte Hale, Gabby Hayes, Lash LaRue, Tex Ritter, and Tom Mix comics; Dell published Gene Autry, Rex Allen, Roy Rogers, and Wild Bill Elliott comics; Magazine Enterprises published Charles Starrett and Tim Holt comics; Toby Press published a John Wayne title; and DC produced short-lived Dale Evans and Jimmy Wakely titles. (Dale Evans and Reno Browne were the only two Western actresses to have comics based on their characters.)[citation needed] Most of the cowboy actor titles featured photo covers of the stars; most series had been canceled by 1957.
Creators[edit]
Since Westerns were such a popular genre in the 1950s, many of the period's notable creators spent at least some time doing Western comics.
Writer Paul S. Newman and artist Tom Gill had an 11-year stretch on Dell's The Lone Ranger, a 107-issue run that marks one of the longest of any writer/artist team on a comic-book series. Larry Lieber spent nine years as writer-artist of Marvel's Rawhide Kid. France Herron and Fred Ray were the long-time writer and artist of DC's Tomahawk. Gaylord DuBois excelled in writing Western comics featuring realistic animals: he wrote the entire run of The Lone Ranger's Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver, the entire run of National Velvet under both the Dell and Gold Key imprints, and many other animal stories for a number of publishers.
Carl Pfeufer was the longtime artist of Fawcett's Tom Mix comics. Artist Fred Guardineer had a long run on Magazine Enterprises' The Durango Kid. Pete Tumlinson illustrated most of Kid Colt's early stories. Later, Tumlinson drew Western stories for Atlas Comics' Outlaw Fighters, Two-Gun Western, and Wild Western. Russ Heath drew a corral-full of Western stories for such Marvel titles as Wild Western,All Western Winners,Arizona Kid,Black Rider,Western Outlaws, and Reno Browne, Hollywood's Greatest Cowgirl.Vic Carrabotta worked on such Marvel Westerns as Apache Kid, Kid Colt: Outlaw, The Outlaw Kid, and Western Outlaws. Artist John Severin was known for his 1950s Western comics art for Atlas. Artist Mike Sekowsky drew such characters as the Apache Kid, the Black Rider, and Kid Colt for Atlas; he later freelanced for other companies, drawing the TV-series spin-offs Gunsmoke and Buffalo Bill, Jr. for Dell Comics.
Artist Rocke Mastroserio specialized in Western stories for such Charlton Comics series as Billy the Kid, Black Fury, Jim Bowie, Rocky Lane's Black Jack, Sheriff of Tombstone, Six-Gun Heroes, Texas Rangers in Action, and Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal. Pat Boyette worked on such Charlton Western series as Billy the Kid, Cheyenne Kid, and Outlaws of the West.
1960s decline[edit]
The Western genre in general peaked around 1960, largely due to the tremendous number of Westerns on American television.[citation needed] Increasingly, the genre reflected a Romantic view of the American Westâand American history in general. As the country grappled with the cultural issues of the 1960s and the Vietnam War, the genre seemed increasingly out of touch.[citation needed]
As the American public's interest in the genre waned, Western literatureâincluding comicsâbegan to lose its appeal as well. At the same time, the comics industry was shifting back to superheroes (entering its 'Silver Age') and away from some of the other genres which had flourished during the 1950s. In fact, of the original Western comics series begun in the late 1940s and early 1950s, only a handful of titles survived the 1950s. Charlton's low production costs enabled it to continue producing a number of Western titles, but otherwise Dell's The Lone Ranger, and Marvel's Gunsmoke Western, Kid Colt Outlaw, and Rawhide Kid were the only Western titles to make it through the 1960s.
Gary Friedrich, Mike Esposito, and Ogden Whitney are three of the few notable Western comics creators from the 1960s.
Weird West and continuing appeal[edit]
The late 1960s and early 1970s saw the rise of revisionist Western film. Elements include a darker, more cynical tone, with focus on the lawlessness of the time period, favoring realism over romanticism, and an interest in greater historical authenticity. Anti-heroes were common, as were stronger roles for women and more-sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans and Mexicans. The films were often critical of big business, the American government, and masculine figures (including the military and their policies).
Reflecting the trend, in 1968 DC debuted the new character Bat Lash, who starred in a short-lived series. They also revived the All-Star Western title, starting volume two of the series in 1970. In 1972, All-Star Western changed its name to Weird Western Tales, with many stories featuring the newly created Western antihero Jonah Hex (debuting in 1975 in his own title). Weird Western Tales (sister title of Weird War Tales) defined a new multi-genre form: 'Weird West,' a combination of the Western with another literary genre, usually horror, occult, or fantasy. Other Western characters DC created during this period include the heroes Scalphunter and El Diablo, and the villains El Papagayo, Terra-Man, and Quentin Turnbull.
Marvel also attempted to capitalize on the renewed interest in the Western with two mostly reprint titles, The Mighty Marvel Western (1968â1976) and Western Gunfighters vol. 2 (1970â1975).
The short-lived publisher Skywald Publications attempted a line of Western titles in the early 1970s, but nothing came of it.
Weird Western Tales survived until 1980, and Jonah Hex until 1985. By then no major publishers were producing Western titles, though iconic characters from the DC and Marvel canons would occasionally make cameo appearances in other books.
The DC Comics imprint Vertigo reintroduced the Western genre in 1995 with Preacher, set in a contemporary version of the West. In the 1990s and 2000s, the Western comic leaned toward the Weird West subgenre, usually involving supernatural monsters. However, more traditional Western comics are found throughout this period, from Jonah Hex to Loveless. Series like Desperadoes, High Moon, and Scalped demonstrate the genre's continuing appeal. Creators like Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Fleisher, and Tony DeZuniga were notable contributors to Western comics from this period. How to stop updates in windows 8.
In addition, publishers like America's Comics Group and AC Comics have reprinted a number of Western comics from the genre's 'Golden Age.'
The Goodbye Family, about a family of Weird West undertakers, started in 2015 and continues in both online and print formats.
Outside of the United States[edit]
The Western genre's overall popularity in Europe spawned a Western comics trend, particularly in Italy, France, Belgium, and England. Many European countries published reprints of American-made Western comics (translated into the respective country's native language). The Italian publishers Sergio Bonelli Editore and Editorial Novaro led the fieldâEditorial Novaro's Gene Autry title ran 424 issues from 1954â1984. The Norwegian publisher Se-Bladene and the British publisher L. Miller & Son were also particularly known for their Western comics reprint titles. Se-Bladene's Texas ran 606 issues between 1954â1975. The Australian publishers Ayers & James, Cleland, Federal Publishing, Gredown, and Horwitz Publications all published reprints of American Western comics during the 1950s and 1960s.
Italy[edit]
The most popular and long-running Italian-produced Western comic is Gian Luigi Bonelli and Aurelio Galleppini's Tex (starring Tex Willer), first published in 1948. Tex is among the most popular characters in Italian comics, and has been translated into numerous languages, including Portuguese, Finnish, Norwegian, Turkish, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian and Hebrew.
Captain Miki, by the trio EsseGesse, was published in Italy (and translated into many other languages) throughout the 1950s. Characters in the comic were inspired by Gabby Hayes and the popular 1939 Western film Stagecoach. EsseGesse also produced the popular series Il Grande Blek. Benito Jacovitti's Cocco Bill is a Western humor comic produced since the mid-1950s.
Sergio Bonelli and Gallieno Ferri's Zagor was first published in Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1961. Carlo Boscarato and Claudio Nizzi's Larry Yuma was a popular character in the Italian magazine Il Giornalino throughout the 1970s. Giancarlo Berardi and Ivo Milazzo's Ken Parker is a popular Western hero appearing in Italian comics since 1977.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, writer Gianfranco Manfredi's Magico Vento was a popular title from Sergio Bonelli Editore. Since the late 1990s, Enrico Teodorani's Djustine has been featured in erotic 'Weird West' stories in Italy and the United States.
Franco-Belgian Western comics[edit]
The Western humor comic Lucky Luke, published since 1946, debuting in Spirou magazine, is one of the most popular and best-selling comics series in continental Europe. Popular in Canada, about half of the series' adventures have been translated into English. Lucky Luke comics have been translated into 23 languages, including many European languages, and some African and Asian languages.
Tintin magazine featured Western-themed comics starting in 1947 with Le Rallic's various series, and later, between 1955 and 1980 the humor-based Chick Bill by Greg and Tibet. The competing magazine Spirou published Jijé's Jerry Spring, in a realistic vein, beginning in 1954. Albums from the Jerry Spring series were published until 1990.
Jean-Michel Charlier and Jean Giraud's Blueberry is a Western series published beginning in 1963 and continuing until 2005. The series were inspired by Jerry Spring, and the artist Giraud had been mentored by Jijé. Charlier and Giraud created the Jim Cutlass series in 1981; subsequent volumes were written by Giraud and drawn by Christian Rossi.
Greg and Hermann Huppen's Comanche was published from 1972â1983 (with the series being continued by Rouge for four more stories). The Belgian publisher Le Lombard produced the title Buddy Longway, by Swiss comics creator Derib, from 1972â1987, and from 2002â2006.
Durango is a western series created by the belgian Yves Swolfs in 1981. Currently 17 tomes are available.
Other countries[edit]
England's L. Miller & Son's original Western comics titles included Colorado Kid, Davy Crockett, Kid Dynamite Western Comic, Pancho Villa Western Comic, and Rocky Mountain King Western Comic, all published in the 1950s. Jim Edgar and Tony Weare's 'Matt Marriott' was a daily strip which ran in the London Evening News from 1955 to 1977.
Spanish cartoonist Manuel Gago Garcia's The Little Fighter was a popular series of Western comics between 1945 and 1956. Yuki the Bold (debuting in 1958) is another popular Spanish series, as were the shorter-lived series Apache and Red Arrow. Other Spanish Western comics include Sheriff King (beginning in 1964), Sunday (1968), and Kelly Hand (1971).
Hugo Pratt and Héctor Germán Oesterheld's Sergeant Kirk was a popular Western comics title in Argentina during the 1950s. Additional Sergeant Kirk stories were published into the early 1970s.
Western comics were popular in Japan in the early 1950s, both translations of American titles like Straight Arrow, the Durango Kid, and Tim Holt; and original Japanese manga. The story goes that during the American occupation of Japan directly after World War, General Eisenhower forbade Japanese publishers to publish samurai comics, and that the next best thing were Western stories of adventure.[7]
Hyung Min-woo's manhwa series Priest was published in Korea and the U.S. from 1998â2007.
Notable American Western comics[edit]
Golden Age of Comic Books[edit]
Title | Publisher | Issues published | Publication dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
All-Star Western | DC | 62 | 1951â1961 | vol. 1 (vol. 2, published from 1970â1972, became Weird Western Tales) |
Billy the Kid | Charlton | 145 | 1957â1983 | Mostly a reprint title from issue #125 (Jan. 1979) onward |
Black Fury | Charlton | 57 | 1955â1966 | |
Gunfighter | EC | 9 | 1948â1950 | Continued as The Haunt of Fear |
Cheyenne Kid | Charlton | 92 | 1957â1973 | |
The Cisco Kid | Dell | 41 | 1951â1958 | |
Crack Western | Quality | 22 | 1949â1953 | took over the numbering of Quality's Crack Comics |
Gene Autry Comics | Dell | 121 | 1946â1959 | title changed to Gene Autry and Champion with issue #102 |
Gunsmoke Western | Marvel | 46 | 1948â1963 | began as All Winners Comics, vol. 2, before being retitled and reformatted as the Western anthology All-Western Winners (#2â4), Western Winners (#5â7), Black Rider (#8â27), Western Tales of Black Rider (#28â31), and, finally, Gunsmoke Western (#32â77), the last primarily starring Kid Colt, Outlaw |
Hopalong Cassidy | Fawcett/DC | 134 | 1946â1959 | DC takes over titles in 1953 after Fawcett's demise |
Kid Colt Outlaw | Marvel | 225 | 1949â1979 | Mostly a reprint title from issue #130 (Sept. 1966) onward |
The Lone Ranger | Dell | 145 | 1948â1962 | Gold Key picked up the character, sporadically publishing 28 issues from 1964â1977, making heavy use of reprint material from the Dell comics, adding in new material toward the end of the run. |
The Lone Ranger's Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver | Dell | 34 | 1952â1960 | |
Outlaws of the West | Charlton | 71 | 1957â1980 | numbering continues in 7-issue reprint series published in 1979â1980 |
Prize Comics Western | Prize | 51 | 1948â1956 | |
Rawhide Kid | Marvel | 151 | 1955â1957 1960â1979 |
Mostly a reprint title from issue #116 (Oct. 1973) onward |
Red Ryder | Dell | 151 | 1941â1956 | Initially reprints of the long-running syndicated newspaper strip. With issue #47 (June 1947), began producing original material.[8] |
Straight Arrow | Magazine Enterprises | 55 | 1950â1956 | Adapted from a popular radio program |
Texas Rangers in Action | Charlton | 75 | 1956â1970 | |
Tomahawk | DC | 140 | 1950â1972 | |
Two-Gun Kid | Marvel | 126 | 1948â1962 | Mostly a reprint title from issue #93 (July 1970) onward |
Western Comics | DC | 85 | 1948â1961 | |
Wild Western | Marvel | 55 | 1948â1957 | Published by the Marvel forerunner Atlas |
Wrangler Great Moments in Rodeo | American Comics Group | 50 | 1955â1966 |
Cowboy actor comics[edit]
- Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid, 41 issues (Magazine Enterprises, 1949â1955)
- Dale Evans Comics, 24 issues (DC, 1948â1952)
- Gabby Hayes Western, 50 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1948â1957)
- Gene Autry, 121 issues (Dell, 1946â1955)
- Jimmy Wakely, 18 issues (DC, 1949â1952)
- John Wayne Adventure Comics, 31 issues (Toby Press, 1949â1955)
- Lash LaRue Western, 84 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1949â1961)
- Monte Hale Western, 60 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1948â1956)
- Rex Allen, 30 issues (Dell, 1951â1959)
- Rocky Lane Western, 87 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1949â1959) â many issues featured Slim Pickens backup stories
- Roy Rogers Comics, 91 issues (Dell, 1948â1961)
- Six-Gun Heroes, 83 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1950â1965) â featured cowboy actors like Allan 'Rocky' Lane, Lash LaRue, Monte Hale, Smiley Burnette, and Tex Ritter
- Tex Ritter Western, 46 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1950â1959)
- Tim Holt, 41 issues (Magazine Enterprises, 1948â1954)
- Tom Mix Western, 61 issues (Fawcett, 1948â1953)
- Western Hero, 112 issues (Fawcett, 1948â1952) â featured cowboy actors like Tom Mix and Monte Hale; formerly known as Real Western Hero
- Wild Bill Elliott, 14 issues (Dell, 1950â1955)
Contemporary titles[edit]
- Weird Western Tales (DC, 1972â1980) â began in 1970 as volume two of All-Star Western
- Jonah Hex (DC, 1977â1985; DC/Vertigo, 2005â2011)
- Preacher (DC/Vertigo, 1995â2000)
- Desperadoes (Homage/Wildstorm, 1997â2002; IDW, 2005â2007)
- Loveless (DC/Vertigo, 2005â2008)
- Scalped (DC/Vertigo, 2007â2012)
- High Moon (DC/Zuda, 2007â2017)
- The Goodbye Family (2015âpresent)
References[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^Markstein, Don. 'Broncho Bill,' Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 23, 2011.
- ^Markstein, Don. 'Whiteboy,' Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 23, 2011.
- ^Sexton, Lansing and Sexton, Andrea. 'Cowboy Comic Books - an Overview: Tim Holt,' The Old Corral. Accessed July 25, 2011.
- ^ abSchelly, Bill and Keith Dallas. American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2013), p. 17.
- ^Rhoades, Shirrel (2008). A Complete History of American Comic Books. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, p. 47.
- ^Markstein, Don. 'Two-Gun Kid,' Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Dec. 19, 2011.
- ^FALK, RAY. 'Howdy! Pardner-San,'New York Times (May 3, 1953, p. 296.
- ^Sexton, Lansing and Sexton, Andrea. 'Cowboy Comic Books - an Overview: Red Ryder,' The Old Corral. Accessed July 25, 2011.
Sources[edit]
- Horn, Maurice. Comics of the American West (New Win Publishing, 1977) ISBN9780876911907
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western comics. |
- Grost, Michael E. 'Western Comics,' MikeGrost.com. Accessed July 4, 2011.
- Smith, Troy D. 'The Top Ten Western Comics â and a whole slew of runners-up,' Western Fictioneers: Official Blog of the Western Fictioneers, Professional Authors of Traditional Western Novels and Short Stories (Apr. 25, 2011)
- 'Cowboy Comic Books - an Overview,' The Old Corral. Accessed July 10, 2011.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Western_comics&oldid=902739000'
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History | |
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United States | |
Name: | Hornet |
Namesake: | Hornet |
Ordered: | 30 March 1939 |
Builder: | Newport News Shipbuilding Company |
Laid down: | 25 September 1939 |
Launched: | 14 December 1940 |
Sponsored by: | Annie Reid Knox |
Commissioned: | 20 October 1941 |
Nickname(s): | 'Fighting Lady', 'Happy Hornet', and'Horny Maru'[1] |
Fate: | Sunk in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 27 October 1942 |
Status: | Found near Solomon Islands, late January 2019 |
Notes: | Last U.S. fleet carrier lost in action |
General characteristics (as built) | |
Class and type: | |
Displacement: |
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Length: | 824 ft 9 in (251.38 m) (overall) |
Beam: |
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Draft: | 28 ft (8.5 m) full load |
Installed power: |
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Propulsion: | 4 shafts; 4 geared steam turbines |
Speed: | 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph) (design) |
Range: | 12,500 nmi (23,200 km; 14,400 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement: | 2,919 officers and enlisted (wartime) |
Armament: |
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Armor: |
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Aircraft carried: | 72 Ã aircraft |
Aviation facilities: |
|
USS Hornet (CV-8), the seventh ship to carry the name Hornet, was a Yorktown-classaircraft carrier of the United States Navy. During World War II in the Pacific Theater, she launched the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and participated in the Battle of Midway and the Buin-Faisi-Tonolai Raid. In the Solomon Islands campaign, she was involved in the capture and defense of Guadalcanal and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands where she was irreparably damaged by enemy torpedo and dive bombers. Faced with an approaching Japanese surface force, Hornet was abandoned and later torpedoed and sunk by approaching Japanese destroyers. Hornet was in service for a year and six days and was the last US fleet carrier ever sunk by enemy fire. For these actions, she was awarded four service stars, a citation for the Doolittle Raid in 1942, and her Torpedo Squadron 8 received a Presidential Unit Citation for extraordinary heroism for the Battle of Midway. Her wreck was located in late January 2019 near the Solomon Islands.[2]
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2Service history
- 2.3Solomons campaign, AugustâOctober, 1942
- 3Legacy
Construction and commissioning[edit]
Hornet cruising off Hampton Roads in October 1941
Because of the cap on aggregate aircraft carrier tonnage included in the Washington Naval Treaty and subsequent London treaties, the United States had intended to build two Yorktowns and use up the remaining allocated tonnage with a smaller, revised version of the same design, which eventually became Wasp, but with war looming in Europe, and the repudiation of the naval limitation treaties by Japan and Italy, the Navy's General Board decided to lay down a third carrier to the Yorktown design immediately, followed by the first carrier of the follow-on CV-9 (Essex) class when that design was finalized; authorization from Congress came in the Naval Expansion Act of 1938.
Hornet had a length of 770 feet (235 m) at the waterline and 824 feet 9 inches (251.38 m) overall. She had a beam of 83 feet 3 inches (25.37 m) at the waterline, 114 feet (35 m) overall, with a draft of 24 feet 4 inches (7.42 m) as designed and 28 feet (8.5 m) at full load. She displaced 20,000 long tons (20,000 t) at standard load and 25,500 long tons (25,900 t) at full load. She was designed for a ship's crew consisting of 86 officers and 1280 men and an air complement consisting of 141 officers and 710 men.
She was powered by nine Babcock & Wilcoxboilers providing steam at 400 psi (2,800 kPa) and 648 °F (342 °C) to four Parsons Marine geared steam turbines each driving its own propeller. The turbines were designed to produce a total of 120,000 shaft horsepower [shp] (89,000 kW) giving her a range of 12,000 nautical miles (14,000 mi; 22,000 km) at a speed of 15 knots (17 mph; 28 km/h). She was designed to carry 4,280 long tons (4,350 t) of fuel oil and 178,000 US gallons (670,000 l) of Avgas. Her designed speed was 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h; 37.4 mph). During sea trials, she produced 120,500 shp (89,900 kW) and reached 33.85 knots (62.69 km/h; 38.95 mph).
Hornet was equipped with eight 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliberdual purpose guns and 16 1.1-inch (28 mm)/75 caliberantiaircraft guns in quad mounts (four guns operating together). Originally, she had 24 M2 Browning .50-inch (12.7 mm) machine guns but these were replaced in January 1942 with 30 20-mm Oerlikon antiaircraft cannon.[3][4] An additional 1.1-inch (28 mm) quad mount was later added at her bow and two more 20 mm antiaircraft guns were added for a total of 32 mounts. In addition, her athwartships hangar-deck aircraft catapult was removed.[5] In June 1942, following the battle of Midway, Hornet had a new CXAM radar installed atop her tripod mast, and her SC radar was relocated to her mainmast. Unlike her sisters, Hornet's tripod mast and its signal bridge were not enclosed when the CXAM was installed, making her unique among the three ships.
For armor, she had an armor belt of 30-pound (14 kg) special treatment steel (STS) that was 2.5 to 4 inches (64â102 mm) thick. The flight and hangar decks had no armor but the protective deck had 4 inches (100 mm) of 60-pound (27 kg) STS. Bulkheads had 4-inch (100 mm) armor while the conning tower had 30â16 mm splinter pro armor 4 inches (100 mm) on the sides with 2 inches (51 mm) on top. The steering gear had 4-inch (100 mm) protection on the sides with 60â16 mm on the deck.[3]
Her flight deck was 814 by 86 feet (248 m à 26 m) and her hangar deck was 546 by 63 feet (166 m à 19 m) and 17 feet 3 inches (5.26 m) high. She had three aircraft elevators each 48 by 44 feet (15 by 13 m) with a lifting capacity of 17,000 pounds (7,700 kg). She had two flight-deck and one hangar-deck hydraulic catapults and equipped with Mark IV Mod 3A arresting gear with a capability of 16,000 pounds (7,300 kg) and 85 miles per hour (137 km/h).[6] She was designed to host a Carrier Air Group of 18 fighters, 18 bombers, 37 scout planes, 18 torpedo bombers, and 6 utility aircraft.[3][7]
Hornet was laid down on 25 September 1939 by Newport News Shipbuilding of Newport News, Virginia and was launched on 14 December 1940, sponsored by Annie Reid Knox, wife of Secretary of the NavyFrank M. Knox. She was commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk on 20 October 1941, with Captain Marc A. Mitscher in command.[8][9]
Service history[edit]
During the period before the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hornet trained out of Norfolk. A hint of a future mission occurred on 2 February 1942, when Hornet departed Norfolk with two Army Air ForcesB-25 Mitchellmedium bombers on deck. Once at sea, the planes were launched to the surprise and amazement of Hornet's crew. Her men were unaware of the meaning of this experiment, as Hornet returned to Norfolk, prepared to leave for combat, and on 4 March sailed for the West Coast via the Panama Canal.[10][11]
Doolittle Raid, April 1942[edit]
A B-25 takes off from Hornet
Hornet arrived at Naval Air Station Alameda, California, on 20 March 1942.[12] With her own planes on the hangar deck, by midafternoon on 1 April, she loaded 16 B-25s on the flight deck.[13] Under the command of Lieutenant ColonelJames H. Doolittle, 70 United States Army Air Corps officers and 64 enlisted men reported aboard. In company of her escort, Hornet departed Alameda on 2 April[13] under sealed orders. That afternoon, Captain Mitscher informed his men of their mission: a bombing raid on Japan.
Eleven days later, Hornet joined the aircraft carrier Enterprise at Midway, and Task Force 16 turned toward Japan.[14] With Enterprise providing combat air patrol cover, Hornet was to steam deep into enemy waters. Originally, the task force intended to proceed to within 400 nmi (460 mi; 740 km) of the Japanese coast; however, on the morning of 18 April, a Japanese patrol boat, No. 23 Nitto Maru, sighted the American task force. Nashville sank the patrol boat.[15] Amid concerns that the Japanese had been made aware of their presence, Doolittle and his raiders launched prematurely from 600 nmi (690 mi; 1,100 km) out, instead of the planned 400 nmi (460 mi; 740 km). Because of this decision, none of the 16 planes made it to their designated landing strips in China. After the war, it was found that Tokyo received the Nitto Maru's message in a garbled form and that the Japanese ship was sunk before it could get a clear message through to the Japanese mainland.[16]
As Hornet came about and prepared to launch the bombers, which had been readied for take-off the previous day, a gale of more than 40 kn (46 mph; 74 km/h) churned the sea with 30 ft (9.1 m) crests; heavy swells, which caused the ship to pitch violently, shipped sea and spray over the bow, wet the flight deck, and drenched the deck crews. The lead plane, commanded by Colonel Doolittle, had only 467 ft (142 m) of flight deck, while the last B-25 hung its twin rudders far out over the fantail. Doolittle, timing himself against the rise and fall of the ship's bow, lumbered down the flight deck, circled Hornet after take-off, and set course for Japan. By 09:20, all 16 were airborne, heading for the first American air strike against the Japanese home islands.[15]
Hornet brought her own planes on deck as Task Force 16 steamed at full speed for Pearl Harbor. Intercepted broadcasts, both in Japanese and English, confirmed at 14:46 the success of the raids. Exactly one week to the hour after launching the B-25s, Hornet sailed into Pearl Harbor.[17] That the Tokyo raid was the Hornet's mission was kept an official secret for a year; until then, President Roosevelt referred to the ship from which the bombers were launched only as 'Shangri-La.' Two years later, the Navy would give this name to an aircraft carrier.
Hornet steamed from Pearl Harbor on 30 April to aid Yorktown and Lexington[18] at the Battle of the Coral Sea, but the battle ended before she reached the scene. On 4 May Task Force 16 crossed the equator, the first time ever for Hornet.[19] After executing, with Enterprise, a feint towards Nauru and Banaba (Ocean) islands which caused the Japanese to cancel their operation to seize the two islands, she returned to Hawaii on 26 May,[20] and sailed two days later to help repulse an expected Japanese assault on Midway.[5][11]
Battle of Midway, June 1942[edit]
SBDs from Hornet at Midway
On 28 May 1942, Hornet and Task Force 16 steamed out of Pearl Harbor heading for Point 'Luck,' an arbitrary spot in the ocean roughly 325 miles (523 km) northeast of Midway, where they would be in a flank position to ambush Japan's mobile strike force of four frontline aircraft carriers, the KidÅ Butai.[21] Japanese carrier-based planes were reported headed for Midway in the early morning of 4 June.[22]Hornet, Yorktown, and Enterprise launched aircraft, just as the Japanese carriers struck their planes below to prepare for a second attack on Midway.[23]Hornetdive bombers followed an incorrect heading and did not find the enemy fleet. Several bombers and all of the escorting fighters were forced to ditch when they ran out of fuel attempting to return to the ship. 15 torpedo bombers of Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) found the Japanese ships and attacked. They were met by overwhelming fighter opposition about eight nautical miles (9 mi; 15 km) out, and with no escorts to protect them, they were shot down one by one. EnsignGeorge H. Gay, USNR, was the only survivor of 30 men.[24][25]
Further attacks by Enterprise and Yorktown torpedo planes proved equally disastrous, but succeeded in forcing the Japanese carriers to keep their decks clear for combat air patrol operations, rather than launching a counter-attack against the Americans. Japanese fighters were shooting down the last of the torpedo planes over Hiryū when dive bombers of Enterprise and Yorktown attacked, causing enormous fires aboard the three other Japanese carriers, ultimately leading to their loss. Hiryu was hit late in the afternoon of 4 June by a strike from Enterprise and sank early the next morning. Hornet aircraft, launching late due to the necessity of recovering Yorktown scout planes and faulty communications, attacked a battleship and other escorts, but failed to score hits.Yorktown was lost to combined aerial and submarine attack.[26]
Hornet's warplanes attacked the fleeing Japanese fleet on 6 June and they assisted in sinking the heavy cruiserMikuma, damaging a destroyer, and leaving the heavy cruiser Mogami, heavily damaged and on fire, to limp away from the battle zone. The attack by Hornet on the Mogami ended one of the great decisive battles of naval history.[26]Midway Atoll was saved as an important base for American operations into the Western Pacific Ocean. Of greatest importance was the crippling of the Japanese carrier strength, a severe blow from which the Imperial Japanese Navy never fully recovered. The four large carriers took with them to the bottom about 250 naval aircraft and a high percentage of the most highly trained and experienced Japanese aircraft maintenance personnel. The victory at Midway was a decisive turning point in the War in the Pacific.[11]
On 16 June 1942, Captain Charles P. Mason became commanding officer of Hornet upon her return to Pearl Harbor.[8]Hornet spent the next six weeks replenishing her stores, having minor repairs performed, and most importantly: Having additional light anti-aircraft guns and the new RCA CXAM air-search radar fitted. She did not sail in late July with the forces sent to re-capture Guadalcanal, but instead remained at Pearl Harbor in case she was needed elsewhere.
Solomons campaign, AugustâOctober, 1942[edit]
Hornet steamed out of harbor on 17 August 1942 to guard the sea approaches to the bitterly contested Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Bomb damage to Enterprise on 24 August, torpedo damage to Saratoga on 31 August, and the sinking of Wasp on 15 September left Hornet as the only operational U.S. carrier in the South Pacific. She was responsible for providing air cover over the Solomon Islands until 24 October 1942, when she was joined by Enterprise just northwest of the New Hebrides Islands. These two carriers and their escorts then steamed out to intercept a Japanese aircraft carrier/battleship/cruiser force closing in on Guadalcanal.[5][11]
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands[edit]
Hornet under attack during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands took place on 26 October 1942 without contact between surface ships of the opposing forces. That morning, Enterprise's planes bombed the carrier ZuihÅ, while planes from Hornet severely damaged the carrier ShÅkaku and the heavy cruiserChikuma. Two other cruisers were also attacked by Hornet's warplanes. Meanwhile, Hornet was attacked by a coordinated dive bomber and torpedo plane attack.[11] In a 15-minute period, Hornet was hit by three bombs from Aichi D3A 'Val' dive bombers. One 'Val,' after being heavily damaged by anti-aircraft fire while approaching Hornet, crashed into the carrier's island, killing seven men and spreading burning aviation gas (Avgas) over the deck. Meanwhile, a flight of Nakajima B5N 'Kate' torpedo planes attacked Hornet and scored two hits, which seriously damaged the electrical systems and engines. As the carrier came to a halt, another damaged 'Val' deliberately crashed into Hornet's port side near the bow.[5]
With power knocked out to her engines, Hornet was unable to launch or land aircraft, forcing its aviators to either land on Enterprise or ditch in the ocean. Rear AdmiralGeorge D. Murray ordered the heavy cruiserNorthampton to tow Hornet clear of the action. Since the Japanese planes were attacking Enterprise, this allowed Northampton to tow Hornet at a speed of about five knots (9 km/h; 6 mph). Repair crews were on the verge of restoring power when another flight of nine 'Kate' torpedo planes attacked. Eight of these aircraft were either shot down or failed to score hits, but the ninth scored a fatal hit on the starboard side. The torpedo hit destroyed the repairs to the electrical system and caused a 14-degree list. After being informed that Japanese surface forces were approaching and that further towing efforts were futile, Vice Admiral William Halsey ordered Hornet sunk, and an order of 'abandon ship' was issued. Captain Mason, the last man on board, climbed over the side, and the survivors were soon picked up by the escorting destroyers.[5][11]
Hornet, sinking and abandoned.
American warships next attempted to scuttle the stricken carrier, which absorbed nine torpedoes, many of which failed to explode, and more than 400 5-inch (130 mm) rounds from the destroyers Mustin and Anderson. The destroyers steamed away when a Japanese surface force entered the area. The Japanese destroyers Makigumo and Akigumo finally finished off Hornet with four 24-inch (610 mm) Long Lance torpedoes. At 01:35 on 27 October, Hornet was finally sunk with the loss of 140 of her 2,200[27] sailors.[28]
Legacy[edit]
Hornet was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 13 January 1943.[11] However, her name was revived less than a year later when the newly constructed Essex-class aircraft carrierKearsarge was commissioned as USS Hornet (CV-12).[29] CV-8 is honored aboard her namesake, which is now the USS Hornet Museum docked in Alameda, California.
Hornet was the last American fleet carrier CV ever sunk by enemy fire, albeit the light carrierPrinceton and a number of much smaller escort carriers were sunk in combat in other battles.
Wreck discovered[edit]
In mid-February 2019, the research vesselPetrel located the wreck at a depth of more than 17,500 feet (5,300 m) off the Solomon Islands.[30] The expedition team, largely funded by Paul Allen, aboard the Petrel used information from the archives of nine other U.S. warships that saw the carrier shortly before it was sunk. One of two robotic vehicles aboard the Petrel found the Hornet during its first dive mission.[27]
Awards[edit]
American Defense Service Medal with 'Fleet' clasp |
||
American Campaign Medal | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with four stars |
World War II Victory Medal |
Hornet was awarded four battle stars during World War II.
Action No. | Operation:Action | Operation Period | Period of CV-8 Participation | Battle Stars Awarded | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
(1) | The Battle of Midway | 3â6 June 1942 | 3 June 1942 â 6 June 1942 | 1 | A Presidential Unit Citation was awarded for this battle to Torpedo Squadron 8 flying from USS Hornet CV-8 |
(2) | The Buin-Faisi-Tonolai raid | 5 October 1942 | 5 October 1942 | 1 | |
(3) | The capture and defense of Guadalcanal | 10 August 1942 â 8 February 1943 | 16 October 1942 | 1 | |
(4) | The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands | 26 October 1942 | 26 October 1942 | 1 | USS Hornet CV-8 was sunk during this battle after being in service for a year and six days. |
Total Battle Stars | 4 |
In addition, Torpedo Squadron 8 flying from Hornet was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.[33] 'for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service beyond the call of duty' during the Battle of Midway.
Notes[edit]
- ^'ThirteenCats - Ship Nicknames'. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- ^https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/02/12/us/world-war-ii-aircraft-carrier-found-south-pacific-trnd/
- ^ abcFriedman 1983, p. 392.
- ^Hornet (CV-8) vii.
- ^ abcdeCampbell 2011, pp. 91â92.
- ^Friedman 1983, p. 381.
- ^Navsource.org.
- ^ abNavsource.org Commanding Officers.
- ^Rose 1995, pp. 5â6, 10.
- ^Rose 1995, pp. 38â39, 41.
- ^ abcdefgHornet (CV-8) vii.
- ^Rose 1995, p. 42.
- ^ abRose 1995, p. 52.
- ^Rose 1995, p. 62.
- ^ abRose 1995, pp. 65â71.
- ^Rose 1995, p. 71.
- ^Rose 1995, p. 77.
- ^Rose 1995, pp. 81â82.
- ^Rose 1995, p. 90.
- ^Rose 1995, p. 97.
- ^Rose 1995, pp. 49, 110â111.
- ^Rose 1995, pp. 120â122.
- ^Rose 1995, p. 125.
- ^Rose 1995, pp. 128â132, 146â149.
- ^Mitscher & 13 June 1942.
- ^ abRose 1995, pp. 97â155.
- ^ abPrio, Ryan. 'The wreck of a WWII US Navy aircraft carrier, lost for 76 years, has been found in the South Pacific'. CNN. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^Hammel 2005, p. 380.
- ^Hornet (CV-12) viii.
- ^'Wreckage of World War II aircraft carrier USS Hornet discovered'. cbsnews.com. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual â Part III 1953.
- ^Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual â Part IV 1953.
- ^Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual â Part II 1953.
References[edit]
- Campbell, Douglas E., PhD (2011). Volume I: U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard Aircraft Lost During World War II â Listed by Ship Attached. Lulu.com. ISBN1-257-82232-2.
- Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN978-0-8702-1739-5.
- Hammel, Eric M. (2005). Carrier Strike: The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, October 1942. Zenith Imprint. p. 380. ISBN0-7603-2128-0.
- 'Hornet (CV-8) vii'. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 15 January 2015.
- 'Hornet (CV-12) viii'. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 15 January 2015.
- Mitscher, M.A. (13 June 1942). 'Battle of Midway: USS Hornet Action Report'. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- 'Part II. Unit Awards'. Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790. 1953.
- 'Part III. List of Authorized Operations and Engagements, Asiatic-Pacific Area'. Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790. 1953.
- 'Part IV. Campaign and Service Medals'. Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790. 1953.
- Peña, Fabio (5 October 2008). 'USS Hornet (CV-8): Commanding Officers'. NavSource Online: Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- Rose, Lisle A. (1995). The Ship That Held the Line: The U.S.S. Hornet and the First Year of the Pacific War. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-008-8.
- Yarnall, Paul (15 March 2015). 'USS Hornet (CV-8)'. NavSource Online: Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
This article incorporates text from the public domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: |
- Michael Pocock. 'Maritimequest USS Hornet CV-8 Photo Gallery'. Maritimequest.com. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- 'More detail on last hours of Hornet'. Microworks.net. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- 'WWII Archives Hornet (CV-8) original Ship Action Reports Scanned in from the National Archives'. WWIIarchives.net. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- 'WWII Archives U.S.S. Hornet (CV-8) original 32 Page War Damage Report Scanned in from the National Archives'. Wwiiarchives.net. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- 'NavSource Aircraft Carrier Photo Index for Hornet (CV-8), with Awards, Medals, and Ribbons Listing'. Navsource.org. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- 'USS Hornet Damage Report during the Battle of Midway'. Researcheratlarge.com. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- 'Decorations â Task Force 16 Citation'. Cv6.org. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
- 'Commanders of the USS Hornet (CV-8)'. Uboat.net. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
Coordinates: 8°38â²23â³S166°42â²34â³E / 8.63972°S 166.70944°E Skyrim special edition legacy of the dragonborn.
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Hornet_(CV-8)&oldid=903770824'
John Force | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Born | May 4, 1949 (age 70) Bell Gardens, California, USA |
Related to |
|
NHRAFunny Car career | |
Current team | John Force Racing PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS |
Years active | 1978âpresent |
Car no. | 9 (2019) |
Crew chief | Jon Schaefer & Ronnie Thompson[1] |
Championships | 16 |
Wins | 149 |
Fastest laps |
|
Championship titles | |
1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2013 |
16 NHRA Championships |
Last updated on: February 11, 2019. |
John Harold Force (born May 4, 1949 in Bell Gardens, California) is an American NHRAdrag racer. He is a 16-time Funny Car champion driver and a 20-time champion car owner. Force owns and drives for John Force Racing (JFR). He is one of the most dominant drag racers in the sport with 149 career victories. [4] He graduated from Bell Gardens High School and briefly attended Cerritos Junior College to play football.[5] He is the father of drag racers Ashley Force Hood, Brittany Force, and Courtney Force. His oldest daughter Adria Hight is the CFO of JFR.
Current drivers racing for his team are son-in-law Robert Hight, and daughters Brittany and Courtney. Mike Neff was crew chief for John two separate times. Effective July 2013 Jimmy Prock replaced Mike Neff as crew chief,[6] and Mike Neff became crew chief for Robert Hight. Neff, who was once the crew chief for rival driver Gary Scelzi, raced in a 4th Funny Car for JFR from October 26, 2007, following the death of Eric Medlen, until the end of the 2009 season. However, in 2010, after a 2009 season in which Force did not win a single race, Force parked his 4th car, and named Neff as his new crew chief instead. This decision resulted in Force winning his 15th NHRA Championship. His nickname among several of the drivers, as well as several announcers within the sport of drag racing is 'Brute Force', a nickname he earned by his dominating wins during his run of ten straight NHRA championships. Force, his daughters, Courtney, Ashley, and Brittany, and son-in-law Robert Hight are collectively known as 'The First Family of Drag Racing'.
- 18Achievements and awards
Early life[edit]
Force was born to Harold and Betty Ruth Force. As a child he lived in logging camps, Indian reservations, migrant farms, and trailer parks. He survived childhood polio with therapy and perseverance of his mother and family.[7] He played football in high school and attended Cerritos College.[8]
John is one of six children of Harold and Betty Ruth Force. Word lock picture follow text app. John had five siblings. Walker, Louie, Tom (now deceased), and Cindy Hem (married to Skip Hem) were all older than John. Dana (Baby Force) Marino, is ten years younger than John. Walker and Cindy still live near John in Southern California. Walker Force and Louie Force have worked with John over the years, but Walker Force is the only sibling now working at JFR. Younger sister Dana (Marino) did not grow up in the same house or spend any time with the family in the early years of the Force Family Racing activities. Dana now attends some of the NHRA events as she is a part-time Intern-Journalist with 'The Motorsports Report' based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and resides an hour south in Kingman, AZ. She is a realtor by trade, but is Aunt Dana to Adria, Ashley, Courtney and Brittany. Much of the family still attends NHRA National events to cheer on John, Robert Hight (Adria's husband), Brittany and Austin Prock (JFR Crew Chief Jimmy Prock's son) when the events are closer to their homes in Pomona, Las Vegas, Sonoma, and Phoenix.[9]
1978â2004[edit]
In 1971, Force drove the Jack Chrisman-built Night StalkerMustang, his first funny car.[10] Early in his career, he drove a Corvette, a Monza and then in the 1980s switched to an Oldsmobile Cutlass through the end of the 1993 season. He drove a Chevrolet for 1994, quickly changing to a Pontiac in 1995 and 1996. Force was a Ford driver and team owner from 1997 until 2014, when he returned to Chevrolet.
Between 1987 and 1996, Force won sixty-seven of 203 NHRA national events, four of nine Big Bud Shootouts, and six World Championships.[11] In 1996, with Austin Coil tuning, Force went to the final round in sixteen of nineteen national events, taking thirteen wins, one of the best records ever in Funny Car history.[12] His domination would continue, with ten NHRA FC World Championship wins from 1993 to 2002, including six straight 1997-2002; his success was so amazing, he was accused of cheating (and was willing to strip off his firesuit to prove he was not).[13] Between 1997 and 2006, Force went to the final in 105 of 228 events and took sixty-one tour wins.[14] On top of that, he had ten of the quickest or fastest passes in Funny Car.[15]
In 1992, the honor of putting Force on the trailer would go to Cruz Pedregon, driving the Larry MinorMcDonald's-sponsored Olds to the championship.[16]
Force's points finishes were 23rd, 8th, 26th, 16th, 20th, 4th, 13th, and 5th from 1978-1985. Force then had Castrol Motor Oil jump on as his main sponsor, and was even more successful. From 1986-1995, he finished 4th, 4th, 6th, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, and 1st. He then had fellow driver and arch-rival Cruz Pedregon's younger brother, Tony, come aboard to drive John's 2nd car. From 1996-2000, John finished 1st all 5 years. In 2001, John had longtime friend and fellow drag racer Gary Densham drive a third car. In that same year, John once again finished as the champion, which he followed up with an astronomical 10th straight world title in 2002. In 2003, for the 1st time since 1992, John didn't win the title. It was not all lost however, because teammate Tony Pedregon won his 1st world title. At the end of the season, Tony Pedregon went on to join brother Cruz in their own racing organization, and Gary Densham went on to race independently. John found quick and personal talent in 2 young-guns. Eric Medlen, son of long-time JFR crewmember John Medlen, came on to race. John's other driver, Robert Hight, was his son-in-law and crewmember. Both had a lot of success in their season, but John topped both in 2004 with a 13th world title.
In 2000, Force was sponsored by BP's Castrol brand, continuing the relationship between Force and Castrol that began in 1985 and lasted through 2014. After winning his fourth Funny Car title in 1994, Force earned the nickname of 'Brute Force' from drivers, and even announcers such as Steve Evans. This nickname hearkens back to his early days on the track, when he drove his own unsponsored car, named 'Brute Force'. Force had a cameo in a 2004 episode of King of the Hill ('Dale Be Not Proud'), in which Dale Gribble donates a kidney to Force, after which it appears he does not need it.
2005[edit]
In 2005, Force won 5 events, but only finished third in the championship standings, 32 points behind champion Gary Scelzi, and 24 points behind Ron Capps, both of Don Schumacher Racing [DSR].
2006[edit]
Jimmy Cruz The First Time Song
In 2006, Force won his 14th NHRA World Funny Car Championship, defeating Capps in the quarter-finals of the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals which mathematically eliminated Capps and teammate Robert Hight from the championship. Force went on to win the event, his third of the season and 122nd of his career.
2007[edit]
John Force Racing shop
After the death of Eric Medlen, and John Force's crash in Ennis, Texas at the 2007 O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals, Force started 2007 poorly, suffering a DNQ ending a 20+ year consecutive qualifying streak. He rebounded, winning the O'Reilly NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, then proceeded on to three more final rounds, winning another race in Sonoma, California, putting him fourth in points and allowing him to make the first cut in NHRA's new point system, the Countdown to the Championship aka the 'Countdown to Eight'. He stumbled again in the next two races but, again, rebounded until his crash.
On September 23, 2007, Force was injured in a crash at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Fall Nationals in Ennis, Texas as he crossed the finish line against Kenny Bernstein. Bernstein's Funny Car drifted into Force's lane, clipping the final timing cone and a foam block which shot into Force's lane. Initially, it was thought that the block ruptured Force's left rear tire, causing it to come apart, violently shaking the chassis until it broke apart. However, it was determined by NHRA after thorough review, that the block went behind Force's tire and was not the cause of the wreck.[17] Injuries sustained were a broken ankle, abrasion of his right knee, a dislocated left wrist, and badly mangled fingers and toes. Phil Burkart Jr. was added as Force's replacement for the remainder of the 2007 season, starting at Las Vegas.
2008[edit]
2008 was a subpar season for Force who finished 7th, out of the top five for the first time since early in his career. However, after the death of driver Scott Kalitta, he was instrumental in the development of some of the safety precautions that were implemented throughout the rest of the season, and along with retired 6 time world champion Kenny Bernstein [4 Funny Car titles, 2 Top Fuel titles] and seven-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher, with backing from NHRA's Track Safety Committee, assisted in developing a sensor that monitors the engines of Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars. Should the engine backfire at any time during a race, the fuel pump is automatically shut down, and the parachutes are deployed. The idea was to either minimize or eliminate the circumstances that led to Kalitta's death. This safety device became mandatory and was put into place at the start of the 2009 season. Also, a brake handle that, instead of needing to be pulled back toward the driver, was set up to be pushed away from the driver was made an optional setting for the Funny Car division. This change happened because when the 2008 season began, Force's right arm was still in a cast, due to broken fingers, and he needed a different way of using the brakes on the car, rather than the traditional handbrake that needed to be brought back toward the driver; also, in the 2007 accident in Texas, Force had lost some grip in his right hand, and had some problems putting enough pressure on the handbrake to unlock it from position to apply the brakes. This led to the development of the forward application handbrake, which has given several drivers in the Funny Car class quicker access to the brakes. Though Force only finished seventh in the points in 2008, he became influential within the NHRA for innovations in driver safety.
2009[edit]
2009 once again saw Force finish outside of the top five. John finished 9th, daughter Ashley finished 2nd, and Mike Neff placing 10th. However, he would win his 16th overall championship as a car owner, with teammate Robert Hight's championship, placing Force as the winningest car owner in NHRA history.
2010[edit]
The start of the 2010 season saw Force celebrate 25 years with the same sponsor, as well as 34 years in the NHRA. On February 14, Force won the season opener at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona in the 50th Winternationals in California defeating Ron Capps. After 13 events, Force had 4 wins, and lead the Funny Car points standings with 933, 58 ahead of teammate Robert Hight.
Going into the Auto Club of Southern California Finals in Pomona, CA on November 14, 2010, Force needed some help to win the championship. He started the day 38 points behind 28-year-old Matt Hagan, who ran for team rival Don Shumacher and his team. In order to capture the championship he needed to finish two rounds ahead of Hagan. With Bob Tasca III taking Hagan out in the first round, Force won his first round over Gary Densham and second round win over Bob Bode, securing the championship. He then went on to victory beating Melanie Troxel in the semi-finals and in the final, defeated Jeff Arend. John Force now has the distinction of being the oldest NHRA champion in history. Long time crew chief Austin Coil resigned from John Force Racing on November 16, 2010.
2011[edit]
As of February 7, 2011, JFR has already flip-flopped cars between John, Robert, Ashley, and Mike. Ashley Force Hood announced that she was expecting her 1st child, and would sit out the 2011 Full Throttle Drag Racing Season. John Force would drive Force Hood's new Ford Mustang with Dean Antonelli and Ron Douglas tuning, sponsored by Castrol Motor Oil. Robert Hight will remain in the Auto Club of Southern California Ford Mustang. Mike Neff, after co-crew chiefing John Force's car with Austin Coil, will drive Force's car from John's 2010 championship season. Neff's Ford Mustang will be sponsored by Castrol Oil. As of February 7, 2011, JFR started testing for the 2011 season. Out of the 11 testers so far, Force is 1st, Hight was 5th, and Neff was 6th.As of July 31, Force is 7th in the points standings, while teammate Mike Neff is leading, and Robert Hight is in second.
2012[edit]
2012 saw John welcome a fourth driver to his stable, former Top Alcohol Dragster champion, and daughter Courtney, who was in the running for the Auto Club Rookie of the Year Award, she will be driving the Traxxas Ford Mustang in her rookie season, and she has done something that only sister Ashley has done, beat her father in the first meeting between the two, taking John out of the Arizona Nationals in Phoenix in just the first round. Although Force was unable to retain the championship, finishing in fifth, he saw Courtney win something he never did, the NHRA Road to the Future Rookie of the Year award, and Courtney's second-place finish in the season helped cement John Force Racing's legacy for several years to come.
2013[edit]
During the start of the 2013 season, Ashley announced her retirement from full-time competition, this left the Force team short a driver. Rather than find another driver to take Ashley's place within the Castrol GTX Funny Car, John did something he had never done before, field a Top Fuel car, with daughter Brittany behind the wheel. On July 26, 2013 it was announced that after the 2014 racing season Ford Motor Company would no longer be a part of John Force Racing.[18] It was also announced that after the 2014 racing season, primary sponsor Castrol would be leaving JFR after a 29-year business relationship[19]
During the penultimate race of the 2013 season, Force beat his daughter Courtney in the final round to win the race and his 16th NHRA Funny Car Championship.
2014[edit]
2015[edit]
John Force Peak Chevrolet Funny Car
In 2015 John announced a partnership with Chevrolet. He competed in the 2015 racing season with a new sponsorship deal from Peak Antifreeze.
2016[edit]
2017[edit]
John's daughter Brittany & Robert Hight both won the championship in Top Fuel & Funny Car respectfully.
2018[edit]
2019[edit]
Achievements and awards[edit]
Championships[edit]
1990 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1991 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1993 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1994 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1995 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1996 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1997 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1998 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1999 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2000 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2001 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2002 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2003 NHRA Champion Owner (Tony Pedregon, Funny Car)
2004 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2006 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2009 NHRA Champion Owner (Robert Hight, Funny Car)
2010 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2013 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2017 NHRA Champion Owner (Brittany Force, Top Fuel)
2017 NHRA Champion Owner (Robert Hight, Funny Car)
1991 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1993 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1994 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1995 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1996 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1997 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1998 NHRA Funny Car Champion
1999 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2000 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2001 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2002 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2003 NHRA Champion Owner (Tony Pedregon, Funny Car)
2004 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2006 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2009 NHRA Champion Owner (Robert Hight, Funny Car)
2010 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2013 NHRA Funny Car Champion
2017 NHRA Champion Owner (Brittany Force, Top Fuel)
2017 NHRA Champion Owner (Robert Hight, Funny Car)
Achievements[edit]
- Selected as 'Driver of the Year' for all of American motor racing in 1996 by a national panel of motorsports journalists, the first drag racer ever so honored.
- 149 wins in 252 final rounds (first driver with 100 wins)
- First NHRA drag racer to achieve 1,000 career elimination round wins (1,000th win: first round, 2008 NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway near St. Louis, Missouri), where he defeated Ron Capps for the 1,000th round win.
- First driver to set an official NHRA Funny Car elapsed time under five seconds in the quarter mile (October 16, 1993, Texas Motorplex, 4.996).[20]
- 16-time NHRA champion driver, and 20-time champion owner.
- Ranked #2 on the NHRA Top 50 Drivers, 1951â2000, behind Don Garlits
- With daughter Ashley, first father/daughter pair to compete against each other, during the first round of the NHRA Southern Nationals in Atlanta in 2008, which saw Ashley win.
- Only driver to have won more than ten championships in his division, beating the record once held by retired NHRA Pro Stock Champion Bob Glidden, who had 10 championships
- Most event #1 qualifications in NHRA history, with 158 (as of June 15, 2019)
- Force received the Lee Iacocca Award at Bristol Dragway on June 16, 2012
- Most consecutive championship seasons - 10 (1993-2002)
Driving Force[edit]
John was featured on A&E's reality show Driving Force with his wife (Laurie) and three of his daughters (Ashley, Courtney, and Brittany).
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^National Hot Rod Association - John Force, Retrieved Aug, 6, 2018.
- ^'CAPPS DISAPPOINTED AFTER ABRUPT MOVE LEADS TO LOSS IN GATORNATIONALS AFTER NAPA AUTO PARTS DODGE CHARGER R/T CROSSES THE CENTERLINE'. Don Schumacher Racing. March 19, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^'NHRA Arizona Nationals Saturday Qualifying Results, Sunday Elimination pairings'. Auto Week. February 24, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^https://www.nhra.com/news/2018/john-force-earns-149th-win-pritchett-anderson-arana-jr-snag-denver-victories.Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ^'John Force: Driver'. John Force Racing. Retrieved July 9, 2012.
- ^'Changing things up, and I ain't dead yet'. Autoweek. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^'John Force not slowing down and his competitors know it'. Motorsport.com. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
- ^Geiger, Rob (November 25, 2013). 'Ways of the Force'. Autoweek. 63 (23): 61.
- ^personal family interviews and Dana Marino, The Motorsports Report.
- ^Taylor, p.42.
- ^Burk, Jeff. '50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 3' in Drag Racer, November 2016, p.53.
- ^Burk, p.54.
- ^Burk, p.60.
- ^Burk, p.60.
- ^Burk, p.60.
- ^Burk, Jeff. '50 Years of Funny Cars: Part 3' in Drag Racer, November 2016, p.56.
- ^NHRA driver Force can't recall crash, https://web.archive.org/web/20090309133648/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/092507dnspoforceupdate.105ff9951.html. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2016.Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on July 31, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
- ^'Castrol ending 29-year partnership with NHRA's John Force Racing'. autoweek.com. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ^[1] Although Chuck Etchells had beaten Force to the five-second barrier October 1, 1993, with a 4.987 at Topeka, Etchells failed to make a subsequent pass within one percent of that time at the event, which is required to set an official record. Force ran a subsequent pass within one percent.
Sources[edit]
- Taylor, Thom. 'Beauty Beyond the Twilight Zone' in Hot Rod, April 2017, pp.30-43.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Thinking Back To An Eye-Opening Day With John Force[dead link]
- Pro file on NHRA.com
- John Force on IMDb
- Even at 65, heâs still NHRA drag racingâs driving Force - NBC Sports, Jerry Bonkowski, October 3, 2014
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