Early on the morning of April 18th, 1942, United States Navy Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Hornet turned into the wind in preparation for launching Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle's sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers for a surprise raid on Tokyo. Occurring just five months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the raid on Tokyo came at a time when U.S morale needed a lift. President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted an attack on Tokyo in order to lift the spirits of the American people at a time when most of the war news was bad. So, after many weeks of secret training that involved coaxing a loaded, land-based B-25 bomber to take-off in the length of a carrier deck, the Hornet set sail with a supporting force for the Western Pacific.
After 18 days at sea, the time for the attack finally arrived. However, it arrived sooner than planned. While still over 700 miles from the Japanese mainland, the group of ships was spotted by a Japanese picket boat. The enemy boat was quickly sunk with gunfire, but, not knowing if the crew had alerted the Japanese Home Islands of the Hornet's appearance, the decision was made to launch the B-25's from much farther out than originally planned. The Hornet was turned into the wind, and one by one, the heavily-loaded B-25's clawed their way into the air, leaving behind the spray-swept deck of the Hornet.
"Tokyo Bound" by Nicolas Trudgian is a fine art print (Artist's Special Reserve) that depicts this moment when the B-25's began launching from the Hornet. This is a large, impressive piece. It measures 28" x 38 ½ ". A Certificate Of Authenticity issued by the publisher is included. The print is double-matted in light-blue-gray and medium-tan. Included in the artwork are three photographs of the actual launching of the B-25's from the U.S.S. Hornet (picture credits: U.S. Navy and National Archives).
The optional frame is solid wood, with a cherry finish (other colors are available. Contact us for info). Please see the "Frame Info" tab for complete information on how we frame our artwork. |
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