The U.S.S. Hornet was selected in 1969 to serve as the Prime Recovery Ship (PRS) for the Apollo 11 Moon mission. On July 24, 1969, Commanding Officer, Captain Carl J. Seiberlich, welcomed President Richard Nixon aboard in the Pacific to observe the picture-perfect recovery of America's first astronauts to land on the Moon.

Four months later, the U.S.S. Hornet was called upon for a repeat performance in the recovery of the second Moon mission and the crew of Apollo 12. The carrier was also selected to serve as the recovery ship for Apollo 13, but a delay in the launch of the ill-fated moon mission interfered with the U.S.S. Hornet's scheduled inactivation.

Seven LORAN (Long Range Aid to Navigation) receivers were used aboard the U.S.S. Hornet's navigation bridge to find the Apollo 11 and 12 recovery sites. This light cover is from one of them. LORAN is a radionavigation system using land-based radio transmitters and receivers to allow mariners to determine their position.