The Tractor That Sank: It's 17,500 Feet Down on the USS Hornet Wreck This image captures a moment in time: a brand-new 1941 International Harvester A-14 tractor chained to the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8). The tractor, built for farming, was repurposed for war, likely destined for a Pacific island airstrip. However, the tractor never reached its destination. The Hornet, famous for launching the Doolittle Raid, was sunk in October 1942 during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands