Australian hornet Australian hornet The Australian hornet ("Abispa ephippium"), actually a type of potter wasp or "mason wasp", is a vespid insect native to the Australian states and territories of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia. The Australian hornet is a solitary insect, forming small nests against buildings and other structures. The adult wasp feeds off flower nectar, while the larvae are fed caterpillars captured by the female. "A. ephippium" is in length. The insect is mostly orange, with a large central black patch on the top of the thorax, and a wide black
USS Hornet (CV-8) a halt, another damaged "Val" deliberately crashed into "Hornet"'s port side near the bow. 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 Admiral George D. Murray ordered the heavy cruiser 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 . Repair crews were on the verge of restoring power when another flight of nine "Kate" torpedo planes attacked. Eight of these aircraft were