Book excerpt: Hornet Plus Three follows the evolution of the DOD, Navy and NASA's efforts to take up President John F. Kennedy's challenge to [land] a man on the Moon and [return] him safely to Earth. In order to recover spacecraft from the vast ocean, the Navy and DoD had to create very elaborate plans and backups. This book traces those plans, from Mercury Freedom 7 to Apollo 12. Each aspect is explored, from the many types of aircraft employed, the different ships and their crews, and the diving specialists whose mission was to protect the astronauts.