Excerpt:

Not only did the USS Hornet battle enemy ships and fighter planes during the ship's time at sea, it braved the weather. And it shows.

Sun and rain, salty ocean spray and the many aircraft that took off and landed battered the flight deck of the "Old Gray Ghost," as the aircraft carrier that's now a floating museum was affectionately known to sailors.

An $800,000 project to waterproof the deck, as well as repair elevators that once ferried aircraft topside from the cavernous hangar bays, is nearly finished.

Now the museum's staff and volunteers are pushing to raise the final $100,000 that will make the Hornet eligible for a $250,000 grant to help pay for the work.