USS Midway from astern
Approaching the USS Midway (CV-41) from astern in the Gulf of Oman in February 1981. Note the huge overhang of the angled flight deck on the port side.
USS Midway (CVB/CVA/CV-41) was an aircraft carrier of the US Navy, the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned after the end of WWII. Active in Operation Desert Storm, she is now a museum ship in San Diego, CA. She is the only remaining aircraft carrier of the WWII era that is not an Essex-class ship.
Midway was laid down 27 October 1943 by Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, VA. Her revolutionary hull design was based on what would have been the Montana-class battleships and gave her superior maneuverability over all previous carriers. On 17 August 1980, Midway relieved Constellation to begin another Indian Ocean deployment and to complement the Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN-69) task group still on contingency duty in the Arabian Sea. Midway spent a total of 118 days in the Indian Ocean during 1980/81. On 25 March 1986, the final carrier launching of a Fleet F-4S Phantom II took place off Midway during flight operations in the East China Sea.
Midway was decommissioned at NAS North Island on 11 April 1992 in a ceremony in which the main speaker was then-Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney. On 30 September 2003, Midway moved from the Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, WA en route to San Diego, CA for use as a museum and memorial. She was opened to the public on 7 June 2004. In its first year of operation, the museum doubled attendance projections by welcoming 879,281 guests aboard. Visitors may tour the ship's flight deck, hangar bay, mess hall, bridge, primary flight control area, enlisted and junior officer quarters, sickbay, and portions of the engine rooms. Additionally, several restored aircraft are on display in the hangar and on the flight deck. Self-guided audio tours are provided with admission. Events and meetings are held on board as well. Five to six evening events are held aboard Midway every week. Midway now books events three years in advance.
USS Midway from astern
Approaching the USS Midway (CV-41) from astern in the Gulf of Oman in February 1981. Note the huge overhang of the angled flight deck on the port side.
USS Midway (CVB/CVA/CV-41) was an aircraft carrier of the US Navy, the lead ship of her class, and the first to be commissioned after the end of WWII. Active in Operation Desert Storm, she is now a museum ship in San Diego, CA. She is the only remaining aircraft carrier of the WWII era that is not an Essex-class ship.
Midway was laid down 27 October 1943 by Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, VA. Her revolutionary hull design was based on what would have been the Montana-class battleships and gave her superior maneuverability over all previous carriers. On 17 August 1980, Midway relieved Constellation to begin another Indian Ocean deployment and to complement the Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN-69) task group still on contingency duty in the Arabian Sea. Midway spent a total of 118 days in the Indian Ocean during 1980/81. On 25 March 1986, the final carrier launching of a Fleet F-4S Phantom II took place off Midway during flight operations in the East China Sea.
Midway was decommissioned at NAS North Island on 11 April 1992 in a ceremony in which the main speaker was then-Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney. On 30 September 2003, Midway moved from the Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, WA en route to San Diego, CA for use as a museum and memorial. She was opened to the public on 7 June 2004. In its first year of operation, the museum doubled attendance projections by welcoming 879,281 guests aboard. Visitors may tour the ship's flight deck, hangar bay, mess hall, bridge, primary flight control area, enlisted and junior officer quarters, sickbay, and portions of the engine rooms. Additionally, several restored aircraft are on display in the hangar and on the flight deck. Self-guided audio tours are provided with admission. Events and meetings are held on board as well. Five to six evening events are held aboard Midway every week. Midway now books events three years in advance.