Photos Album -- Midway Magic
America's Longest-Serving Aircraft Carrier - the winter of 1946

Experience Midway Magic aboard the nation's newest naval aviation museum, the U.S.S. Midway. Located downtown in San Diego at Navy Pier, Midway provides a dynamic and enriching experience as guests take a look back at the history of America's longest serving Aircraft Carrier.  A visit to Midway will instill a greater appreciation for naval aviation, service to country and sacrifice.
 

Features include:

  • Handicapped access from Navy Pier to the hangar deck and up to the flight deck
  • Self-guided audio tour with admission
  • More than 35 exhibits and displays
  • Access to the mess deck, berthing spaces, hangar deck, flight deck and island superstructure
  • Mach Combat F-8 and F-4 phantom flight simulators and flight stations
  • Flight Avionics motion simulators
  • Interactive, story-telling docents, many of them Midway veterans
  • 15 restored aircraft, with more than on the way

The Midway will become the fifth and largest aircraft carrier museum in the United States. The other carrier museums are the Intrepid in New York City; the Yorktown in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; the Lexington in Corpus Christi, Texas; and the Hornet in Alameda, California.

The USS Midway was the world's largest warship when it was launched on March 20, 1945, and she held that distinction for a decade. She was commissioned on September 10, 1945 and named for the Battle of Midway. Midway was the lead ship of her class, three of which were completed, with another two ships cancelled.

Midway served three combat tours during in Vietnam and launched warplanes over Iraq in 1991 during Desert Storm. The ship saw many firsts, including the first jet takeoff from a carrier and the dawn of naval missile warfare when a captured German V-2 rocket was launched from its deck in 1947.

The ability to adapt to new technologies, systems, platforms, and operational needs is exemplified in the design and 50-year operational history of the USS Midway. Designed during World War II, this "flattop" initially operated piston-driven propeller aircraft, yet returned from her last deployment in 1991 with the Navy's most modern, multipurpose strike-fighters. Her original axial-deck design was modified to an angled-deck layout, her original hydraulic catapults were replaced with more powerful steam catapults, and the most basic electronics replaced by advanced sensors and communications equipment. Her air wing included four squadrons of F/A-18 Hornets and two squadrons of A-6 Intruders (a strike capability of 68 attack aircraft). While unable to operate either the F-14 Tomcat or S-3 Viking, Midway was still an amazing and powerful national asset over forty years after her commissioning. 

San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum website: http://www.midway.org

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Midway aircraft carrier
:::::Midway aircraft carrier now a museum on waterfront, in the heart of San Diego Bay:::::

The San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum
The San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum aboard the USS Midway has become a crown jewel of downtown San Diego's revitalized waterfront!

visit the Midway aircraft carrier
Gate way to visit the Midway aircraft carrier. (Landing lights of Midway aircraft carrier.)
Elevator of Midway Aircraft Carrier
Elevator of Midway Aircraft Carrier
Stern of Midway aircraft carrier
Stern of Midway aircraft carrier.
Bridge of Midway aircraft carrier
Bridge of Midway aircraft carrier.
Flight control bridge of Midway aircraft carrier
Flight control bridge of Midway aircraft carrier.
Bridge to Elevator
Bridge to Elevator
Bridge and command center of Midway aircraft carrier
Bridge and command center of Midway aircraft carrier.

Command center of Midway aircraft carrier
::::::: Command center of Midway aircraft carrier. :::::::

Ships wheel of Midway aircraft carrier
Ships wheel of Midway aircraft carrier.
View from captain's chair of Midway aircraft
::::: View from captain's chair of Midway aircraft. ::::::
Machine shop of Midway aircraft carrier
::::::: Machine shop of Midway aircraft carrier :::::::

Signal flags of Midway aircraft carrier
Signal flags of Midway aircraft carrier.

Bathroom in the Midway aircraft carrier
Bathroom in the Midway aircraft carrier.
Douglas A-4C Skyhawk jet
:::::Douglas A-4C Skyhawk jet carrier-based attack bomber (1956) at Midway aircraft carrier museum. ::::::
Aviation SNJ prop trainer
North American Aviation SNJ prop trainer (1940s & 50s) at Midway aircraft carrier museum.

Special on the deck
Special on the deck.

Vought F-8 jet fighter
:::::: Vought F-8 jet fighter at Midway aircraft carrier museum. ::::::
UH-1B Huey at Midway aircraft carrier museum
UH-1B Huey at Midway aircraft carrier museum.


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