The USS Midway is America’s longest serving Aircraft Carrier in American history, almost 48 years of service. One reason she was such a great ship, she was built by women. The USS Midway was built during the 2^nd world war, you remember Rosie the riveter and Rosie the welder. They incorporated solutions to all the shortcomings of the aircraft carriers used during the war. During the Battle of the Coral Sea a Japanese Zero dropped a bomb on the USS Lexington, it went through the flight deck and down 5 decks before it exploded, that’s not good! Aircraft carriers at that time had oak wood on the flight deck backed by thin steel. The USS Midway was the first aircraft carrier with a steel flight deck. Midways flight deck is 3 1/2 inches thick steel, the hanger deck which is the main deck is 2 1/2 inches thick and the 3^rd deck is also 2 1/2 inches thick, below that is where they have the ordnance magazines and fuel. The extra steel was a design to protect the ship.

She was launched Sept 10^th 1945 just a few days after the Japanese surrender on the deck of the USS Missouri. I like to joke that the Japanese surrendered because they knew the USS Midway was coming, but I think there was another reason, probably 2 reasons. When she was launched, she had a straight deck and headed out to the Mediterranean Sea and north for operation deep freeze. Midway was a test bed for future operations and design ideas. Her second deck design, her first angle deck was complete in 1957, The year I was born. The angle deck allowed the ship to launch and recover aircraft at the same time, which couldn’t be done with the straight deck. Her 3^rd and final deck design was launched in 1970 just before she was sent to Japan to be part of a forward deployed group in Yokosuka.

  I am a Midway sailor, I was stationed aboard her from 1977 to 1979, She was stationed in Yokosuka Japan. I joke that it was a hard place to be a young man, we would leave Yokosuka and spend a couple weeks at sea. At sea just long enough to get a paycheck and they would take us to some other exotic location like Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippine islands and stay in port just long enough to blow your money. That’s how I learned budgeting, making the money last for 5 or 6 day that we are in port. You don’t want to run out of money on day 3 or 4.    

    The USS Midway is listed #1 on Tripadvisor.com in San Diego out of more the 470 attractions. She is a must see and you will not be disappointed, live the adventure and honor the dream. Don’t miss this one