San Diego, California - Aircraft Carrier - USS Midway - Part II

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The USS Midway. The nose of A-6 Intruder (built by Grumman).

My father served as an officer on the Midway and as a boy, I was able to sail on her for a day cruise as part of a "Dependent's Day Cruise".

In August 1991,Midway sailed to San Diego where she was decommissioned at Naval Air Station North Island on 11 April 1992. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 17 March 1997. During the decommissioning process, she was used to film portions of the movie At Sea, a documentary on carrier life shown only at the Navy Museum in Washington D.C. Sailors and their families participated in the filming or the homecoming scenes.

On 30 September 2003, Midway began her journey from the Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Washington, to San Diego, California in preparation for use as a museum and memorial. She was docked at the Charles P. Howard Terminal in Oakland, California, during the first week in October while the construction of her pier in San Diego was completed. Then, on 10 January 2004 the ship was moored at her final location at the Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego, where 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.

The flight deck of the USS Midway.

An A-6 Intruder with the side number 082 and S-3 Viking built by Lockheed.

The pictures ENLARGE if you click on them.

1. A-6 Intruder
2. F-9 Panther (swept wing model)
3. A-5 Vigilante
4. A-4 Skyhawk
5. A-3 Skywarrior

On the Starboard catapult is a F-8 Crusader built by Chance Vought.

1. Aircraft side# 301 is an A-4 Skyhawk built by Douglas.

2. Aircraft side # 612 is an A-5 Vigalante built by North America.

3. Center of flight deck aircraft is a F-4 Phantom built by McDonnell.
4. Aircraft on port side is an S-2 built by Grumman.

5. Aircraft forward of S-2 is an S-3 built by Lockheed.

F-14 Tom Cat ( Grumman).

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