USS MIDWAY - SAN DIEGO, CA

USS MIDWAY

SAN DIEGO, CA

I had no intention of visiting the Midway.  A friend asked me if I wanted to go and I said "sure".  What a great decision.  I absolutely loved this ship and the guides that work here.  Seemed like every guide actually served on the ship or was a former sailor.  They were filled with knowledge on every subject.  If you wanted to know about how a pilot would catch a tail hook, the guy telling you the story was an actual pilot who performed numerous carrier landings at sea.  Want to know about the 12 boilers that and 18 foot tall propellers and you will be educated by a man that actually worked in the boiler plant on board the Midway.  The Midway is Magic!  Imagine a ship on a 42-year odyssey that stretched from the end of WWII to the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.  An odyssey shared by thousands of sailors whose average age was 19!  No other aircraft carrier served America in the 20th century as long as the Midway.  It's track record for humanitarian missions, established of new naval aviation standards, and marathon deployments made it one of the most noteworthy aircraft carriers in the history of the U.S. Navy.  Commissioned in 1945 as the largest ship in the world for a decade.  With a crew of 4500 that included 225 cooks and 200 pilots the Midway is a floating city.  The deck is filled with vintage aircraft that have been restored to pristine condition.  The tour is around $15 and includes a self-guided audio tour.  Totally AWESOME!