USS Midway Museum is a historic naval aircraft carrier museum located at the Navy Pier in downtown San Diego, California. The museum is housed in the USS Midway, which is the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. The interactive museum offers a memorable adventure where visitors can explore a floating city at sea, the awe-inspiring flight deck with its 29 restored aircraft, flight simulators, and gain inspiration from the Midway Battle Theater.
USS Midway (CVB/CVA/CV-41) is an aircraft carrier that served in the United States Navy and was the flagship of its class. It was named after the Battle of Midway, the climax of which occurred in June 1942. The Midway was completed in just 17 months but was commissioned a week after the end of World War II on September 10, 1945, making it the last carrier to be commissioned during the war. Midway was the first of a three-ship class of large carriers that featured an armored flight deck and a powerful air group consisting of 120 aircraft. It was the largest ship in the world until 1955 and the first American carrier too large to transit the Panama Canal. Midway served for 47 years, witnessing action in the Vietnam War and serving as the flagship in the 1991 Operation Desert Storm. It was decommissioned in 1992 and is now a museum ship at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, California. It is the only non-Essex class carrier in the United States that is not in active service.
During its service, the USS Midway carried 225,000 sailors. The museum now houses a large collection of aircraft, many of which were built in Southern California. This historical landmark allows visitors to explore 60 different exhibits and 29 restored aircraft, some of which flew in World War II, Operation Desert Storm, and the Korean War. In the self-guided audio tour, visitors can see the crew's sleeping quarters, engine room, ship's jail, primary flight control, and other areas of the 4-acre flight deck. The audio tour is informative, but they also recommend stopping to listen to the knowledgeable volunteer docents, many of whom are veterans who served on the ship and are stationed throughout the museum.
Midway also offers the opportunity to experience the uniqueness of San Diego, the hometown of TOP GUN. After the movie "Top Gun" received support from the Navy, it was primarily filmed on the aircraft carrier and in San Diego. After its release in 1986, the movie was a huge success and attracted many young people to join the Navy as pilots.
From 1945 to 1992, the USS Midway was the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. Approximately 200,000 sailors served on the carrier, which was known for multiple naval aviation breakthroughs and humanitarian missions. It was the only carrier to serve throughout the entire Cold War and beyond. It is currently a museum ship in San Diego, California.
Since its commissioning, the Midway played a crucial role in the Cold War. In 1946, it became the first American carrier to operate in the sub-Arctic region during winter, developing new cockpit procedures. The following year, Midway became the only ship to launch and recover a captured German V-2 rocket. The successful test marked the beginning of naval missile warfare. Just two years later, Midway deployed a large patrol plane to demonstrate that atomic bombs could be carried by carriers. Midway served ten years in the Atlantic Fleet, conducting seven deployments in European waters, patrolling NATO's "soft underbelly." In 1955, a circumnavigation brought Midway to the West Coast, where an angled deck was installed to improve jet aircraft operations.
Midway's first combat deployment was in 1965 for airstrikes against North Vietnam. Midway aircraft shot down three MiGs, including the first air-to-air victory of the war. However, during this cruise, 17 Midway aircraft were lost to enemy fire. In 1966, Midway underwent a four-year overhaul.
During the chaotic two-day period of the fall of Saigon in April 1975, Midway served as a floating base for large Air Force helicopters and evacuated over 3,000 desperate refugees.
With the increasing potential threat to Arab oil supplies and to relieve pressure on American carriers, Midway shifted homeport to Yokosuka, Japan, making it the first U.S. carrier to regularly operate overseas.
In 1990, Midway deployed to the Persian Gulf in response to Iraq's occupation of Kuwait. During the subsequent Operation Desert Storm, Midway served as the flagship for naval air forces in the Gulf region and conducted over 3,000 combat sorties without any losses. Its final mission was evacuating civilian personnel from Clark Air Base in the Philippines following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo.
On April 11, 1992, Midway was decommissioned in San Diego and was stored in Bremerton, Washington until 2003 when it was donated to the 501(c)3 nonprofit San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum organization. It opened as the USS Midway Museum in June 2004.
The museum opened on June 7, 2004. By 2012, it had welcomed over 1 million visitors annually. As of 2015, the Midway is the most popular naval warship museum in the United States. The museum has over 13,000 members and hosts over 700 events each year, including over 400 active-duty Navy retirements, re-enlistments, and changes of command.