January 20, 2026
Commissioned just eight days after the end of World War II, USS Midway was the largest aircraft carrier in the world until 1955 as well as the first ship that was too big to go through the Panama Canal. She operated for 47 years and saw action in the Vietnam war and Operation Desert Storm before she was decommissioned in 1992. She is now a museum ship in San Diego. At over three hundred meters long (three football fields), it is hard to describe just how massive she is. To give some idea of her size, in the 1940s she carried almost 140 aircraft and even in later years with the larger fighter jets, she carried over 70 aircraft. The following chart gives a good idea of just how many aircraft that is.
There is a massive hangar that runs the length of the ship. Surrounding it are a maze of narrow hallways and small airless rooms. It must have taken the new sailors quite a while to find their way around.
Fitting in over 4000 crew and pilots, there wasn’t a lot of sleeping room.
Up on deck, there were a wide variety of aircraft.
Move over Top Gun.
Up in the Bridge (which is apparently called the Island on an aircraft carrier), an actual retired navy captain showed us around.
It’s hard to imagine that this ship’s wheel could be used to steer such a large vessel.
Mal and Lauren 