San Diego – USS Midway

June 2014

The aircraft carrier USS Midway is now a museum at Navy Pier. You can explore almost every part of the ship including hangar bays, cabins, the bridge, galleys, engineering and many other fascinating exhibits that give you an immersive glimpse into the ship's history. On the ship's massive flight deck, there are dozens of vintage aircraft displayed.

022 USS Midway
Walking up to the USS Midway, you realize just how massive an aircraft carrier really is
023 USS Midway
Walking up to the USS Midway, you realize just how massive an aircraft carrier really is
024 Gangway
Walking up to the USS Midway, you realize just how massive an aircraft carrier really is
026 Island Superstructure
Walking up to the USS Midway, you realize just how massive an aircraft carrier really is
028 F4U Corsair
F4U Corsair
031 A-3 Skywarrior
A-3 Skywarrior
032 F-14 Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
033 Flightdeck and Island Superstructure
Looking across the flight deck to the island superstructure
035 F-4F Wildcat
F-4F Wildcat
036 A-4F Skyhawk
A-4F Skyhawk
039 F-4 Phantom Landing
F-4 Phantom set up to demonstrate a carrier landing
040 A-6 Intruder
A-6 Intruder
041 Shamrock Tail
Ready for St. Patrick's Day
042 HUP Retriever
I'd be nervious flying in a HUP Retriever. It is small and awkward looking.
043 Island Superstructure
The "island"
044 Jet Blast, Props and Rotors Sign
There was no jet blast or moving props/rotors the day I was there.
045 Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System
The Fresnel Lens Optical Landing System guides aircraft in for landing
046 Statue
Unconditional Surrender is a statue that stands next to the USS Midway
047 SH-3 Sea King
This SH-3 Sea King retrieved the capsules from five of the Apollo missions
048 SH-3 Sea King Apollo Markings
This SH-3 Sea King retrieved the capsules from five of the Apollo missions
049 SH-3 Sea King Cockpit
This SH-3 Sea King retrieved the capsules from five of the Apollo missions
050 E-2 Hawkeye
E-2 Hawkeye
051 Coronado Bridge
Coronado Bridge
052 Coronado Bridge & Boats
All types of boat traffic passes by the Coronado Bridge
053 USS Ronald Reagan
The USS Ronald Reagan, a modern day aircraft carrier
054 H-60 Seahawk
H-60 Seahawk
057 Flightdeck
The flight desk of the USS Midway is massive
058 USS Ronald Reagan
The USS Ronald Reagan, a modern day aircraft carrier
059 View from Bridge
Looking out from the bridge
060 View from Bridge
Looking out from the bridge
061 View from Bridge
Looking out from the bridge
068 Boss and Mini Boss Seats
Boss and Mini Boss Seats
069 Bridge Equipment
On the bridge
070 CO's Seat
CO's Seat
072 Forward View from Bridge
Looking forward from the bridge
073 Switches
The old brass controls are cool. The one on the left blows the ships whistles
074 Steering Wheel
Every ship needs a wheel
075 Engine Order Trasmitter
Engine orders are placed here
076 Captain's Cabin
Captain's Cabin
077 Ouija Board
The ouija board
078 Admiral's Quarters
Admiral's Quarters
079 Admiral's Galley
Admiral's Galley
080 Conference Room
The admiral's conference room
081 Radar Console
Radar Console
082 Radio Room
Radio Room
083 Teletype Machine
The Naval messages coming out of this teletype machine still look the same today
084 Commanding Officers
The many CO's of the Midway
085 Captain's Quarters
Captain's Quarters
086 Captain's Galley
Captain's Galley
087 Ready Room
One of the squadron ready rooms
088 Coffee Pot and Mugs
Coffee anyone?
089 Ready Room
One of the squadron ready rooms
091 Steam Valves
That's a lot of valves
092 Brig
The brig
093 Enlisted Bunks
Enlisted bunks are quite cozy
094 Engineering
Engineering watch. Those are not real people, FYI.
095 SNJ Trainer
SNJ Trainer