Although the commissioning of the USS Midway, or the CVB-41, was on September 10, 1945, just days after Japan’s formal surrender in World War II, the ship had been named after the pivotal Battle of Midway. Commanded by Captain Joseph F. Bolger, this “supercarrier” was the largest ship in the world at the time, featuring an armored flight deck, a displacement of 45,000 tons, and the ability to carry over 100 aircraft as well as a crew of over 4,000 sailors and marines.
After her shakedown cruise in the Caribbean, Midway reported to the Atlantic Fleet, with Norfolk, Virginia, as her homeport. On 20 February 1946, she was made flagship for Carrier Division 1. In March of that year, she participated in Operation Frostbite-cold weather operations in the North Atlantic. On 26 August 1947, Midway became the only ship to ever launch a captured German V-2 rocket after serving as a floating launchpad in the Atlantic during Operation Sandy.
During her service, Midway was constantly being adapted to cope with the changing technology of aircraft. She was the scene of some drama in 1951 when Commander George Duncan crash-landed very spectacularly onto her deck in his F9F Panther; despite receiving serious burns, he survived. This incident has been used in several movies, including “Men of the Fighting Lady,” “Midway,” and “The Hunt for Red October.”
Redesignated as an attack aircraft carrier, CVA-41, in 1952, Midway continued to figure prominently in a variety of operations. She participated in North Sea maneuvers with NATO forces and began a world cruise in 1954, joining the Seventh Fleet in the western Pacific. Aviators from Midway flew cover for the Tachen Islands evacuation during the Quemoy-Matsu crisis. Following modernization in Bremerton, Washington, which was an overhaul that included an enclosed bow and an angled flight deck, she was updated with innovations.
The operational history of Midway serves as a litmus to her strength and viability. She served actively in Vietnam where she has been involved in combat operations and is the recipient of the Presidential Unit Citation, in recognition of her extraordinary heroism. In 1975, she played a pivotal role in Operation Frequent Wind, the final phase of the evacuation of American civilians and “at-risk” Vietnamese during the fall of Saigon.
Entering the early Cold War, class carriers, of which USS Midway was one, were seen by the U.S. Navy as a cornerstone for its operational strategy. These warships were designed to be highly resilient, their design integrating experience and knowledge from WWII, and initially deploying nuclear weapons because of their conventional propulsion. Innovations on board the Midway-class included armored flight decks and longer, angled decks for jet operations which would extend their useful strategic lives well into the future.
For the rest of the decade, Midway continued as a forward-deployed unit, serving mostly in the western Pacific, but receiving refits to alleviate some of the seakeeping problems. In 1988 she weathered Typhoon Dale in the Sea of Japan, including a 26-degree roll. After Iraq invaded Kuwait, Midway, in 1990, deployed in the North Arabian Sea in support of Operation Desert Shield.
The last years of Midway’s career were spent on Operation Fiery Vigil, removing military personnel and dependants from Clark Air Base during the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. Decommissioned on April 11, 1992, she would go on to serve, in another capacity, as a museum ship in San Diego, enlightening and impressing visitors to that day.
Being part of the Midway class of aircraft carriers, the USS Midway has played a very dominant role in the development and future of naval aviation. Its design and career path predetermined the emergence of even more advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, taking a commanding lead of the U.S. Navy at sea for many tens of years to come.