MEGEN and the Midway Museum

As identified in this post, MEGEN recently visited the decommissioned aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway, which is now a floating museum.

Midway was named in honor of the heroic WWII battle, and her service spans the last half of the 20th Century--from WWII through the Gulf War. Her final deployment was as the flagship for U.S Naval forces arrayed against Saddam Hussein in the Persian Gulf in 1991. With her remarkable reputation for safety, endurance and efficiency, "Midway Magic" was a legendary phrase applied to the activities of both ship and crew.

MEGEN's first stop aboard was in front of a piece of WWII history, an SBD Dauntless--the premiere naval aircraft of WWII:


The most interesting part of the ship was the Flag Tactical Communications Center. The lighting was as it would be during operations and a loop of radio traffic was played over the speakers, making it feel startling realistic. As the flagship for the 1991 Gulf War, Midway was the center of naval operations; to hear those radio communications from pilots, and to know what was going on down on the ground while people worked in that very room was sobering... the serious business of making war.

















Other stops included the following, in order: Pri-Fly, Communications, Bridge (3 photos), and Engine Room, [click to enlarge]...



And finally, what visit to a carrier would be complete without a stop on Vulture's Row to grade the landings?