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USS Midway CV-41(V)

The USS Midway CV-41 (V) had the distinction of being the first naval vessel commissioned after end of World War II in 1945. Her "revolutionary" hull offered more maneuverability and easier handling compared to all previous carriers. During Operation Sandy, the Midway made history with the first test launching from a moving platform, in the form of a captured German V-2 rocket.

Significant Achievements

She received alterations seven year later to carry heavier aircraft, and her next mission found her pilots aiding in the Tachen Islands evacuation of 35,000 Chinese, along with their chickens cows and pigs. Five years later, Midway received an overhaul to become more modern, including an aft deck elevator, steam catapults, an angled flight deck and a "hurricane bow". But that wasn't the end of her modernization. After nine years, the Midway was the recipient of expensive and controversial updates. Her flight deck was enlarged by 50%, her elevators' weight capacity was doubled, and she was given centralized air conditioning, new catapults, and arresting gear-at a price tag of $202 million. Unfortunately, three years later she needed additional modifications to correct problems with air operations that stemmed from those prior changes.

Yet, the Midway continued her series of naval successes. One of her HC-7 Det 110 helicopters aided in a search and rescue mission for a downed aviator shot by an by a surface-to-air missile in 1972, and a year later she was part of one of the first forward-carrier task groups deployed in a Japanese port. In 1975, the USS Midway took part in Operation Frequent Wind. As such, she had to off-load 50% of her combat aircraft to make room for 10 US Air Force CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters. These were used to transport hundreds of individuals out of Saigon and into the South China Sea fleet. (During this maneuver, a South Vietnamese pilot safely landed his small plane aboard Midway's flight deck, and now the craft is displayed at the Naval Aviation Museum.) Once the people were safely evacuated, the Midway returned to Thailand, allowing the CH-53s to airlift almost 100 South Vietnamese aircraft for transport to Guam. Upon her return, she was then requested to act as a floating airfield for special operation forces. The following year found the Midway showing its force off Korea from an unprovoked, fatal attack on two U.S. Army officers.

But, disaster struck in 1980, when the Midway collided with the Panamanian merchant ship Cactus; two sailors working in the liquid oxygen plant were killed and three others were injured. But she pulled through, and the following year one of her A-6 Intruder pilots sighted a downed helicopter in the South China Sea, called for backup, and thus 17 civilians were rescued. Both passengers and their chartered aircraft were scooped from the water and carried aboard Midway's flight deck. One of her final missions, in 1990, involved Operation Imminent Thunder, a week long landing exercise in Saudi Arabia. Two years later, she was decommissioned, with the main speaker of Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney in a ceremony that was filmed for a naval documentary.

A Fitting Retirement

In 1993, after a year at the Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington, she traveled down to San Diego, California. Plans had been made to use the USS Midway for a museum and memorial. During the following January , she reached her final stop and was moored at the Broadway Pier, where she welcomed the public five months later. Although attendance was projected to be less than a half million the first year, the Midway saw almost 900,000 visitors. She was the "largest museum devoted to carriers and naval aviation". Guests got to see, up close, her primary flight control area, bridge, hangar bay, flight deck, enlisted and junior officer quarters, mess hall, sickbay, and areas of engine rooms, as wall more than two dozen restored naval aircraft from World War II. Almost daily, it is reserved for evening events, which are booked three years in advance. It has had major success in this new role, even though debates took place arguing that it would cause environmental and aesthetic drawbacks. However, part of the ship is free of charge to allow passers-by an uncompromised view of the San Diego harbor and skyline.

Having been upgraded to a museum, the USS Midway has probably ensured safety to all who come aboard by eliminating any traces of the former asbestos possibly used throughout the ship during its ocean-going days. At that time, it was common for vessels to utilize asbestos to protect against heat, flame and electrical power in the small areas that were at high risk for danger. However, due to the nature of asbestos, there is always the danger small particles may have seeped out and been circulated throughout the carrier's somewhat restricted air system.

If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Midway CV-41(V), or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, Asbestos.com offers a free packet with more information. Enter your contact information in the form in the right column and we'll send a copy immediately.

Aircraft Carriers Index

USS America USS Antietam CV 36 K USS Antietam CV 36 USS Badoeng Strait CVE 116 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Belleau wood CVL 24 USS Bennington CV 20 USS Bon Homme Richard CVa USS Boxer CV USS Bunker CV USS Cabot CVL 28 USS Constellation CV USS Coral Sea CV USS Corregidor CVE 58 USS Sable ix USS San jacinto CVL USS Saratoga CV USS Saratoga CV3 USS Shangri La

USS Cowpens CVL 25 USS Enterprise CV 6 USS Enterprise CVN USS Essex CV 9 USS Forrestal CV USS Franklin CV 13 USS Hancock CV 19 USS Hornet CV 12 USS Hornet CV 8 USS Independence C1 USS Independence CVL 22 USS Intrepid CV 11 USS Kearsage CV 33 USS Kearsage CV USS Kitty Hawk USS Sicily CVe USS Sitkoh bay USS Tarawa CV USS Ticonderoga CV USS Valley forge CV

USS Lake Champlain CV 39 USS Langley CV 1 USS Langley CVL 27 USS Lexington CV 16 USS Lexington CV 2 USS Leyte CV 32 USS Midway CV USS Oriskany CV USS Phillipine Sea CV USS Point cruz CVE USS Princeton CV USS Princeton CVL USS Randolph CV USS Ranger CV USS Rendova USS Wasp CV 18 USS Wasp CV 7 USS Wolverine IX 64 USS Yorktown CV 10 USS Yorktown CV 5

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