USS Midway: 70+ Years of Remarkable Service as the Longest-Serving 20th-Century Aircraft Carrier
Few of its initial crew members could have envisioned that the ship would still be engaged in combat forty-six years later, with its deck filled with supersonic jet fighters.
The world’s largest battleship for a decade was launched on March 20, 1945, at the Newport News shipyard in Virginia. It was commissioned on September 8 and bestowed with the name USS Midway in honor of the pivotal World War II carrier battles that transpired just a few weeks after Japan’s surrender.
Few of the over 4,000 men who embarked on Midway’s inaugural patrol could have envisioned that the same vessel, though substantially transformed, would once again prepare for battle 46 years later, her deck bustling with supersonic jet fighters. The USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, affectionately known as “Rosey” and the first American carrier to bear the name of a former U.S. president, officially became part of the Midway class a month later. Roosevelt was constructed in New York. The USS Coral Sea, the final addition to this remarkable class, was launched in 1947.
The Midway-class carriers were designed to be “heftier battle carriers” when compared to the twenty-four Essex-class carriers that entered service during the latter stages of World War II. Naval engineers specifically aimed to introduce an armored flight deck. British carriers with armored decks demonstrated greater resilience and quicker recovery from dive-bombing and kamikaze attacks, which had severely damaged U.S. aircraft carriers. Nevertheless, the inclusion of armored flight decks also added significant weight, which limited deck space and the number of aircraft that could be carried.
American engineers spared no effort to achieve a formidable combination of deck armor and an extended aircraft capacity. The USS Midway, stretching over three football fields in length, boasted the capability to accommodate a remarkable fleet of 130 aircraft simultaneously. This impressive roster included three Helldiver bombers and four squadrons of gull-winged Corsair fighters. Protecting the ship’s flight deck was a robust shield of three and a half inches of armored plating, while an array of 18 five-inch, 52-caliber guns were meticulously positioned to engage enemy aircraft from a significant distance. Ensuring close-range defense, the ship was equipped with a formidable arsenal of 68 rapid-firing 40-millimeter and 20-millimeter weapons.
The Midway-class aircraft carriers were marvels of their time, propelled by twelve boilers that drove four powerful Westinghouse steam turbines, enabling these giants to achieve a top speed of 33 knots. However, this remarkable speed came at a high cost, as these behemoths guzzled 100,000 gallons of fuel each day, necessitating refueling every three days. The sheer size of the Midway-class ships presented numerous challenges. With 130 aircraft on board, effective coordination proved challenging, leading to a downsizing of their air wings to 100. The immense crews on these carriers made life onboard exceptionally crowded, and their great weight caused them to ride low in the water, resulting in excessive seawater sloshing on deck and flooding gunwells. These unwieldy vessels tended to plow through waves, occasionally leading to mishaps such as the loss of one of Midway’s aircraft elevators during a storm.
The Midway-class carriers made their entrance at a time when the U.S. Navy was adapting to the advent of jet and nuclear-powered aircraft. In 1946, an XFD-1 Phantom jet successfully landed on the Roosevelt’s deck, marking the first planned jet-powered landing on an aircraft carrier. A year later, the Midway-class carriers made history by launching a Nazi V-2 ballistic missile from their decks, the first such feat from a moving ship. In 1949, a P2V Privateer patrol plane, loaded with a 5-ton bomb, took off from the deck of the Coral Sea, assisted by JATO rocket packs, demonstrating the feasibility of basing nuclear-capable aircraft on carriers. The following year, the Roosevelt became the first carrier to carry nuclear weapons.
Despite these innovations, challenges persisted. A famous recording from 1951 captured an F9F Panther on the Midway, hitting the ramp during landing and severing the front of the aircraft, which then careened down the deck. Such incidents served as a stark reminder that landing fast and heavy planes on carriers remained a significant difficulty. Remarkably, the pilot, George Chamberlain, survived this harrowing ordeal.
A larger flight deck was necessary to ensure safer and more enduring jet operations. In the mid-1950s, the Midway-class carriers underwent SC-110 refits, which significantly increased their deck size and displacement. This enhancement involved replacing their “straight” decks with longer “angled” configurations, which included the installation of more steam catapults. The modernization efforts also included the incorporation of new radars, a “mirror” landing system, and improved elevators to accommodate larger aircraft. Additionally, the previously open hangar deck below was enclosed, further enhancing the capabilities of these carriers.
While the Midway-class carriers didn’t participate in the Korean War, the USS Midway did play a role in evacuating thousands of Chinese Nationalists following the Battle of Yijiangshan Island. These carriers finally saw combat action during the Vietnam War. By that time, two-seat F-4B Phantom II fighters, capable of flying at twice the speed of sound, were launching from their flight decks. On June 17, 1965, two Phantoms from VF-21 engaged in a notable air battle when they detected incoming “bogeys” on their radar, as described in Peter Davie’s book, “U.S. Navy Phantom Units of the Vietnam War.”
The Phantoms were armed with AIM-7D Sparrow missiles, which were radar-guided but required visual sighting of the target before firing. To reveal the identity of their adversaries, four MiG-17s, slower but highly nimble Soviet-built jets, pilots Louis Page and David Batson used a daring technique. One Phantom charged toward the approaching MiGs, causing them to pull back and expose themselves. Batson and Page’s Sparrow missiles successfully took down two of the MiGs. The third MiG was destroyed after its engines ingested debris from its wingmates.
A year later, on June 20, 1966, four A-1H Skyraiders, based at Midway, embarked on a daring search-and-rescue mission. These were old-fashioned piston-engine ground attack planes, a stark contrast to the sleek MiG-17s they were about to encounter. As they scoured the skies for downed pilots, a warning crackled through their radios about the approaching enemy aircraft. The Skyraiders took evasive action, maneuvering in tight circles along the rugged mountainside terrain.
The MiG-17s closed in rapidly, spitting cannon shells at the lead Skyraider, the situation looking dire. However, the two A-1s trailing closely behind the leader responded with swift precision, their 20-millimeter cannons blazing. In a remarkable turn of events, they managed to shoot down one of the MiG-17s, achieving one of the unlikeliest kills of the entire conflict. The bravery and resourcefulness of these Skyraider pilots were a testament to their dedication in the midst of danger.
Meanwhile, the USS Coral Sea, officially adopted by the city of San Francisco, played a significant role in the Vietnam conflict. While the ship was engaged in extensive action over Vietnam, not all of its crew were content with the war’s course. Some onboard sailors actively circulated a petition opposing the conflict, and around three hundred of them participated in a peace march, voicing their dissent.
Despite the internal discord, both the USS Midway and the USS Coral Sea remained involved until the very end of the conflict. In 1972, they played crucial roles in bombing North Vietnamese land offensives and mining Haiphong harbor. These actions were believed to have pressured Hanoi into accepting the ceasefire agreement during the Paris peace negotiations.
The final air-to-air kill of the Vietnam War took place on January 12, 1973, when an F-4J, based on the USS Midway, downed a MiG-17, marking the end of aerial combat in the conflict. In the same year, the USS Midway became the first American carrier to relocate its home port to Japan. The USS Coral Sea, during this period, sent Phantom jet fighters to Israel during the Yom Kippur War, a strategic move that reduced operational expenses and kept sailors’ families closer to them. These two carriers, each with its own unique history and contributions, played vital roles during a tumultuous period in history.
The aircraft carriers embarked on additional remarkable journeys. In 1975, as the South Vietnamese government collapsed, the Midway and Coral Sea found themselves at the center of dramatic rescue efforts. Their helicopters valiantly saved over 3,000 Vietnamese individuals fleeing the advancing northern troops. Among the many stories that emerged, Vietnamese Major Buang’s daring flight to the Midway in a small O-1 observation plane with his wife and five children crammed inside captured the world’s attention. Buang dropped a message indicating his desire to land, and as the O-1 circled above, Captain Larry Chamber orchestrated a remarkable effort. Helicopters were tossed overboard to make space, and the ship was expertly maneuvered into the wind for the landing. The entire crew erupted in applause as Buang safely landed the overloaded Cessna (watch the recording here).
Following these dramatic events, the Coral Sea was deployed to carry out missions involving A-7 and F-4N jets, targeting Khmer Rouge forces and participating in the challenging Mayaguez hostage-rescue operation, which proved to be a challenging task. During this period, the Midway-class carriers were showing signs of aging, with limited deck space for newer F-14 Tomcat interceptors and S-3 Viking anti-submarine aircraft. Consequently, the Roosevelt was decommissioned in 1977, concluding its service. In her final cruise, the Roosevelt experimentally hosted Marine Harrier jump jets from VMA-231.
As the years went on, the Midway’s decks underwent significant expansions, taking on a unique jigsaw puzzle-like appearance, while the Coral Sea maintained a relatively straighter configuration. Both carriers upgraded their weaponry, replacing their gun batteries with Sea Sparrow missile launchers and automated Phalanx close-in weapon systems. These enhancements reflected their commitment to staying at the forefront of naval technology and ensuring their readiness for future challenges.
The aging ships continued their service well into the 1980s, with a mix of older F-4S Phantoms and A-7 Corsairs, thanks to the Reagan administration’s military expansion efforts. However, they also welcomed brand-new multi-role FA-18 Hornet fighters equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, capable of landing on smaller flight decks.
Over the Mediterranean, Libyan MiG aircraft frequently ventured into international airspace and were promptly intercepted by FA-18s operating from the USS Coral Sea. In response to a terrorist attack in Berlin, these Hornets carried out their first combat mission in 1986. They used advanced harm radar-homing missiles to eliminate an S-200 surface-to-air missile battery in Sirte, Libya. During this time, the USS Midway received additional hull blisters in an attempt to improve her stability.
The USS Coral Sea, affectionately nicknamed the “Ageless Warrior,” was ultimately retired in 1990 and later scrapped in Baltimore. Meanwhile, the USS Midway endured, despite an unsuccessful hull-blister upgrade that exacerbated her long-standing stability issues. In 1990, she also faced a tragic explosion accident.
Nonetheless, the USS Midway had one more chapter in her storied history. She was deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 as part of Operation Desert Storm, launching an impressive 3,339 combat sorties. Her A-6E Intruder jets were among the first to strike Iraqi targets in the conflict, and her helicopters played a vital role in liberating a Kuwaiti island.
Finally, on April 11, 1992, a staggering forty-seven years after her initial launch, the USS Midway was decommissioned. Presently, she fulfills the role of a museum ship in San Diego. Despite the Midway-class carriers’ substantial expansion in size, they never completely shed their early design flaws. Nevertheless, they consistently adapted to emerging technological paradigms and delivered historic service for nearly half a century—a remarkable achievement that would make any ship designer proud.
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