USS Midway Museum, California, United States

5wireless_in_CA 5:00 PM Nov 26, 2022

Excellent and Very Accessible
My first suggestion to anyone visiting would be to buy your tickets online. This allowed me to enter the ship approximately 10 minutes before opening while the ticket booth was still closed. Upon boarding the carrier I would skip the hangar deck and save it for the last part of your visit. The main attractions here were the Battle of Midway details, WWII planes, souvenirs and cafe, paid flight simulators and restrooms. There were three sections where we were allowed inside the ship. 1. Forward section - bunks, anchors, briefing rooms, air operations and commissary to name a few 2. Bridge/Island - guided tour that was limited in size due to space constraints. First section was on flight controls, second dealt with navigation with charts and instruments while the third room covered the steering and command of the ship. This was the best part of the tour for detailed knowledge but of course the Birds Eye view of everything on the deck and surrounding water. 3. Aft - officer quarters, engine room, laundry, tool and welding shop, kitchen and galley, captain’s room and more. When walking around inside the ship watch your head and feet due to the low ceilings and raised door frames. On the flight deck there were two talks covering the landing process and taking off preparations. Good veteran pilot speakers and visual aids. Here you could also go inside some helicopters or sit in the cockpit of a jet. A walk to the very edge of the flight deck brought me over the water and frightened a young child when the dad lifted him! One of the best military museums that I’ve visited recently so highly recommended.

4Tommy599 5:00 PM Dec 28, 2022

BIG SHIP
The museum ship is about three city blocks from our hotel. The Ship was laid down for its construction in late 1943, but not commissioned but with many anti-aircraft guns (lessoned learned from previous naval engagement during the war). Commissioned in September of 1945 (just months after WWII) and was active until 1991. Modifications eliminated all the original anti-aircraft Arment, and the deck super modified to include an angle flight deck for jet aircraft landings. The Midway is the longest-serving carrier in U.S. history. When commissioned, it was the largest ship in the world, at 1,001 feet 4 inches long. Today.. Last engagement was in Desert Storm. We then went all over the inside of the island bridge, then into the hanger deck that has one great video in a theater forward; outlining the battle of Midway (which the ship is named for) to several WWII aircraft here and there. The hanger deck includes a massive eating area for everything from chicken salad sandwiches to PRIME RIB! Below the hanger deck it was into many / many / many compartments, including the #2 Engine Room. You are given an audio device to carry around, and just by bumping an audio key sign in various areas you receive an excellent narrative of the compartment or item in front of you (all the info is preloaded on the portable device, and the bump on the sign just tells the device what recording to play. We spent 6.5 hours, and 9,000 Fitbit steps, touring this magnificent craft.