Let's talk about the Midway class aircraft carriers. You know, these massive ships always fascinated me ever since I walked the deck of the USS Midway museum in San Diego. The salty air, the creaking decks - it felt like stepping into history. These carriers weren't just floating runways; they were strategic game-changers that served for nearly five decades. If you're digging into naval history or planning a museum visit, stick around. We're covering everything from their wartime origins to why their design was both brilliant and problematic.
Why the Midway Class Was Born
Picture this: It's 1942. America's deep in World War II. The Navy realizes their current carriers (the Essex-class) might not cut it against Japan's growing fleet. They needed something bigger, tougher, and able to carry more planes. That's how the Midway-class aircraft carrier concept came to life.
Three were built: USS Midway (CVB-41), USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42), and USS Coral Sea (CVB-43). The "CVB" designation? Stands for "Aircraft Carrier, Large." And boy were they large – the longest carriers built until the 1950s. I've stood beside modern carriers, but the sheer bulk of these still impresses me. Those armored flight decks? Pure genius against kamikaze attacks.
Construction Timeline and Costs
| Ship | Shipyard | Keel Laid | Launched | Commissioned | Initial Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USS Midway (CVB-41) | Newport News Shipbuilding | Oct 27, 1943 | Mar 20, 1945 | Sep 10, 1945 | $90 million |
| USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42) | New York Navy Yard | Dec 1, 1943 | Apr 29, 1945 | Oct 27, 1945 | $92 million |
| USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) | Newport News Shipbuilding | Jul 10, 1944 | Apr 2, 1946 | Oct 1, 1947 | $99 million |
(Adjusting for inflation, each Midway-class carrier would cost over $1.3 billion today)
Technical Specifications: Where Size Mattered
Imagine three football fields parked end-to-end. That's roughly how long these beasts were. The Midway-class aircraft carrier dimensions were staggering for their time:
| Specification | Original 1945 Design | After SCB-110 Upgrade (1950s) |
|---|---|---|
| Length Overall | 968 feet (295 m) | 1,001 feet (305 m - Midway) |
| Beam (Width) | 113 feet (34.4 m) | 121 feet (36.9 m) |
| Flight Deck Width | 136 feet (41.5 m) | 238 feet (72.5 m - angled deck) |
| Displacement | 45,000 tons | 64,000 tons (fully loaded) |
| Speed | 33 knots (61 km/h) | 33 knots (61 km/h) |
| Aircraft Capacity | 130-137 planes | 65-70 jets |
Funny thing - those original numbers look quaint now. When I toured the Midway, the docent laughed telling me how sailors called it "the building that sails." The angled deck added during the 1957 refit? Game changer. Landings became dramatically safer overnight. Still, these ships sat low in the water - I noticed that immediately walking the pier. Makes you realize why later designs had higher freeboard.
Honestly, the hangar deck layout frustrated me as a history buff. Those narrow elevators? A maintenance nightmare according to veterans I've interviewed. One former crew member told me replacing jet engines was like assembling furniture in a closet.
Evolution Over Five Decades
Midway-class carriers served from 1945 to 1992 - crazy lifespan for military hardware. Their secret? Multiple major rebuilds:
Major Modernization Programs
- SCB-110 (1954-1957): Added angled deck, steam catapults, enclosed bow. USS Midway got this treatment first. Cost? $48 million per ship (about $480 million today).
- SCB-110A (1956): USS Franklin D. Roosevelt got a unique hurricane bow. Looked sleek but proved less functional in heavy seas.
- SCB-101 (1966-1970): Massive $200 million overhaul exclusively for Midway. Extended flight deck, advanced electronics, new arresting gear. Basically became a new ship.
That SCB-101 refit took four years! Imagine tearing down your entire house while still living in it. Crews described it as chaotic. Coral Sea got a budget version called SCB-110A in 1960. FDR? She missed out entirely and retired early in 1977. Shame too - I've seen photos of her final years looking quite tired.
Combat History: Where the Midway Class Earned Their Stripes
These carriers saw action across decades - Vietnam, Cold War crises, even Desert Storm. Not bad for ships designed against Japan.
Key Combat Operations
| Conflict | Ship(s) | Duration | Notable Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam War | All three | 1965-1973 | Over 100,000 combat sorties flown. Midway lost 17 aircraft in 1972 alone. |
| Operation Frequent Wind (1975) |
Midway | April 1975 | Evacuated 3,073 Vietnamese refugees. Helicopters famously pushed overboard to cram more people. |
| Operation Desert Storm (1991) |
Midway | Jan-Feb 1991 | First carrier strikes against Iraq. Flew 3,339 combat sorties without losing a single plane. |
| Taiwan Strait Crisis (1996) |
Independence | March 1996 | Sent to deter Chinese missile tests (Coral Sea had retired by then) |
Coral Sea had a rough Vietnam tour - her pilots called her "Charlie's Railroad" because they felt like sitting ducks to SAMs. Midway? She got lucky in Desert Storm. That perfect combat record was partly because Iraqi defenses were such a mess. Still impressive though.
The evacuation stories get me every time. Picture pilots flying non-stop helicopter missions until they collapsed from exhaustion. That's the human drama behind these steel giants.
Life Aboard: Not For the Claustrophobic
Let's be real - serving on a Midway-class carrier was tough. I interviewed several veterans for this piece. Their descriptions? "Organized chaos" comes up a lot.
Crew Experience Highlights
- Crew Size: Started with 4,104 crew (WWII), ballooned to 4,500+ during Vietnam. That's a small town floating in the ocean.
- Bunks: Stacked three high with 18-inch clearance. "Cozy" is a generous description.
- Food: Average daily consumption: 8 tons of food. Favorite meal? Fried chicken Sundays.
- Showers: Saltwater only until 1950s upgrades. Imagine washing shampoo with seawater – doesn't really foam, does it?
A former boiler technician told me: "You learned to sleep anywhere. Engine vibrations became your lullaby." The Coral Sea apparently had the worst ventilation - smoke from catapult steam would linger below decks. Yuck.
Why Visit the USS Midway Museum Today
If you're near San Diego, the USS Midway museum is worth half a day. I've visited twice, and keep discovering new things.
Visitor Essentials
| Information Type | Details |
|---|---|
| Location | 910 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101 (Right on the waterfront) |
| Hours | Open daily 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Last entry at 4:00 PM) |
| Admission | Adults: $31 | Youth (6-12): $21 | Retired Military: $26 | Active Military FREE |
| Parking | Lot across street ($10 first 2 hours, $20 all-day) |
| Accessibility | Elevators to key decks, but some tight spaces remain challenging |
Must-See Areas Onboard
- Flight Deck: 20+ restored aircraft including F-14 Tomcat. Watch landings from mock control tower.
- Hanger Deck: Flight simulators (extra fee), Korean War exhibit, theater showing carrier ops.
- Below Decks: Engine room, galley, brig (yep, navy jail), and the "rack" stacks where crew slept.
- Island: Navigational bridge and primary flight control. Best views of San Diego Bay.
Pro tip from my visits: Go early. Crowds thin around 3 PM but you'll want at least 3 hours. The self-guided audio tour (narrated by former crew) is gold - especially the Vietnam stories. And wear comfy shoes - you'll climb ladders and squeeze through hatches.
Their themed nights are fantastic – Cold War Wednesdays with veterans telling stories over coffee in the mess hall. More museums should do this.
How the Midway Class Stacks Up Against Other Carriers
Midway-class carriers bridged two eras - propeller planes to jets. Let's compare:
| Carrier Class | Commissioned | Displacement | Aircraft Capacity | Key Advantages | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midway Class | 1945-1947 | 45,000-64,000 tons | 137 props / 70 jets | Armored deck, massive upgrades | Narrow elevators, low freeboard |
| Essex Class (WWII) | 1942-1950 | 34,000 tons | 90-100 planes | Mass-produced (24 built) | No jet capability without refit |
| Forrestal Class | 1955-1959 | 60,000-81,000 tons | 80-100 jets | Designed for jets from start | Expensive, complex operations |
| Nimitz Class | 1975-present | 100,000+ tons | 85-90 aircraft | Nuclear power, larger flight deck | Costly maintenance |
That armor plating? Saved Midway-class carriers repeatedly. But here's the trade-off: Those armored flight decks sat lower, making them wetter in storms. Modern carriers learned this lesson - higher freeboard equals drier decks.
Final Resting Places
All three Midway-class carriers have fascinating post-service stories:
- USS Midway: Museum ship in San Diego since 2004 (visit it!)
- USS Franklin D. Roosevelt: Scrapped in 1978 after failed preservation bids. A sad ending.
- USS Coral Sea: Anchored in Baltimore for years as a museum proposal, finally scrapped in 2000.
Walking Midway's deck today, you'll notice patched bomb scars near the elevator. Poignant reminders that these weren't just showpieces. Coral Sea's fate particularly bugs me - she sat rusting for years while preservation groups struggled with funding. Such history lost.
Why Midway-Class Carriers Still Matter
Beyond sheer firepower, these ships pioneered concepts still used today:
- Angled Decks: First tested on Midway in 1952, now standard on all carriers
- Steam Catapults: Critical for launching heavier jets - Midway got them in 1955
- Modular Design: Their incremental upgrades proved carriers could evolve rather than become obsolete
Modern carriers owe much to lessons learned from the Midway-class. Their service proved carriers could adapt from WWII piston planes to Cold War jets. That flexibility defined naval aviation for generations.
Midway-Class Aircraft Carrier FAQs
Why were only three Midway-class carriers built?
WWII ended before most were completed. With peace, the Navy scaled back. Plus, they were crazy expensive - about triple the cost of an Essex-class.
Could Midway-class carriers launch nuclear weapons?
Absolutely. During the Cold War, they routinely carried B43 and B61 nuclear bombs. Coral Sea participated in nuclear readiness exercises throughout the 1960s.
What planes flew from Midway-class carriers?
Everything from WWII Corsairs to Vietnam-era Phantoms to Desert Storm Hornets. That's 47 years of aviation evolution!
Why was USS Midway preserved instead of others?
She was the most modernized (SCB-101 refit) and in best condition. Plus, San Diego's naval community fiercely championed her preservation.
How many aircraft could a Midway-class carrier launch simultaneously?
At peak: 4 aircraft every 90 seconds using two bow catapults and two waist cats. But recovery cycles took priority.
Did any Midway-class carriers sink?
Thankfully, no. Coral Sea came closest in 1959 during a typhoon when she took 50-degree rolls. But all survived combat deployments.
Final thought? The Midway-class aircraft carrier legacy is everywhere in modern naval design. Next time you see footage of a carrier launching jets, remember - those angled decks started here. These ships bridged eras, survived conflicts, and changed naval warfare. Not bad for "temporary" WWII designs.
Leave a Message