Retired USS Midway Signs Lease For New Life
Ship To Be Converted Into Naval History Museum
POSTED: 8:22 am PST January 5, 2004
UPDATED: 7:14 pm PST January 5, 2004
SAN DIEGO -- The Midway has come home.
The retired aircraft carrier arrived in San Diego Bay Monday, where it will become a floating naval history museum six decades after its commissioning at the conclusion of World War II.The nearly 1,000-foot warship reached its Southern California destination late Monday afternoon, following a five-day, tugboat-powered voyage from Oakland.The Midway, which saw action in every major U.S. conflict that occurred during its decades of service, passed the tip of Point Loma Monday shortly before 5 p.m., en route to North Island Naval Air Station.The carrier had been due to arrive this morning, but was delayed due to a problem with a tugboat oil line, said Scott McGaugh of the San Diego Aircraft Museum.Plans call for the carrier to dock at the Coronado naval station to take on restored aircraft, then travel across the bay this weekend to a permanent berth at Navy Pier in the North Embarcadero area.The Midway is scheduled to open this spring as a public museum, featuring restored aircraft, a below-deck theater, interactive exhibits and historical displays. It also will serve as a unique spot for community events.The ship was commissioned in 1945 in Newport News, Va., and served in combat operations, including stints in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, for almost 50 years.Twelve years ago, the Navy decommissioned the carrier, which had been stationed in San Diego in the early 1990s, and sent it to a Bremerton, Wash., mothball fleet.
The retired aircraft carrier arrived in San Diego Bay Monday, where it will become a floating naval history museum six decades after its commissioning at the conclusion of World War II.The nearly 1,000-foot warship reached its Southern California destination late Monday afternoon, following a five-day, tugboat-powered voyage from Oakland.The Midway, which saw action in every major U.S. conflict that occurred during its decades of service, passed the tip of Point Loma Monday shortly before 5 p.m., en route to North Island Naval Air Station.The carrier had been due to arrive this morning, but was delayed due to a problem with a tugboat oil line, said Scott McGaugh of the San Diego Aircraft Museum.Plans call for the carrier to dock at the Coronado naval station to take on restored aircraft, then travel across the bay this weekend to a permanent berth at Navy Pier in the North Embarcadero area.The Midway is scheduled to open this spring as a public museum, featuring restored aircraft, a below-deck theater, interactive exhibits and historical displays. It also will serve as a unique spot for community events.The ship was commissioned in 1945 in Newport News, Va., and served in combat operations, including stints in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, for almost 50 years.Twelve years ago, the Navy decommissioned the carrier, which had been stationed in San Diego in the early 1990s, and sent it to a Bremerton, Wash., mothball fleet. Copyright 2004 by TheSanDiegoChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
