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Climb Aboard the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier in San Diego, California

Published by Mary Chong, Writer

Country: United States

The Experience

The USS Midway was an operational aircraft of the United States Navy for 47 years before it was decommissioned in 1992. The USS Midway was active in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War in the early ‘90s. It became a museum in 2004 at the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum in California. Since then, over five million visitors have explored the 1,001 ft.-long, 258 ft.-wide USS Midway Museum.

When you see the USS Midway from the sidewalk, along the shoreline, you don’t quite grasp the sheer magnitude of its size until you climb aboard and start exploring. For example, there is 2,000 feet of anchor chain, the flight deck is constructed of 190,000 pieces of steel, 100,000 gallons of fuel were used on a daily basis when operational, and the ship had a crew of 4,500 personnel.

A self-guided audio tour is included with admission, which really helps you to understand the inner workings of the USS Midway and what the day-to-day operations were like. A complete tour takes a minimum of 2.5 hours, but you can easily spend an entire day there. In addition to the sixty regular exhibits on the tour, there are also three flight simulators, interactive exhibits, and short films to add to the experience. If you are in a real rush, you can take the express tour, which takes approximately 1.5 hours.

Throughout the USS Midway there are museum docents, many of whom are veterans that served aboard this very carrier and are available to answer any questions. They can also explain what it was like to work and live aboard what was the biggest ship in the world at the time of its commission. They will help out should you lose your way around the massive aircraft carrier.

There are 18 decks in total—which is equivalent to a 20-storey building—so be prepared because there are lots of stairs to climb. Separated into three main zones—“City at Sea,” “Man and Machine,” and, “On the Roof”—you can tour through most of the USS Midway, including the laundry, sleeping quarters, mess hall and galley, engineering section, radio room, and the admiral’s quarters.

“On the Roof” of the ship they have 25 restored aircraft on display, some of which you can climb aboard and explore. There are also great views of the surrounding harbour and downtown San Diego from this vantage point. This is also the deck where you can gain access to the docent-led tour of the “Island Superstructure,” and visit the Bridge and Primary Control Room. Due to the small space that the Bridge inhabits, there are tour limitations. During the busy tourist season, timed tickets are required for this portion of the tour. If you have the time, it’s worth the wait.

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When to Go to Uss Midway

San Diego has great weather year-round, but the summer holiday months can be busy as this is a very family friendly tourist site.

If you are still in a nautical mood after visiting the USS Midway, just a short walk up Harbour Drive is the Maritime Museum of San Diego. There are ten ships on display to tour around, including the merchant sailing ship The Star of India, the Berkeley steam ferry, the Medea steam yacht, and the HMS Surprise (the replica Royal Navy frigate that was used in the Russell Crowe movie "Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World"). They even have a B39 Soviet-era submarine that you can crawl through.

Odds n' Ends

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Last admission is at 4 pm. It is located next to Navy Pier on North Harbour Drive.

Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared for lots of stair climbing in order to experience every nook and cranny of the USS Midway. Some areas are wheelchair accessible. The Flight Deck on the "Top of the Roof" has very little shade or protection from the sun, so wear a hat and use sunscreen. Food is not permitted throughout the tour area, but there is a cafe on-site.

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