USS Midway: A look at the history of the iconic Navy ship
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — More than a million visitors a year learn the story of the impressive USS Midway ship that sits in the San Diego Bay, but there was a time when the city was without a true tribute to the Navy or Naval history in the city.
“San Diego is the birthplace of Naval aviation, the original home of Top Gun, Navy Town USA,” said Scott McGaugh, one of the co-founders of The USS Midway Museum.
Before the Midway ever became a salute to San Diego’s Naval history, its story began when it was commissioned in 1945.
“It was the only Navy ship to serve from the end of World War II all the way through the Cold War. More than 100,000 sailors served and sacrificed on the ship,” McGaugh said.
A pioneer throughout its years in service, the aircraft carrier was the largest warship in the world for a decade. It was also the first ship too large for the Panama Canal.
After 47 years, it came time to retire the USS Midway. According to McGaugh, ships were being built nuclear-powered and he Midway was consuming 100,000 gallons of fuel a day.
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In 1992, the Midway made a stop in San Diego to be decommissioned, but it would be more than a decade until it came back as a museum.
“We thought it would just take two or three years to go through the process. To put it in perspective, America fought World War II and won in four years. It took us three times as long,” McGaugh said.
While still waiting for the ship, people like Rudy Shappee were hard at work inside Hangar 805 at NAS North Island for two years, restoring aircraft to eventually show on the flight deck.
When the Midway docked in its new home January 2004, there was still a lot of work to do.
“We needed to restore this giant chunk of metal and then make it ready for an audience,” Shappee said.
In just six months, the floating museum was ready for visitors, opening in June.
Co-founders like McGaugh say even the Navy had its doubts, but the ship has continued to trailblaze.
“We were profitable the first month, we had our first year attendance goal in three months, we became the most visited ship museum in the world in three years,” McGaugh said.
As the 20th anniversary nears, there is ongoing restoration and dozens of exhibits, constantly being reimagined.
Those who were there for the many chapters of the Midway can confidently say it has a proud past as a warship and a lasting future as a museum.
“I think about what footprints have you left in this world when you departed. This is one of my major accomplishments, this is our gift to the nation,” Shappee said.
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