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NavSource Online: Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive


Courtesy of CAPT Gene Oleson, CHC, USN (Ret)
(bluejacket.com)

USS MIDWAY   (CVB-41)
(later CVA-41 and CV-41)


U.S.S. MIDWAY
Courtesy of Al Grazevich


Flag Hoist/Radio Call Sign: November - India - India - Whiskey
Tactical Voice Radio Call: "SCHOOL BOY"

Unit Awards, Campaign and Service Medals and Ribbons

   

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: Presidential Unit Citation
2nd Row: Joint Meritorious Unit Award / Navy Unit Commendation (4) / Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation (3)
3rd Row: Battle Efficiency Award (Navy "E" Ribbon) (5) / Navy Expeditionary Service Medal (2) / China Service Medal (extended)
4th Row: American Campaign Medal / World War II Victory Medal / Navy Occupation Service Medal ("Europe" clasp)
5th Row: National Defense Service Medal (3) / Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (5) / Vietnam Service Medal (4 stars)
6th Row: Southwest Asia Service Medal (2 stars) / Humanitarian Service Medal / Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross Medal with Palm)
7th Row: Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal / Liberation of Kuwait Medal (Saudi Arabia) / Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
(More info)

CLASS - MIDWAY
Displacement 45,000 Tons, Dimensions, 968' (oa) x 113' x 35' (Max)
Armament 18 x 5"/54AA 84 x 40mm, 68 x 20mm, 137 Aircraft.
Armor, 7.6" Belt, 3 1/2" Flight Deck, 2" Deck, 6 1/2" Conning Tower.
Machinery, 212,000; SHP, Geared turbines, 4 screws
Speed, 33 Knots, Crew 4104.

Operational and Building Data

Built by Newport News. Designation changed from CV 41 to CVB 41 15 July 1943.
Laid down 27 Oct 1943, launched 20 Mar 1945, commissioned 10 Sept 1945.

FATE

Replaced as forward deployed carrier by Independence in 1991 and returned to the US for decommissioning. Decommissioned to reserve 11 April 1992; retained as a potential replacement training carrier. Inactivation overhaul included stripping all electronics and weapons systems. Stricken for disposal 17 March 1997.

Acting Secretary of the Navy Hansford T. Johnson announced, 8 July 2003, that this historic ship would be donated to the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum. Donated as a Museum and Memorial (status changed on 29 August 2003).

On 30 September 2003, Midway began her journey from the Navy Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Bremerton, Wash., to San Diego where she would be a Museum and Memorial. She was docked at the Charles P. Howard Terminal in Oakland, Calif., in October, while the construction of her pier in San Diego was completed. The carrier arrived in San Diego in January 2004 and is now the nation's newest Naval Aviation Museum.


Click On Image 
For Full Size Image
Size Image Description Contributed
By And/Or Copyright
Name
Midway
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CVB-41 was the third U.S. warship to bear the name Midway:

  1. The first Midway, a general auxiliary, was named for the westernmost atoll in the Hawaiian chain. Was later renamed Panay.
  2. The second Midway, an escort carrier, was named after the Battle of Midway. Was later renamed St. Lo.
  3. The third Midway, a large aircraft carrier, was also named after the Battle of Midway.

In 1942, a strong Japanese thrust to occupy Midway Island was led by a four-carrier Striking Force, supported by heavy units and destroyers. At the same time, another carrier raid was launched against Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands. The Japanese attack on Midway was met by a three-carrier U.S. force: Task Force 17—RADM Fletcher—with USS Yorktown (CV-5) and Task Force 16—RADM Spruance—with USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Hornet (CV-8). In the ensuing battle, the four large Japanese carriers (Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga and Soryu) were sunk, carrying with them 250+ planes along with a high number of Japan's most highly trained and battle-experienced pilots and ground crews, a blow to Japan from which she could not recover. Midway was a crucial point of the war in the Pacific.

NS024196: SBD Dauntless dive bombers from Hornet approaching the burning Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma to make the third set of attacks on her, during the early afternoon of 6 June 1942. Mikuma had been hit earlier by strikes from Hornet and Enterprise, leaving her dead in the water and fatally damaged. Photo was enlarged from a 16mm color motion picture film. Note bombs hung beneath these planes. (Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration, #80-G-17054).

(Maps NS0306312a and NS0306312d courtesy of Google Maps.)

NavSource
Midway
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"The Battle of Midway," directed by John Ford and narrated by Henry Fonda, is comprised mostly of authentic footage from the battle. This documentary, produced in 1942, won an Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award (Oscar). Then Commander (later Rear Admiral) John Ford, USNR, in civil life wrote, directed or produced more than 130 films in a career spanning four decades.

Format: MP4 (.mp4)  Duration: 18' 7"  Size: 320 x 240

Download a free MP4 player.

Courtesy of Internet Archive. Thanks to Ron Reeves for the clue.
1945 — 1965
The Early Years
CVB-41 Midway
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162k Stern view, looking forward, of CVB-41 under construction at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Va., 7 July 1944. N.N.S. & D.D. Co. photo. Courtesy of Bob Dorais, usscoralsea.net, via Gerd Matthes (Germany)
CVB-41 Midway
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93k Under construction at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Va., 9 January 1945. US Navy photo. Troy Prince, MidwaySailor.com
CVB-41 Midway
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Midway under construction, March 1945.

Robert Hurst
Troy Prince, MidwaySailor.com
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The future USS Midway (CVB-41) under construction at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, in March 1945, preparing for her 20 March 1945 launching.

LIFE magazine, Tom Mcavoy photographer.

Mike Green
CVB-41 Midway
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Ship's sponsor, Mrs. Bradford W. Ripley, II, of Dayton, Ohio, poses with the christening bottle, at launching ceremonies at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia, 20 March 1945. Mrs. Ripley is accompanied by Lieutenant George Gay, USNR, the only survivor of the Battle of Midway attack by Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) from USS Hornet (CV-8).

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the U.S. National Archives (# 80-G-K-3516).

Troy Prince, MidwaySailor.com
CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVB-41) ready for christening at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Va., 20 Mar. 1945.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 80-G-K-3518.

NARA,
via Michael Mohl
CVB-41 Midway
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160k Midway seen being towed by the tug J. Alvah Clark just off Newport News Shipyard. She was launched on March 20, 1945 and while this photo is undated this may be her launching day or, if not, it is shortly thereafter. Her lines are still clean, none of her edge 5"/54 caliber mounts have been installed yet and she is uncluttered with electronics and light weight A.A. weapons at this time. USN
Larger copy submitted by Michael Mohl
CVB-41 Midway
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80k The newly completed large carrier Midway (CVB-41) underway circa 1945, leaving her builders. Robert Hurst
CVB-41 Midway
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With a large crowd gathering, USS Midway (CVB-41) is commissioned, 10 September 1945.

National Naval Aviation Museum photo, # 1996.488.116.017.

Mike Green
CVB-41 Midway
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"Large Aircraft Carrier Midway." (From a Russian publication).

This drawing shows Midway as built.

(Digitally enhanced by Tom Kermen.)

Alex Tatchin
CVB-41 Midway
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34k (Poor) image, showing Midway underway in her original configuration. USN
CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVB-41) in Hampton Roads, Virginia, 10 September 1945.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center (# NH 97631).

NHC
CVB-41 Midway
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Aerial oblique bow quarter view of USS Midway (CVB-41), leaving Hampton Roads for her first tour 10 September 1945. National Archives photo # 80-G-701433.

From Warship International magazine.

Gerd Matthes, Germany
CVB-41 Midway
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"THE MIDWAY, 45,000-ton aircraft carrier and the mightiest warship afloat, passing the battle-torn carrier Sangamon as she nears the end of her maiden voyage yesterday from the Newport News Shipyard to the Norfolk Navy Yard at Portsmouth. This picture, looking downstream, was taken from the top of the giant crane in the Navy Yard by Jim Taylor."

Donald Schroeder,
USS Sangamon
CVB-41 Midway
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"USS Midway's Maiden Voyage—Newport News to Portsmouth"

"World's Greatest Warship Handles Easily Crossing Historic Waters"

CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVB-41), New York, 27 October 1945.

Gary Schreffler
CVB-41 Midway
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"On Navy Day in 1945, a seven-mile line of U.S. Navy warships anchored in the Hudson River and some 1,200 Navy planes flew overhead in commemoration of the event."

Tugboats and U.S. Navy warships pictured in the Hudson River with the New York City skyline in the background on the occasion of Navy Day on 27 October 1945. Visible in the foreground are the anchored heavy cruisers Augusta (CA-31), Helena (CA-75), and Macon (CA-132); carriers Midway (CVB-41) and Enterprise (CV-6); and battleships Missouri (BB-63) and New York (BB-34).

USN photo & text courtesy of National Naval Aviation Museum, Photo No. 2001.256.009.
CVB-41 Midway
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Vought F4U-4 Corsairs of Fighter-Bomber Squadron (VBF) 74 about to launch from the newly commissioned U.S. aircraft carrier USS Midway (CVB-41). The carrier was on her shakedown cruise with Carrier Air Goup (CVBG) 74 to the Caribbean from 7 November 1945 to 2 January 1946. U.S. Navy Naval Aviation News, February 1946.

Robert Hurst
CVB-41 Midway
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114k

USS Midway (CVB-41) noses through scattered sea ice in March 1946, during her Arctic experimental cruise. Photographed looking forward from the carrier's island, with SB2C "Helldiver" and F4U "Corsair" planes parked on her flight deck. A "Gearing" class destroyer is steaming past in the background.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (photo # 80-G-K-10001).

Note: Original caption incorrectly identifies the ship as "USS Midway (CVB-42)". CVB-42 was USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. In March 1946, Midway (not Franklin D. Roosevelt) made a cruise to Arctic waters for experimental cold weather operations.

Scott Dyben
CVB-41 Midway
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Starboard view of USS Midway (CVB-41) 12 May 1947. National Archives photo # 80-G-371931.

From Warship International magazine.

Gerd Matthes, Germany
CVB-41 Midway
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Aerial oblique view of starboard broadside of USS Midway (CVB-41) 12 May 1947. National Archives photo # 80-G-371921.

From Warship International magazine.

Gerd Matthes, Germany
CVB-41 Midway
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Operation Sandy, aboard USS Midway (CVB-41) in the Atlantic Ocean, 7 September 1947.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 80-GK-8184, ARC Identifier 178141348.

NARA,
via Michael Mohl
CVB-41 Midway
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Three-photo sequence of an unidentified submarine surfacing near USS Midway, late 1940s-early 1950s.

Note: This submarine has a topside rudder aft and a so-called Portsmouth sail. Three boats featured a topside rudder: USS Cobbler (SS-344), USS Halfbeak (SS-352), and USS Amberjack (SS-522). Of these, Cobbler and Halfbeak had an Electric Boat sail. Therefore, this submarine is, most likely, Amberjack. (Thanks to Edwin Page, Mike Keating and Michael Mohl.)

Ric Hedman, TN(SS)
CVB-41 Midway
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A Vought F4U-4 Corsair of Fighter Squadron VF-1B, assigned to Battle Carrier Air Group One (CVBG-1), aboard USS Midway (CVB-41). The aircraft carrier was on her first deployment, 29 October 1947–11 March 1948, to the Mediterranean Sea. VF-1B was redesignated VF-21 on 1 September 1948. Photo by Charles J. Beggy, Jr., Electronics Technician Second Class, USN (Ret.).

Courtesy of Troy Prince, MidwaySailor.com
and Charles J. Beggy, Jr., Midway Memories,
via Robert Hurst
CVB-41 Midway
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95k

Good image of Midway as designed/completed. She would look nothing like this at the end of her career, modified into a totally different ship. (Looks like Navy Day parade image.) Battle Carrier Air Group (CVBG) 1 on deck.

L. Russell Porter notes: "The photo [...] was taken [...] on arriving in Gibraltar, 47–48 cruise to the Med. I have an original of that photo and I was there, and it was dress ship. I was a printer working in print shop at this time printing the 'Midway Current'."

Scott Odell
(MM3 USN-RET)
CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVB-41) steams through a gale east of Sicily, 4 February 1949. Photographed from USS Philippine Sea (CV-47), some of whose F4U-4 Corsair fighters are in the foreground.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (photo # 80-G-706984).

Fred Weiss
Princeton, Midway, FDR
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323k

"MANEUVERS OF THE ACTIVE POSTWAR FLEET FOR THE TRAINING OF REGULAR AND RESERVE PERSONNEL WHO WILL MAN THE 'ZIPPER-FLEET' SHOULD AN EMERGENCY ARISE."

"EIGHTH FLEET—GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA—Midway, left; Princeton, left rear; F. D. Roosevelt, center; Cruisers Macon, Dayton, Little Rock, center foreground; hospital ship Consolation, right rear; auxiliaries, left and right foreground."

An Administrative History of the Bureau of Ships During World War II, 1952.

Tommy Trampp
CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVB-41) launches a Lockheed P2V-3C Neptune bomber, with a JATO rocket boost, on 7 April 1949.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (photo # 80-G-707207).

NHC
CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVB-41) preparing to launch target drones for gunnery exercises, during her cruise to Haiti, 31 May 1949. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 80-G-419156.

Aircraft on deck include Martin AM-1 Maulers from Composite Squadron (VC) 4 "Nightcappers" (tail code "NA," forward) and NAS Dallas Navy Air Reserve (tail code "D"), aft.

NS0241bsa: Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-419157.

Collection of Ray Bean,
via Bob Canchola, BT, USN (Ret.)
Mike Green
CVB-41 Midway
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673k NARA
CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVB-41), July 1949, Norfolk, VA.

Photo by LT(JG) George Hatchett, USNR,
submitted by his son, Steve Hatchett.
CVB-41 Midway
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Correspondents aboard USS Midway (CVB-41), 5 October 1949. Left to right: Mr. C. Murphy; Mr. R. Ratcliff; Lieutenant D.D. Nelson; Mr. T.W. Young; and Mr. D.H. Davis. Front row, left to right: ABAN F.A. Epps; RD3 J.E. Dulaney; SN H.N. Turner; and BM2 J.J. Pratt.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 80-G-413549.

NARA.
CVB-41 Midway
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U.S. Naval Officers and men aboard USS Midway (CVB-41), 5 October 1949. Left to right: Commander T.H. Reilly, ChC; RD3 J.E. Dulaney; BM2 J.J. Pratt; ABAN F.A. Epps; Captain J.H. Flatley; and Lieutenant D.D. Nelson.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 80-G-413551.

CVB-41 Midway
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A Grumman F8F-2P Bearcat of Composite Squadron (VC) 62 "Fighting Photos" flying over the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CVB-41), some time around 1949–50. USN photo.

Courtesy of Midway Sailor.com, via Robert Hurst.
CVB-41 Midway
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USS Chukawan (AO-100) refueling USS Midway (CVB-41) and USS John R. Pierce (DD-753) in 1950. Grumman F8F-1B Bearcats, Grumman F9F-2 Panthers, Vought F4U-4 Corsairs and Douglas AD-4 Skyraiders of Carrier Air Group (CVG) 7 are visible on Midway's flight deck. US Navy photo.

Robert Hurst.
CVB-41 Midway + CA-148 Newport News
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USS Newport News (CA-148) and USS Midway (CVB-41) during transfer at sea operations, 20 April 1950. Note 3"/50 and 8"/55 guns and wood deck planking on Newport News; 40mm and 5"/54 guns on Midway; radars on both ships. Interesting that the crew on the Newport News are in blues and not dungarees.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, #80-G-414452.

Yu Chu
CVB-41 Midway
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Aerial view of USS Midway (CVB-41) underway. Planes on deck are AJ Savages, from squadron VC-6 (tail code "NF"). The squadron never deployed aboard Midway, but there is a plausible date for the photo: May 1951, when VC-6 CarQual'ed aboard CVB-41. This would be consistent with Midway's straight deck and with the fact that the planes appear to be AJ-1's—VC-6 was equipped with AJ-1's while stationed at Patuxent River, Md., and received AJ-2's when relocated to San Diego, Calif. Quite likely, then, the picture was taken off the East Coast in May 1951.

Jim Geldert
CVB-41 Midway
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139k

"The famous non-fatal Grumman F9F-5 Panther ramp strike accident occurred as CDR George Chamberlain Duncan attempted to recover aboard USS Midway in BuNo 125228, during carrier suitability tests in the Atlantic Ocean, 23 June 1951. Forward fuselage broke away and rolled down the deck, pilot suffering burns."

"Footage of this accident has been used in several films including Men of the Fighting Lady, Midway, and The Hunt For Red October. Commander Duncan's crash was featured in the 1954 film Men of the Fighting Lady as the demise of Keenan Wynn's LCDR Ted Dodson; it was used as an SB2C Helldiver striking the ramp before turning into an F9F Panther jet fighter bomber as it explodes, in the 1976 film Midway; and later in the 1990 film The Hunt for Red October as a damaged F-14 Tomcat."

Courtesy of Check‑Six.com,
via Bob Canchola, BT, USN (Ret.)
CVB-41 Midway
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CVB-41 Midway
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CVB-41 Midway
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CVB-41 Midway
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Launch of the first production Vought F7U-1 Cutlass (BuNo 124415) from the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CVB-41) on 23 July 1951. The plane was piloted by LCDR Edward L. Feightner. After tests at the NATC Patuxent River the F7U-1 was used for carrier qualifications. It was the only landing of an F7U-1 on a carrier, as the pilot's visibility was so poor that he could not see the flight deck during the landing. The Landing Signal Officer had to give Feightner the signal to cut the engine, but this method almost led to a ramp strike.

Courtesy of Bob Dorais and Midway Sailor.com.
Text submitted by Robert Hurst.
Larger copy submitted by Bob Canchola, BT, USN (Ret.).
CVB-41 Midway
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"TEAMWORK by a flight deck crew is shown in this panorama of a catapult launching on board USS Midway (CVB 41)."

All Hands magazine, November 1951 issue.

Stanley Svec
CVB-41 Midway
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A Grumman F9F-2 Panther (BuNo 123494, modex C115) of Fighter Squadron (VF) 21 "Mach Busters" on the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CVB-41) circa 1951.

On 11 November 1951 this aircraft missed the arresting wires, went through the barrier and crashed into other jets on the bow of Midway. C115 and two more F9F-2s (BuNo 123080, and 123557?) went overboard. One plane captain was killed and two sailors severely burned. The pilot, LT E. W. Keegan, Jr., survived and was picked up by helicopter.

Courtesy of MidwaySailor.com, via Robert Hurst
CVB-41 Midway
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236k Naval Aviation News, February 1952 issue
CVB-41 Midway
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LCDR Marlin Vincent Egert in the cockpit. USS Midway, 1952.

Tom, son of LCDR Egert
CVB-41 Midway
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AD-4 Skyraider, Attack Squadron (VA) 25 "Tigers," Carrier Air Group (CVG) 6. USS Midway, 1952.

CVB-41 Midway
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Hackett in a crash landing. This plane ended up "in the drink." USS Midway, 1952.

CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway, 1952.

LCDR Marlin V. Egert is fourth from left (thanks to Melissa Egert, daughter of LCDR Egert.)

If you can identify any of the men in this photo, please let us know. Thank you.

CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVB-41) returns to Norfolk, Va., in May 1952, after a Mediterranean deployment. Arguably, Midway and her sister ships were the most sophisticated and powerful ships in the world at the time, with a crew of more than 4,500.

Courtesy of USS Midway Museum, via Bill Gonyo
CVB-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVB-41) steaming off the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, prior to Operation Mainbrace exercises, September 1952. Aircraft on her flight deck include AD, F4U and F9F types.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (photo # 80-G-K-13223).

Scott Dyben
CVB-41 Midway
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512k

Launching F4U-4 Corsair, Carrier Air Group (CVG) 6, from USS Midway (CVB-41), during Operation Mainbrace, 17 September 1952.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo, # 80-GK-13221, ARC Identifier 178141094.

NARA,
via Michael Mohl
CVA-41 Midway
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Photo of Composite Squadron (VC) 12, 1952–54, USS Midway, Med Cruise. CWO William J. Gamble, Aviation Electronics, third man sitting from the right.

Robert Gamble
CVA-41 Midway
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"Navy tug, YTB-222 [Kasota], helps nose USS Midway (CVA-41) into pier after return of flattop from Mediterranean cruise." All Hands magazine, July 1953 issue.

(This might be Midway's 6th Med deployment, 1 December 1952–19 May 1953.)

Stanley Svec
CVA-59 Forrestal
NS0259ds
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"Official Navy Photo. Released by Dept. of Defense"
"Aircraft carriers of the fleet: USS Antietam (CVA-36) with new canted flight deck, upper left; USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) upper right; USS Midway (CVA‑41), lower left; USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31), lower right; center, artist conception of the USS Forrestal (CVA-59). The Forrestal's keel was laid at Newport News (7-14-52) and is scheduled for launching in 1954."

USN Official Photo, # 484875, dated 15 Jul 1953.

David comments: "[P]erhaps unknowingly, the people of Navy Public Affairs or whoever put this montage together, certainly did a great job of assembling a 'past, present and future' of carrier aviation, including the airship, first canted (angled) deck, first large carriers, first supercarrier, and a link to World War II in the form of the as-yet unmodified CVA 31."

David Buell
CVA-41 Midway
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52k USS Midway (CVA-41) anchored at Gibraltar Harbor 20 May 1954. US Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class J. F. Coniskey [# 652748]. USN
CVA-41 Midway
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Twelve-photo sequence of a McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee (BuNo 126427, modex K106) of VF-31 "Tomcatters" that crashed while landing on the flight deck of USS Midway (CVA-41) in the Mediterranean Sea.

Other planes damaged were: F2H-3's BuNos 126407, 126423 and 126440, F9F-6 Cougars BuNos 128212 and 128257, and F9F-7 Cougars BuNos 130985 and 131004.

The date of the accident is given as 31 March 1954, but the handwritten note reads "June 54".

Courtesy of the National Naval Aviation Museum, photos 1996.253.7241.005–1996.253.7241.016
CVA-41 Midway
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118k Tom Egert, son of LCDR Marlin V. Egert
CVA-41 Midway
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87k
CVA-41 Midway
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114k USS Midway (CVA-41), probably in the Mediterranean Sea, summer of 1954. Joseph A. Wolfe, USN (Retired)
CVA-41 Midway
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Aircraft carrier USS Midway (CVA-41) and destroyer USS Twining (DD-540) during an underway replenishment with USS Polaris (AF-11). Midway, with assigned Carrier Air Group (CVG) 1, circumnavigated the globe between 27 December 1954 and 14 July 1955.

US Navy photo from the Midway 1955 Cruise Book.

Robert Hurst
CVB-41 Midway
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170k Here's Midway at pier 7, Norfolk , Mid 1950's, loading aircraft. Midway was originally CVB class but by this time was reclassified CVA. Canted flight deck had not yet been added. © Larry Bohn
After SCB-110 modernization
CVA-41 Midway
NS024107
92k Good image of Midway, showing her modifications from her 1957 SCB-110 overhaul. The most notable upgrades of SCB-110 were addition of her angled flight deck and increased beam, and heavy duty catapults to handle heavier aircraft. USN
CVA-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVA-41) underway. Given the presence (flight deck, forward) of a group of F3H-2 Demons from the "Evaluators" of Air Development Squadron 4 (VX-4), the photo might have been taken in late 1957, when VX-4 tested the new Sparrow III air-to-air missile.

(Digitally enhanced by Tom Kermen.)

David Buell
CVA-41 Midway
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F3H-2 Demon, BuNo 143428, assigned to Air Development Squadron (VX) 4 "Evaluators," with Sparrow III missiles, aboard USS Midway (CVA-41). Believed to have been taken in late 1957.

Pieter Bakels
CVA-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVA-41) at the entrance to San Francisco Bay. Official USN photo, probably taken sometime between 30 September 1957 (Midway recommissioned after her SCB-110 modernization) and 16 August 1958 (Midway departed on her first WestPac cruise).

David Buell
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241cb
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USS Midway (CVA-41) underway, December 1957.

Photo from the files of the Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum, # CVA 41 236(L)-12-57 TH.

Darryl Baker
CVA-19 Hancock
NS0219ab
356k

USS Hancock (CVA-19), USS Midway (CVA-41), and USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) berthed at Naval Air Station Alameda, California, 10 January 1958. Note the Convair R3Y-2 Tradewind seaplane on the water.

National Naval Aviation Museum, photo # 1996.488.054.048.

Bob Canchola, BT, USN (Ret.)
CVA-41 Midway
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USS Midway (CVA-41) at anchor off Coronado, California, following her SCB-110 modernization. Date given is 27 January 1958.

National Naval Aviation Museum photo, # 1996.488.116.024.

David Buell
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241cn
294k

USS Midway (CVA-41) departs Alameda en route to WestPac, 16 August 1958. Carrier Air Group (CVG) 2 was aboard. Visible on deck are F3H-2 Demons of Fighter Squadron (VF) 64 "Free Lancers;" A3D-2 Skywarriors (tail code "ZD") of Heavy Attack Squadron (VAH) 8 "Fireballers;" FJ-4B Furies of Attack Squadron (VA) 63 "Fighting Redcocks;" AD-5, -6, -5W, and -5N Skyraider variants of VA-65 "Fist of the Fleet," Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 11 "Early Eleven" Det. A, and All-Weather Attack Squadron (VA(AW)) 35 "Night Hecklers" Det. A; and F8U-1 Crusaders of VF-211 "Red Checkertails" (redesignated VF-24 on 9 March 1959, three days before Midway returned home).

© William T. Larkins
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241ad
167k

USS Midway (CVA-41) underway with Carrier Air Group 2 (CVG-2) aboard, circa 1958–1959.

David Buell
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241ak
92k

This picture appears to have been taken on the same occasion as photo NS0241ad, above.

David Buell
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241ah
250k

Another view of USS Midway (CVA-41) at sea with Carrier Air Group 2 (CVG-2) aboard, circa 1958–1959, soon after SCB-110 modernization. Official U.S. Navy photo, USN #1074521.

David Buell
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241ch
564k

USS Midway (CVA-41) leads USS Kearsarge (CVS-33), USS Hancock (CVA-19), cruisers and destroyers of the First Fleet under the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, 17 July 1959, as they pass in review 500 yards abeam of USS Helena (CA-75). Reviewing Officer was COMFIRSTFLT VADM W.D. Libby.

Darryl Baker
CVA-41 Midway
NS024173
145k

CAPT J.T. Blackburn, Chief of Staff to COMCARDIV 5 (RADM D.J. Welsh) and one of the ship's Chaplains, 1959.

Photo by SM2 Robert Parrott, OS Division, USS Midway, 1959-1962.
Submitted by his son, John.
CVA-41 Midway
NS024174
77k An AD-6 Skyraider of VA-25 "Fist of the Fleet" taking off during Midway's second deployment to WestPac, August 15, 1959-March 25, 1960. An FJ-4B Fury of VA-23 "Black Knights" is in the foreground.

Photo by SM2 Robert Parrott, OS Division, USS Midway, 1959-1962.
Submitted by his son, John.
CVA-41 Midway
NS024175
101k Entering Yokosuka, Japan, during Midway's second deployment to WestPac, August 15, 1959-March 25, 1960. Note signal flags, and F8U-1 Crusader of VF-24 "Red Checkertails" in the foreground.

Photo by SM2 Robert Parrott, OS Division, USS Midway, 1959-1962.
Submitted by his son, John.
CVA-41 Midway
NS091905808
61k Manatee (AO-58) refueling Midway (CV-41) and Jarvis (DD-799) off Okinawa, 1960.

Bob Herrick MR2, USS Manatee, 1959-61
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241bf
137k

A3D-2 Skywarriors of Heavy Attack Squadron (VAH) 8 "Fireballers" launch from USS Midway (CVA-41), sometime in 1959–62 (13 March 1960?).

Jim Karr
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241cc
1.56M

USS Midway (CVA-41) with Carrier Air Group (CAG) 2, sometime in 1959–1962.

David Buell
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241az
132k

Stamped on the back of the photo:
"Photographer: Dumond"
"No. 1115404"
"Date: Aug. 61"
"Description: A-3B aircraft No. 602, BuNo 142403, AAR in water beside U.S.S. Midway (CVA-41). Pilot is Haak of Squadron VAH-8."

Mike Ward
CVA-41 Midway
NS024176
164k An A4D-2 Skyhawk taking off, late 1960-1961.

Photo by SM2 Robert Parrott, OS Division, USS Midway, 1959-1962.
Submitted by his son, John.
CVA-41 Midway
NS024177
121k Underway in the Pacific, possibly during the ship's third WestPac deployment, February 16-September 28, 1961. An A3D-2 Skywarrior of VAH-8 "Fireballers" is in the foreground.

Photo by SM2 Robert Parrott, OS Division, USS Midway, 1959-1962.
Submitted by his son, John.
CVA-41 Midway
NS024142
80k

Underway off Southern California, early 1960s.

Chester Morris, Midway Crew Member 1962-65
CVA-43 Coral Sea
NS0243br
108k

USS Coral Sea (CVA-43), closer to camera, USS Midway (CVA-41), two unidentified auxiliaries and a modernized Essex-class carrier. Naval Air Station Alameda, California, first half of the 1960s.

Robert M. Cieri
CVA-41 Midway
NS024139
78k

Hunters Point NSY, 1962.

Chester Morris, Midway Crew Member 1962-65
CVA-41 Midway
NS024140
82k

Hunters Point NSY, 1962.

Chester Morris, Midway Crew Member 1962-65
CVA-41 Midway
NS024141
87k

Main Control Engine Room, 1962.

Chester Morris, Midway Crew Member 1962-65
CVA-41 Midway
NS0587533
221k

USS Midway (CVA-41) refueling USS Rupertus (DD-851), left, and USS Henry W. Tucker (DD-875), 25 June 1962.

Ed Zajkowski
CVA-41 Midway
NS024124
64k

USS Midway (CVA-41) preparing to launch a pair of F-8 Crusader fighters, during carrier qualifications, circa 1963.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History & Heritage Command (# NH 97634).

Robert Hurst comments: "The plane on the left seems to be an F-8D Crusader of Marine Fighter Squadron VMF-232 "Red Devils" (tailcode "WT"), whereas the F‑8E Crusader to the right belongs to VF-24 "Red Checkertails" of Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) (tailcode "NE"), which was stationed aboard the USS Midway from 1958 to 1964. The latter aircraft also seems to be the personal plane of the Commander Air Group (CAG) of CVW-2."

Naval History & Heritage Command
CVA-41 Midway
NS024123
103k

USS Midway (CVA-41) underway on 20 June 1963, with F-3 Demon, F-4B Phantom II and F-8 Crusader jet fighters on her flight deck. The two Crusaders parked furthest forward are from Fighter Squadron 24 (VF-24). Photographed by PH1 J.D. Osborne.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center (# NH 97632).

NHC
CVA-41 Midway
NS09160412
118k

USS Pollux (AKS-4) and USS Midway (CVA-41) conducting an underway replenishment (UNREP) in 1964, location unknown.

Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR (Ret.)
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241at
43k

USS Midway (CVA-41), 1965.

Photo taken by EM2 Henry C. Lehtola, USS John R. Craig (DD-885).

Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR (Ret.)
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241ata
103k

Three more photos taken by EM2 Henry C. Lehtola from USS John R. Craig (DD-885), second quarter of 1965.

Aircraft in photo NS0241atb are, left to right: one A-4C Skyhawk, VA-22 "Fighting Redcocks;" and two A-4E Skyhawks, VA-23 "Black Knights."

The destroyer seen on the right, in photo NS0241atc, is possibly USS Perkins (DD-877).

EM2 Henry C. Lehtola,
via Bob Canchola, BT, USN (Ret.)
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241atb
147k
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241atc
93k
CVA-41 Midway
NS024126
97k

NS024126: Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Charles W. Hartman III (left, in camouflaged flight suit), and Lieutenant Commander Edwin A. Greathouse show Rear Admiral William F. Bringle (seated) how a MiG-17 jet fighter was shot down over North Vietnam by propeller-driven A-1 Skyraiders of Attack Squadron 25 (VA-25), 20 June 1965. LT(JG) Hartman and Lieutenant Clinton B. Johnson were awarded Silver Stars and shared the MiG kill, with half a credit given to each of them. LCDR Greathouse was the mission leader. Photographed on board USS Midway (CVA-41). Note .38 caliber revolvers worn by several of those present.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph (# USN 1113736-A).

NS024126a: A painting of LT(JG) Hartman and LT Johnson shooting down the MiG-17.

(See "Skyraider vs. MiG-17," on the Midway Sailor.com website, for a detailed account of the downing of the MiG-17).

NHC
CVA-41 Midway
NS024126a
59k Courtesy of Buzz Nau, via MidwaySailor.com, via Bill Gonyo
CVA-41 Midway
NS024194
243k

Two A-4C Skyhawks from VA-22 "Fighting Redcocks" share deck space with an F-4B Phantom II from VF-21 "Free Lancers" during Midway's first Vietnam Cruise, March 6–November 23, 1965.

Skyhawk NE227 and Phantom II NE101 had totally different fates: NE101, BuNo 150646, was lost in an operational accident on July 28, 1965 not long after this photo was taken; the plane suffered engine and electrical power failure, but fortunately both crewmen ejected and were rescued. On the other hand NE227, BuNo 149532, was noted in March 2006 at the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Pensacola, FL.

Three VPAF MiG-17's were shot down by Midway/CVW-2 aircraft during this deployment: two by VF-21 F-4B's on June 17, 1965 and one by a VA-25 A-1H (see NS024126, above.) A fourth MiG was credited to one of the VF-21 crews more than 30 years later.

Photo from Angelo Romano's NAVA Collection nava.archives@libero.it
CVA-41 Midway
NS024132
49k USS Midway (CVA-41) underway, about to conduct flight operations, on 27 October 1965. Note the enclosed bow. US Navy photo by R. W. Lewis [# 1176316]. USN
CVA-41 Midway
NS024195
24k

"The USS Midway VA-25's Toilet Bomb."

"In October 1965, CDR Clarence J. Stoddard, Executive Officer of VA-25 'Fist of the Fleet,' flying an A-1H Skyraider, NE572 'Paper Tiger II' from Carrier Air Wing Two aboard USS Midway carried a special bomb to the North Vietnamese in commemoration of the 6-millionth pound of ordnance dropped."

"This bomb was unique because of the type... it was a toilet!"

"The following is an account of this event, courtesy of Clint Johnson, Captain, USNR Ret. Captain Johnson was one of the two VA-25 A-1 Skyraider pilots credited with shooting down a MiG-17 on June 20, 1965 [see NS024126, above]."

"572 [BuNo 135297] was flown by CDR C. W. 'Bill' Stoddard. His wingman in 577 was LCDR Robin Bacon, who had a wing station mounted movie camera (the only one remaining in the fleet from WWII)."

"The flight was a Dixie Station strike (off South Vietnam) going to the Delta. When they arrived in the target area and CDR Stoddard was reading the ordnance list to the FAC, he ended with 'and one code name Sani-flush.'"

"The FAC couldn't believe it and joined up to see it. It was dropped in a dive with LCDR Bacon flying tight wing position to film the drop. When it came off, it turned hole to the wind and almost struck his airplane."

"It made a great ready room movie. The FAC said that it whistled all the way down. The toilet was a damaged toilet, which was going to be thrown overboard."

"One of our plane captains rescued it and the ordnance crew made a rack, tailfins and nose fuse for it. The squadron flight deck checkers maintained a position to block the view of the Captain and Air Boss while the aircraft was taxiing onto the catapult. Just as it was being shot off we got a 1MC message from the bridge, 'What the hell was on 572's right wing?'"

Whether known or not to those involved, a somewhat similar "special weapons test" had occurred 13 years earlier, during the Korean War — in August 1952 another Skyraider, assigned to VA-195 "Dambusters," off USS Princeton (CV-37) dropped a kitchen sink attached to a 2,000 pound bomb on a target near Pyongyang.

Photos and account courtesy of Troy Prince, MidwaySailor.com.

Source for "Dambusters" 1952 "incident": Skyraider: The Douglas A-1 Flying Dump Truck, by CAPT Rosario Rausa.
CVA-41 Midway
NS024195a
41k
CVA-41 Midway
NS024195b
37k
CVA-41 Midway
NS0241by
604k

A U.S. Navy Douglas A-1J Skyraider (BuNo 142048, modex NE570) from Attack Squadron (VA) 25 "Fist of the Fleet," piloted by the squadron CO, CDR Harry E. Ettinger, dropping Mk-81 113-kg (250 lbs) bombs over Vietnam.

VA-25 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CVA-41) for a deployment to Vietnam from 6 March to 23 November 1965.

National Naval Aviation Museum photo, # 1996.253.2377.

(BuNo 142048 was later transferred to the USAF as 52-142048. Flying with the 6th Air Commando Squadron (ACS) it was shot down over Laos on 25 April 1968. Pilot, Lt. Col. Harold D. Shultz, "Spad 31," ejected and was rescued.)

Bob Canchola, BT, USN (Ret.)
CVA-43 Coral Sea + CVA-41 Midway
NS0243ch
170k

USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) standing out, USS Midway (CVA-41) standing in, San Francisco, sometime in the 1960s.

Richard Miller, BMCS, USNR (Ret.)
Models
CVB-41 Midway
NS0241ab
54k A model of USS Midway as she appeared early in her career. Courtesy of Joel Rosen, Motion Models
Patches
CVA-41 Midway
NS024153a
"I was aboard when the latest ship's patch was developed. It was the result of a ship-wide submission and selection that was forwarded to the appropriate authority for ship's patch changes. Prior to this patch we had a patch that consisted of Aviators Wings, with the ship's stack and a red M."
Contributed by Howard N. Freeman (Ford), MM2, 1960–1962
45Kb
CVA-41 Midway
NS024153
Ship's Seal
Contributed by Chester Morris, Midway crew member 1962-1965
28Kb
CVA-41 Midway
NS024165
Midway AIMD
(Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department)
Best in the West
Contributed by Alex Tatchin
67Kb
CVA-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc12
"Midway CVA-41"
"69–70"
"Boilermakers-Machinists"
"Steam Supply Crew"
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
22Kb
CVA-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc14
"CVA-41"
"Medical"
"WestPac 1972"
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
27Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pt05
U.S. Navy Foreign Legion
USS Midway (CVA/CV-41)
Semper Separatus
1973–1991
Contributed by CWO3 John S. Trolinger,
Commander Carrier Group FIVE Staff, 1982–1983
453Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pt06
Battle Group Alfa
Leaders of the Pac
1973–1991
Contributed by CWO3 John S. Trolinger,
Commander Carrier Group FIVE Staff, 1982–1983
420Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pt07
U.S. Seventh Fleet
CTF 77
Commander Carrier Group Five
Commander Carrier Strike Force
1973–1991
Contributed by CWO3 John S. Trolinger,
Commander Carrier Group FIVE Staff, 1982–1983
420Kb
CVA-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc13
"Operation Frequent Wind"
"29–30 April 1975"
"Vietnam"
"USS Midway CVA-41"
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
22Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc01
Persian Gulf Tour 87–88
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
53Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc08
Shake Rattle-n-Roll, 1988
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
66Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc09
Indian Ocean Cruise, 1988–89
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
43Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc03
"CV-41 USS Midway in WestPac 1990. We're Still Alive! Hang in There, Gramma"
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
45Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc04
Desert Shield [1990–1], USS Midway CV 41 CVW-5
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
25Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc10
Operation Desert Shield 90–91, CV-41 USS Midway, Tip of the Sword
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
19Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc05
USS Midway I.O./Persian Gulf Cruise 1990–91
Gulf Busters  CV-41  CVW-5
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
55Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc06
Desert Storm '91
USS Midway CV-41
Persian Gulf Yachtclub
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
28Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc06a
Persian Gulf Yachtclub
Charter Members
'90–'91

Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
28Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc07
USS Midway  CVW FIVE  Combat Cruise  Desert Storm  1990–1991
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
40Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pt03
USS Midway  CVW 5  Operation Desert Storm  Jan–Feb '91
Contributed by Tommy Trampp
54Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc02
Last Magic in Far East, 1973–1991
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
32Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pt01
Midway [tri-]Centurion
Contributed by Tommy Trampp
69Kb
CV-41 Midway et al.
NS-cv41-pt04
CV-41 CV-61 CV-64 CVN-73 CVNORTHWEST CVN-PAC 1982–2010, Mile High Navy, Navy Reserve, Denver Squadron patch
Contributed by Tommy Trampp
72Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pt02
VFA-195 Dambusters
USS Midway CV 41
(1986–1991)
Contributed by Tommy Trampp
37Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc11
"VA-185 Night Hawks"
"USS Midway CV 41"
"Go Big Or Stay At Home"
(1987–1991)
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
24Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pb01
"WESTPAC"
"Midway"
Contributed by Ken Bridges, USS Midway, BTFR-BT2, Dec. 82–Sept. 86
85Kb
CV-41 Midway
NS-cv41-pc15
"CV-62 7th Fleet CV-41"
"The Great Turnover"
"USS Midway Independence"
"Pearl Harbor 1991"
Contributed by Robert M. Cieri
31Kb
 

For more photos and information about this ship, see:

Read the USS MIDWAY (CVB-41 / CVA-41 / CV-41) DANFS History entry

Crew Contact and Reunion Information
Date:  
Place:  
Contact: William John Rigney Jr.
Address: 13581 TEXAS HWY 22
CRANFILLS GAP, TEXAS 76637-4019
Phone: 254-978-1918
254-978-1498
E-mail: midwayairdale@gmail.com
Web site:  
Remarks:  

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