In a demonstration of carrier long-range attack capabilities, a P2V-3C Neptune took off from USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB 42) off the coast of Jacksonville, FL on 07 February 1950 . The Neptune flew over Charleston, SC, the Bahamas, the Panama Canal, up the coast of Central America, over Mexico, and landed on Feb. 8, at San Francisco's Municipal Airport. The flight, covering 5,060 miles in 25 hrs. 59 min., was the longest ever made from a carrier deck.
The USS Midway was commissioned on September 10, 1945. Named for the Battle of Midway, the carrier was the lead ship of her class, three of which were completed, with another two ships cancelled. Serving her country for 47 years, more than 200,000 American veterans served aboard her. In that time, the USS Midway saw service off Vietnam, in the Persian Gulf and in a number of other conflicts and crises. After being the first aircraft carrier forward deployed for 17 years in Yokosuka, Japan, she returned to North Island Naval Air Station in San Diego for decommissioning in April of 1992.
The ability to adapt to new technologies, systems, platforms, and operational needs is nowhere better exemplified than in the design and 50-year operational history of the USS Midway. Designed during World War II, in 1945 this "flattop" initially operated piston-driven propeller aircraft, yet returned from her last deployment in 1991 with the Navy's most modern, multipurpose strike-fighters. Her original axial-deck design was modified to an angled-deck layout, her original hydraulic catapults were replaced with more powerful steam catapults, and the most basic electronics replaced by advanced sensors and communications equipment. Her air wing included four squadrons of F/A-18 Hornets and two squadrons of A-6 Intruders (a strike capability of 68 attack aircraft). While unable to operate either the F-14 Tomcat or S-3 Viking, MIDWAY was still an amazing and powerful national asset over forty years after her commissioning.
The former USS Midway, now part of the Navy's mothball fleet in Bremerton, Washington, is available as a donation. Eligible recipients include any US state, possession, municipal government, or non-profit entity. The recipient of the aircraft carrier will be required to maintain the ship as a non-moving museum or memorial.Specifications | ||
| Displacement | 62,000 tons full load | |
| Length | 979 feet | |
| Beam | 121 feet | |
| Flight Deck Width | 238 feet | |
| Speed | 30-plus knots | |
| Power Plant | 12 boilers, four geared steam turbines four shafts, 212,000 shaft horsepower | |
| Aircraft | Approximately 65 | |
| Armament |
Sea Sparrow missiles 3 Phalanx CIWS 20mm mounts | |
| Combat Systems |
SPS-48C 3-D Air Search Radar SPS-49 Air Search Radar SPS-65 Navigation Radar 2 Mk115 Fire Control WLR- 1 ESM WLR-10 ESM WLR-11 ESM | |
| Complement | 2,533 ship's company; 2,239 in air wing | |
Ships | ||||||
| Number | Name | Builder | Homeport | Ordered | Commissioned | Decommissioned |
| CV 41 | Midway | Newport News | Yokosuka | 01 Aug 1942 | 10 Oct 1945 | 11 Apr 1992 |
| CV 42 | Franklin D Roosevelt | New York NSY | 1942 | 27 Oct 1945 | 01 Oct 1977 | |
| CV 43 | Coral Sea | Newport News | Norfolk | 1942 | 01 Oct 1947 | 30 Apr 1990 |
| CV 44 | [CANCELLED] | 1942 | - | 11 Jan 1943 | ||
| CVB 56 | [CANCELLED] | 1945 | - | 28 Mar 1945 | ||
| CVB 57 | [CANCELLED] | 1945 | - | 28 Mar 1945 | ||
