Midway (CVA 41) - Naval Cruise Book

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imdujaii xueslem pacific cruise 1956-1959

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It is on honor for we of the staff to offer this pictor al review of MIDWAY ' S first WestPac S men of MIDWAY and their who have been privileged to the birth and growth of this ship, do not presume to try to depict all that has happened since that day in September, 1957 when MIDWAY was returned to the fleet, the most powerful and modern ship ever to sail Pacific waters. This is not our intention ! A book a hundred times this size would hardly be enough to fully tell that story. Instead, it has been our attempt to show the first and most import ant steps taken by a new, green, untried crew on its way to forming the unified team necessary to sail a ship like MIDWAY. We want to show how leadership, desire, and that hackneyed, kicked-around phase esprit-de- corps was formed and built. We want to show that when we were called upon to do a man-sized job with probably the most formidable fleet ever assembled, we were ready. We were not only ready, we were the best ! During the peak of the Quemoy crisis, we were called upon to remain at sea for weeks at a time — periods barely equalled even during the height of World War II. • This is when MIDWAY became a ship. In spite of the expected disappointment of missing long post- poned liberty ports, and the usual legitimate griping , morale grew higher and higher. This is a tribute to our Captain and Exec whose leadership made each of us proud of our ship and our accomplishments. Before our cruise was half over, our pilots were logging more time than other squadrons recorded in an entire cruise. They were doing all that was expected of them and then some. Planes on and off the flight deck every thirty seconds become routine instead of the goal. It is true that this cruise book is for the families and friends of our crew members. However, we don ' t expect them to fully under- stand all they see. Each of the pictures and scenes will mean just a bit more to those of us who lived them. A picture is nothing more than a picture unless it recalls to mind some- thing that made you wonder, or laugh, or maybe even become a bit sad. Maybe it makes you remember someone, or a word spoken at a particular time. Even then, at best, only a part of the incident is recalled. By using the most significant and poignant of our shots of shipboard life, we have tried to recapture MIDWAY ' S story in a way that will mean the most to the men who served on her. You at home will be able, perhaps, to gain an insight into the boredom, excitements, longings, and inescapable routine of your loved ones so many miles and months away. This, then, is the be- THE BOOK OF THE MEN OF MIDWAY.