Midway (CV 41) - Naval Cruise Book

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highlight of this period was the first fully automatic carrier landing on June 13, 1963. An F-4 Phantom and an F-8 Crusader landed aboard without their pilots touching the aircraft controls. In 1965, operating as part of Task Force 77 in the Tonkin Gulf, MIDWAY's aircraft flew 11,000 combat sorties over Vietnam. During this deployment MIDWAY aircraft were responsible for dowining the first three North Vietnamese MIGs of the conflict. MIDWAY returned home to Alameda in November and was decomissioned in February 1966 at Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard to undergo the most extensive modernization ever completed on a naval vessel. USS MIDWAY, now weighing 64,000 tons, has increased capabilities as a result of the expansion of her flight deck from 2.82 to 4.02 acres, and the addition of three new deck edge elevators, new arresting gear machinery and catapults. She has also added the largest and most complex avionics shops in the fleet, the computerized Naval Tactical Data System and many habitability improvements. Today, MIDWAY is operationally equivalent to the newest conventionally powered carriers and is able to launch and recover aircraft one-third heavier than those of her sister ship, USS CORAL SEA. MIDWAY departed Alameda on April 16, 1971, for service with the U. S. SEVENTH Fleet off the coast of Vietnam. With Air Wing FIVE embarked and a crew of 4,450 the ship launched over six thousand sorties in support of allied operations in the Republic of Vietnam. Returning to Alameda on November 6, MIDWAY has spent a total of 146 days at sea during her 1971 de- ployment and received the Meritorious Unit Citation. MIDWAY again deployed to Southeast Asia on April 10, 1972 in response to a major offensive on the Repub- lic of Vietnam and was the first attack carrier to depart the combat zone after the signing of the cease-fire agreement. Arriving in Alameda on March 3, 1973, MIDWAY had spent ove 250 days at sea. For their per- formance during the last year of conflict, MIDWAY and Air Wing FIVE were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. On September 11, 1973, MIDWAY left Alameda on one of her most important voyages to date. The men of MIDWAY and Air Wing FIVE moved with their families to Yokosuka, Japan as part of the Navyls Overseas Family Residency Program. MIDWAY has served as an integral fighting unit with the U. S. SEVENTH Fleet conducting operations throughout the Western Pacific. On April 29, 1975, MIDWAY was stationed off the coast of Vietnam when the evacuation began. In two days of operations, a total of 3,073 evacuees were recovered and processed aboard MIDWAY. During the period October 14, 1975 to December 12, 1975, MIDWAY and Air Wing FIVE took a 58-day cruise into the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. This was the first extended cruise away from her new home- port. MIDWAY and Air Wing FIVE have been permanent residents in Japan and the Western Pacific for the last six years. She has conducted joint operations with twelve nations and steamed over 150,000 shaft miles. Beginning in May 1977, VF-151 and VF-161 transi- tioned to F4Js and 6As and Bs for A-6Fx. This CVW-5 transition occurred while the ship was in port for its 60 day EISRA Extended Incremental Ship Repair Availa- bilityj, a unique modernization concept developed for MIDWAY. The air wing transition was completed in September when USS CORAL SEA fighter squaarons CVF-191 and 1945 exchanged their F-4Js with MIDWAY's F-4Ns, prior to CORAL SEA returning to Alameda after her 1977 deployment. In late 1977, MIDWAY made an 87 day deployment to the Indian Ocean where she was the principal partici- pant in Midlink 77, an exercise hosted by the Iranian Navy and including representatives from Pakistan, Turkey, and the Royal Navy. MIDWAY has been awarded the AIRPAC Golden Anchor Carrier Motivation Award for the 12-month competitive cycle ending September 30, 1978. In addition, MIDWAY was the recipient of the Battle Efficiency HE as the best Pacific Fleet carrier for the 18-month period ending December 31, 1978. In 1979, MIDWAY returned to the Indian Ocean and made two cruises there in over a year. The first one was in April in keeping with the U.S. Government policy of maintaining a highly visible presence in the area. This 'Cemergencyv cruise earned MIDWAY the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Expeditionary Medals. Then in Septem- ber, she was back again in the Indian Ocean on routine operations and remained there till February 1980 due to events in the Middle East. During this cruise, she set a record of 91 days of continuous operations at sea. Most recently Midway has just completed another deployment to the Indian Ocean that commenced on July 15, 1980 and terminated on November 26, 1980 upon her arrival in Yokosuka, Japan. As a permanent unit of the U.S. SEVENTH Fleet, MIDWAY is maintained in a high state of readiness and material condition. With a modern air wing and planned incremental modernization MIDWAY is expected to operate into the l990,s, when she will truly be one of a kind, and always, first of a kind. 5