Midway (CV 41) - Naval Cruise Book

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FIRST AIR ' TRAP MIDWAY ' S second look. The MAGIC lakes shape The first ■Dirigible lands aboard MIDWAY in early 1946. jusl one of many MIDWAY firsts. deck launches while keeping the landing area clear for recoveries in an alert situation. Additional improvements included the in- stallation of a hurricane (enclosed) bow. moving elevator number three to the starboard deck edge aft of the island, and enlarging number one elevator to accommodate longer aircraft. On recom- missioning in September 1957. MIDWAY ' S load displacement had grown from 55.CXX to 62.000 tons. MIDWAY again got underway in December heading south for shakedown and refresher training. In August 1958. MIDWAY em- barked on her first deployment as an angle deck carrier. With MIDWAY ' S increased capabilities. CVG-2 was composed of two supersonic fighter squadrons and three attack squadrons. During this cruise she operated off of Taiwan in support of the Quemoy- Matsu Crisis as the flagship of COMCARDIV FIVE. She arrived in Alameda in March of 1959. In August 1959. after a one month turn around period. MIDWAY redeployed to the Far East. During this cruise she recorded 8.000 landings, including her 80.000th arrested landing. Her eleventh deployment ended when she arrived at Alemeda in March I960. After an extensive five month overhaul, MIDWAY left Alameda in Febuary 1961. With Air Group Two aboard, she participated in operations off the coast of Vietnam, returning to Alameda in September of 1961. After a regular overhaul extending until April 1963, the first fully automatic carrier landings were made aboard MIDWAY. June 13. 1963. saw an F-4E Phantom make the first hands-off landing follow- ing 16 years of research and testing. MIDWAY made her fourteenth (sixth straight) WESTPAC de- ployment in November 1963. Her most significant improvement was increased jet fighter capacity with the addition of Mach 2.3F- 4B phantom ll ' s. She returned to Alameda in May 1964 to replace Number 3 elevator which had been carried away during heavy seas. MIDWAY was decommissioned in February 1966 at Hunter ' s Point. The modernization of MIDWAY would prove to be complex, taking four years to complete, yet yielding a more capable and useful ship. The flight deck was increased in surface area from

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l- t ' l -1 -JfJt-lt ' l ' J -J - -- : n- ' 2ss- i 4f f •li; : : tMM- MMM H - c- t-K-K-K-K- t Four ' s F4U ' s aboard. Ports of call in- cluded Istanbul, Cyrprus, Malta, Cannes, Oran, and Lisbon. She re- turned to Norfolk in May and within two months, after exchanging Air Group Four for Seven, she sailed for Gibralter with an upgraded fighter ca- pability. This consisted of two air- craft types, F9F-2 Panthers and F8F-IB Bearcats. During this time, she served as the flag ship of COMCARDIV SIX. She returned to Norfolk in November. For the next six months MIDWAY was in the Norfolk Naval Shipyard hav- ing her flight deck reinforced to ac- commodate heavier aircraft. After conducting brief carrier qualifications, she steamed south for Guantanamo Bay. After these were completed, MIDWAY returned to Norfolk in July. January of 1952 MIDWAY marked her fifth Mediterranean cruise. Four full squadrons, along with detachments from four other squadrons, comprised the airwing. During this cruise MID- WAY participated in Operation Grand Slam (a multi-national English, French, Italian and U.S. exercise). Upon com- pletion of this exercise, she operated in the eastern Mediterranean before returning to Norfolk in May 1952. In August 1952, MIDWAY departed Norfolk for NATO exercises in the North Sea. This was a combined exer- cise with USS FRANKLIN D. ROOSE- VELT, USS WASP, and USS WISCON- SIN. On October I, on her return to Norfolk. MIDWAY departed on her sixth Med cruise in December of 1952. With the basic composition of the air group unchanged. MIDWAY participat- ed in Operation Rendezvous. She was the flag ship of Carrier Division Four. Returning home to Norfolk in May. she entered a five month overhaul. In January 1954. MIDWAY deployed to the Med for the seventh time. This time Air Group Six Departed with two Cougar Squadrons and one Banshee unit, returning to Norfolk in August of 1954. MIDWAY departed Norfolk in De- cember 1954 making a world cruise which culminated in her transfer to the Pacific Fleet. She now became the flagship of COMCARDIV THREE and operated off the Philippine Islands and Japan. Leaving Japan. MIDWAY re- turned to NAS Alameda in July 1955. Three months later she entered Puget Sound Naval Ship-Yard and was de- commissioned. In order to accomadate the new high techology aircraft. MIDWAY un- derwent a modernization project. She was fitted with two steam catapults on the bow and a third shorter steam cat in the new angle deck. The purpose of the third catapult was to allow ready

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ik-H- ! - SECOND RENOVATION AND A VISIT FROM AN HONORED VIP ,»-K ,— J --J ' . ' SKata ' ' -w- ffira - , . 3 i9Q ?- s«apS ' C -»t -»tl»-54- 5«- H-5tJt USS MIDWAY sponing her first oi many renovations magic . Center left, in 1958 a VIP visit by General I President of Republic of Nationalist Cfiina. v the crew of MIDWAY ;w look in May of 1958. This would be the hat took place during her 40 years of ' Chrang Kai-Shek, distinct honor for 2.S2 to 4.02 acres. The elevators could now lift I30.0CO pounds compared with 74.000 pounds of her sister ships. ROOSEVELT and CORAL SEA. The powerful new catapults on the bow. three new arresting gear engines, and one barricade were installed and rearranged to accommodate a change of 13 degrees to the angle deck. The smaller waist catapult was removed since it was ineffective in launching the now heavier aircraft. Mod- ern electronic systems were installed, a central chilled water air conditioning system replaced hundreds of individual units, and MIDWAY became the first ship to have the aviation fueling system completely converted from aviation gas to JP-5. Delays caused partially by the simultaneous con- struction of USS HORNE. modernization of USS CHICA- GO, and unscheduled repairs to the fire-damaged USS ORISKANY. drove the initial modernization estimate of 87 million dollars to 202 million dollars. MIDWAY was recommissioned in January 1970. She was capable of operating the most modern fleet air- craft. MIDWAY was expected to deliver at least an- other 15 years of service life to the fleet. Perhaps it was MIDWAY Magic that kept her afloat well past the 15 years originally hoped for. More realistically it was the dedication and hard work of the crew that kept her afloat so long. MIDWAY was underway in March 1970. It took another year of working out discrepanies. fol- lowed by numerous sea trials before she deployed again. In April 1971. MIDWAY began her sixteenth deploy- ment 13.000 tons heavier than her original full load figure. When she arrived off the coast of Vietnam, her Airwing commenced strikes and flew over 6.000 sorties in support of allied operations. After 146 continous days at sea. MIDWAY returned home and was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation. Arriving at Alaineda in November, the ship then returned to the war zone seven weeks earlier than her scheduled deployment date. Pages 8 and 9. MIDWAY ' S maiden launch Ne and Dry-dock Company. March X . 1945.