In November of 2018, we traveled out to San Diego, California and took a tour on the USS Midway Museum. In this post we will share with you some of the history of the ship, our investigation in the Sick Bay Area, and some tips if you would like to visit the ship yourself in the future.
The USS Midway Museum is a historical naval aircraft carrier museum located in downtown San Diego, California at Navy Pier. The museum consists of the aircraft carrier Midway. The ship houses an extensive collection of aircraft, many of which were built in Southern California. It is located at 910 N Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101. You can find out more about the museum such as ticket prices and special events by visited the USS Midway Museum website.
History and Service
The USS Midway was the United States' longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century, from 1945 to 1992. Approximately 200,000 sailors served aboard the carrier, known for several naval aviation breakthroughs as well as several humanitarian missions. It was the only carrier to serve the entire length of the Cold War and beyond. If you would like to know more history about the ship, please watch our following paranormal history video.
The USS Midway had a vast military history. It severed in many missions for 47 years during which she saw action in the Vietnam War and served as the Persian Gulf flagship in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. The ship was decommissioned in 1992. If you would like to learn more about the ship's service history, click here.
The "Rock'n Roll Carrier"
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Midway (CV-41) began listing and rolling in moderate seas during sea trials, in late 1986. During her 1986 refit (named "Extended Incremental Selected Repair Availability"), blisters had been added that seriously affected the ship's stability. She took water over the flight deck during excessive rolls in moderate seas, thereby hampering flight operations. Before another $138 million refit was approved to rectify the stability problems, it was even proposed to decommission Midway. Nevertheless, she had earned herself the nickname "Rock'n Roll carrier".
Massive Size
The USS Midway was the largest ship in the world until 1955, as well as the first U.S. aircraft carrier too big to transit the Panama Canal. Once you approach and get up close to the vessel, you realize just the vast size of it. The ship is 1,001 ft. long and 121 ft wide (136ft on the flight deck). The propulsion for the ship would take 12 boilers and four Westinghouse geared turbines. The max speed of the ship was 38 mph, and it would house up to 4,104 officers and men at one time.
Museum Grade Restored Aircraft
The collection of air craft on the ship is amazing. They have been beautifully restored and you can really get up close and personal with almost everyone of them. We spent a lot of time just looking at the aircraft alone, from jets to helicopters, the museum is a floating air museum as well.
Inside the Ship
We definitely enjoyed going down inside the ship as well. You are able to see how the men lived from the mess hall, to the engine room, even to the brig, everything in the museum is as if it was out on the sea just yesterday. There are also a lot of mannequins on the ship representing the sailors that once served on the ship. Some of them are just a little creepy looking and you are waiting for them to say hello or come walking towards you.
Paranormal Reports and the Sick Bay Area
We knew about the paranormal reports of the ship. So, I wanted to make sure we had this location on the list to visit when we were in San Diego. Although there are things that happen through the ship, most of the reports are centered around the sick bay area. So, that was our goal. To find the sick bay, and do a little mini investigation. It took a little while to get down there, but check out our following video about the investigation and more information about the sick bay area. You can find out more about the paranormal activity on the ship on our PANICd.com page for this location.
Tips if You Would Like To Visit
Normally when we cover a location, we try to create a video that shares with you our experiences we had at the location. With this series, we decided to put together some tips if you were planning of visiting the USS Midway Museum yourself in the future. Here is a short list of those tips; however, watch our video below for more details.
Admission can range over $20 per adult.
Check their website for special events and tours.
Photos and Video are permitted.
Take time to talk with the volunteers.
Make sure you have adequate footwear.
The Museum is wheel chair accessible and they do permit service animals.
Food is available in their café.
There is a gift shop.
Be prepared for a crowd.
Allow sufficient time to spend on the ship.
Let us know down in the comments if you have visited this museum in the past or if you would like to take our advice and visit it sometime in the future.
