USS Midway
The USS Midway CVB 41 was launched from the Newport News Shipbuilding Company on March 20th, 1945 and was sponsored by a Mrs. Bradford William Ripley, Jr. and finally commissioned after end of World War II on September 10th, 1945 under the command of Captain Joseph F. Bolger. After her initial deployment into the Caribbean Sea, she joined up with the U. S. Atlantic Fleet leaving her home base of Norfolk, Virginia. On February 20th, 1946 she became the flagship for Carrier Division 1 and in March she became among one of the first to test equipment and cold weather techniques while in cruising the North Atlantic. East coast and Caribbean training was highlighted by Operation Sandy in September of 1947 in which she test fired a captured German V-2 rocket from her flight deck which was the first such launching from a moving platform.
During the first of her annual deployments, the USS Midway then sailed towards the Mediterranean Sea to join with the 6th Fleet. While there she trained and received many alterations in order to accommodate the heavier aircraft that were being developed. In 1952 the Midway participated in various maneuvers in the North Sea with NATO forces, and on October 1st she was given the re-designation CVA 41. On December 27th, 1954 the Midway left Norfolk, Virginia and embarked on a worldwide voyage that took her passed the Cape of Good Hope and heading in the direction of Taiwan where on June 28th, 1955 she arrived to join with the 7th Fleet for their operations in the Western Pacific Ocean.
During these special operations, the USS Midway flew cover flights for the evacuation of the Tachen Islands that included 15,000 Chinese nationalist troops and 20,000 Chinese civilians. Afterwards, she sailed to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on June 28th, 1955 for extensive repairs and a complete overhaul the included out-of-commission status in order to re-modernization to receive updates to every part of the ship. Participating in Operation Imminent Thunder on November 15th, 1990 as a pre-cursor to Operation Desert Storm which was an eight day amphibious assault exercise that took place in Northeastern Saudi Arabia and was showing of muscle to the Iraqi government before the war began. The USS Midway CVB 41 was officially decommissioned on April 11th, 1992 and she now finally rests at the Maritime Museum of San Diego today.
The USS Midway CVB 41 had a long history, but one of the most difficult aspects of that history is that former crew members may now have to face the fact that the ship contained products made from asbestos. These products can be very hazardous to the respiratory health of anyone who is exposed to them. Asbestos is a toxic substance that is comprised of tiny fibers that are easy and dangerous to inhale. It can lead to mesothelioma cancer and other diseases, so anyone who has been exposed to deadly asbestos should seek immediate medical attention and evaluation from their physician. If diagnosed, veterans with mesothelioma should consider all options for mesothelioma treatment.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
