Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of the USS Midway.
On this page
Carrier, Pacific service and museum
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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27 October 1943
Keel laid
Work begins at Newport News, Virginia.
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20 March 1945
Launched
The Midway is launched.
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10 September 1945
Commissioned
The ship joins the U.S. Navy, eight days after the surrender of Japan.
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1955
No longer the largest
Until this year, the Midway is the largest aircraft carrier in the world.
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17 June 1965
Vietnam War
Midway aviators are credited with the first MiGs downed by U.S. forces in Southeast Asia.
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5 October 1973
Based in Japan
The Midway arrives at Yokosuka, the first complete carrier task group based in a Japanese port.
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29 April 1975
Operation Frequent Wind
The Midway takes part in the evacuation of Saigon.
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17 January 1991
Gulf War
The Midway launches the first carrier strikes of the Gulf War.
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11 April 1992
Decommissioned
After 47 years, the ship leaves service at Naval Air Station North Island.
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10 January 2004
Arrival in San Diego
The Midway is moored at her museum berth on San Diego Bay.
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7 June 2004
A museum opens
The USS Midway Museum opens to the public.
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2017
Battle of Midway Theater
A theatre presenting the battle the ship is named after is added.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
