Among the countless interesting places and sights the States of the West Coast have to offer, even aircraft carriers need to be mentioned. There are three ‘capital sites’ that will surely appeal to war veterans, pilots, seamen, historians, technicians, children and everybody with an interest for ‘CVs’ – an acronym for ‘carrier vessels’. Two are super-museums in California, where the USS Hornet and USS Midway are permanently preserved and open to the public, and a third is the Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, which is an active installation of the US Navy in the premises of the Naval Base Kitsap, where maintenance work is carried out on the current CV-fleet, and where part of the reserve fleet – including most notably some aircraft carriers – is moored.
Here you can find some photos of these sites from visits of mine in 2012 and 2014.
USS Hornet (CV-12) – Alameda, CA
This ship is an Essex-class carrier commissioned in late 1943. Since then, she saw extensive action throughout WWII in the Pacific theatre, being involved in frontline operations leading to the defeat of Japan. As a matter of fact, aircraft from this ship totalled a number of downed aircraft ranking second in the general list of aircraft carriers of the world, behind USS Essex – which enjoyed a full year of service more than Hornet during the war with Japan.
![Img00001 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00001-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00002 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00002-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00003 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00003-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
The original appearance of the ship was much different from today’s, first and foremost due to the straight-deck construction of the Essex-class – just like all other carriers until the Fifties. For Hornet the current shape of the deck is the result of SCB-125 modification in 1956, introducing an angled landing deck. This feature, which came along with other major changes to the overall structure also resulting in a significant weight increase, allowed independent take-off and landing operations. Differently from other ships of the class, Hornet wasn’t upgraded in the late-fifties with steam-powered catapults, retaining hydraulically powered ones instead, thus being incapable of launching heavier aircraft like the Phantom, Intruder, Vigilante, or even the Hawkeye. It was then assigned to a support role as an ASW carrier, equipped with Tracker aircraft and helicopters for anti-submarine missions.
![Img00006 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00006-1.jpg?w=334&h=222&ssl=1)
![Img00007 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00007-1.jpg?w=148&h=222&ssl=1)
![Img00004 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00004-1.jpg?w=334&h=222&ssl=1)
![Img00005 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00005-1.jpg?w=148&h=222&ssl=1)
In the late Sixties Hornet was involved in the race to the Moon, serving as a rescue platform for the first moonwalkers returning from the succesful Apollo 11 mission, and subsequently in the same role for the astronauts of Apollo 12.
Similarly to all other Essex-class vessels – with the exception of the venerable USS Lexington, operated as a training ship until late 1991! – it saw limited action in the Vietnam War, when much larger and more suited carriers had become available for war operations, and it was retired in the early Seventies.
During your visit you are basically free to move all around the many well-preserved areas under the flight deck.
There you can see the striking proportions of this relatively ‘small’ carrier. The mechanism of the central elevator can be seen to the bow of the ship. An impressive table with the number of targets hit recalls the primary role this ship had in WWII.
![Img00009 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00009-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00008 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00008-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00010 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00010-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
On the main aircraft storage level there are some preserved aircraft, not all from the history of this unit. Among the many interesting features in this area, a replica of the helicopter which took the astronauts of Apollo 11 on board. This very helicopter was used in Ron Howard’s movie ‘Apollo 13’ starring Tom Hanks. Also the mobile quarantine facility for the astronauts can be found here. Neil Armstrong’s very footsteps from the helicopter to the quarantine facility are marked with white paint.
![Img00012 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00012-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00013 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00013-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00014 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00014-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00011 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00011-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00015 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00015-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
Moving back to the stern of the ship it is possible to visit a very interesting technical area for aircraft maintenance and servicing, as well as for mission preparation. It reminds the primary role of aircraft carriers as a frontline-deployed, moving airbases, with everything that is necessary for operating the aircraft onboard on a regular basis for offensive missions. A hatch leading to the compartments on the lower levels has been left open, and this allows to appreciate the actual size of the ship, really huge, with multiple storage levels for aircraft spare parts and ordnance.
![Img00018 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00018-1.jpg?w=280&h=187&ssl=1)
![Img00022 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00022-1.jpg?w=124&h=187&ssl=1)
![Img00023 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00023-1.jpg?w=280&h=187&ssl=1)
![Img00024 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00024-1.jpg?w=280&h=187&ssl=1)
Also very interesting are the big fireproof sliding doors for cutting the aircraft storage deck into compartments in the event of fire – possibly due to some ordnance piercing the deck of the ship, as well as to accidental causes.
![Img00016 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00016-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00019 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00019-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00020 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00020-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00021 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00021-1.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00025 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00025-1.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00026 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00026-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
Further interesting sights in the self-guided part of the visit include the operational briefing room, some service rooms, dormitories and a large area for the anchor moving mechanisms.
![Img00027 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00027-1.jpg?w=414&h=277&ssl=1)
![Img00028 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00028-1.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00029 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00029-1.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00030 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00030-1.jpg?w=558&h=837&ssl=1)
![Img00031 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00031-1.jpg?w=513&h=342&ssl=1)
![Img00032 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00032-1.jpg?w=513&h=342&ssl=1)
![Img00033 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00033-1.jpg?w=459&h=688&ssl=1)
A second part of the tour is guided. You move around is small groups and you access the flight deck and the ‘island’, the command and control center of all operations – deck management, flight mission control, and ship control & navigation. The guides are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic veterans, able to tell you detailed explanations of what you see as well as anecdotes from the history of the ship.
![Img00036 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00036-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00037 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00037-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00038 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00038-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00051 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00051-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00034 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00034-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
The Presidential Seal has been placed where president Nixon was standing to oversee the recovery of the moonwalkers from Apollo 11.
![Img00039 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00039-1.jpg?w=567&h=851&ssl=1)
![Img00035 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00035-1.jpg?w=405&h=270&ssl=1)
![Img00040 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00040-1.jpg?w=405&h=270&ssl=1)
![Img00041 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00041-1.jpg?w=405&h=303&ssl=1)
![Img00042 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00042-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00043 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00043-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00044 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00044-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
This part of the visit will be extremely interesting for more technically minded subjects – you will see original wind signals for landing aircraft, an original LORAN navigation device for sea navigation, the normal and emergency arresting systems, the Fresnel optical landing aid system, and tons of other extremely interesting items which were actually used in real operations.
![Img00045 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00045-1.jpg?w=558&h=837&ssl=1)
![Img00046 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00046-1.jpg?w=414&h=277&ssl=1)
![Img00047 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00047-1.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00048 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00048-1.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00049 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00049-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00050 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00050-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00036 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00036-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00053 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00053-1.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00052 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00052-1.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00055 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00055-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00056 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00056-1.jpg?w=673&h=449&ssl=1)
![Img00057 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00057-1.jpg?w=299&h=449&ssl=1)
From the stern of the ship and the flight deck it is possible to take fantastic pictures of downtown SFO.
![Img00054 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00054-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00017 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00017-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00058 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00058-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00059 USS Hornet Alameda Oakland San Francisco CV-12 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00059-1.jpg?w=976&h=651&ssl=1)
Extra Feature – Treasure Island Pan Am Terminal
A little ‘extra’ you can find on your way if you are travelling from San Francisco via the SFO-Oakland Bay Bridge to the site fo the USS Hornet is Treasure Island. This artificial island was taken out of the water at the end of the Thirties for the Golden Gate International Exhibition in 1939. Coincidentally, Pan Am, which had recently inaugurated its trans-Pacific ‘Clipper’ air service with the huge Boeing 314 seaplane, built a facility on the island, with a passenger terminal and service hangars for maintenance. Operation of the Clipper were moved here for good, and the aircraft took off and alighted on water between Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island, the smaller natural island to the south – the cove is today called Clipper Cove. Later on the service was relocated to Alameda as the island was taken over by the military.
![Img00158 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00158.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00159 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00159.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00161 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00161.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00160 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00160.jpg?w=976&h=651&ssl=1)
Unlike most of the buildings dating from the exhibition, wiped out soon after it, the terminal survived and it is a proportionate, nice example of the airport building style of the late Thirties.
![Img00165 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00165.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00164 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00164.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00163 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00163.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00162 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00162.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00157 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00157.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
Also the foundations of some of the original passenger pier, as well as concrete slides for seaplane operations on the shore of Clipper Bay, can be seen still today. The Pan Am terminal building was used to simulate the terminal at Berlin Tempelhof in Steven Spielberg’s movie ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’.
![Img00153 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00153.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00154 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00154.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00151 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00151.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00152 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00152.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00150 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00150.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00149 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00149.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
Treasure Island is also a good place for taking pictures of downtown SFO, as well as the most famous items on the bay – Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
![Img00168 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00168.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00156 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00156.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00167 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00167.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00166 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00166.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00155 Pan Am Terminal Seaplane Clipper San Francisco Treasure Island Bay Area](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00155.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
Getting There
The ship is permanently anchored by one of the piers close to the former Alameda NAS, on the southern side of the island of Alameda. It can be reached very conveniently and quickly from downtown San Francisco via the Oakland bridge (I-80), and from Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro and all districts on the eastern side of the bay. Full explanation and info on their website. Treasure Island is located roughly mid-way along the Oakland Bridge. Visiting the Pan Am terminal is a quick detour from the interstate. Large parking nearby both sites.
USS Midway (CV-41) – San Diego, CA
This is the first and the only remaining of the three Midway-class ‘super carriers’ – which included USS Franklin D. Roosevelt and USS Coral Sea. The origin of the class dates back to WWII, when it was decided that larger, armored, metal decks were to replace the vulnerable wooden decks of the Essex-class carriers. USS Midway was commissioned in September 1945, immediately after VJ-Day, with a straight deck, albeit steel-made. The steel construction was considered a relevant asset for jet aircraft operations, and all three carriers were kept in active service following the progressive transition to the new type of aircraft propulsion, with only minor modifications needed to the flight deck.
USS Midway was involved in the early stages of US missile experimentation, with the first tests of sea launched V-2 rocket clones, originating from the German design, and Regulus I air-breathing cruise missile.
The current shape of USS Midway is the result of subsequent major modifications. Program SCB-110 in the late Fifties added the angled deck to enhance simultaneous launch and recovery operations and flexible flight deck operations. Also the curved ‘hurricane-proof’ bow was added, together with steam-powered catapults.
![Img00118 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00118.jpg?w=414&h=277&ssl=1)
![Img00116 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00116.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00115 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00115.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00122 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00122.jpg?w=558&h=837&ssl=1)
In 1966 this ship was the only of the three of her class to receive the very expensive SCB-101.66 modification, resulting in a lengthening of the flight deck, the adoption of more powerful steam catapults and a new arrangement of the higher-load elevators. All three ships were on active duty in Vietnam, USS Midway apparently launching the first and last US air attacks of the war.
Even though USS Midway – the largest and best equipped of the three – could not operate the Tomcat, it could take four squadrons of Hornets, thus remaining effective in frontline service well into the Gulf War in the early Nineties, the last major operation in which she was involved before retirement and re-opening as a permanent exhibition – notably among the most popular in San Diego alongside the zoo.
Similarly to the USS Hornet described above, the tour of the Midway starts with a self-guided exploration of the aircraft storage deck and of the air deck. Among the tons of interesting sights here, to the bow you can find under the air deck the steam reservoir for the catapults and the system for moving the anchors.
![Img00060 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00060-1.jpg?w=673&h=449&ssl=1)
![Img00061 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00061-1.jpg?w=299&h=449&ssl=1)
![Img00062 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00062-1.jpg?w=148&h=222&ssl=1)
![Img00063 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00063-1.jpg?w=334&h=222&ssl=1)
![Img00066 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00066-1.jpg?w=148&h=222&ssl=1)
![Img00067 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00067-1.jpg?w=334&h=222&ssl=1)
Further back the main hangar for storing the aircraft is really huge. You can get an impression of the size of the ship by looking at the lower storage levels, where jet engines and air-launched ordnance are still visible.
![Img00071 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00071-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00090 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00090-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00064 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00064-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
With respect to the USS Hornet the exhibition is somewhat more ‘lively’, also with some reconstructed scenes, notice-boards, prepared dinner tables and so on. On the cons side, the place can get really crowded.
You can explore the crew areas, with dormitories, kitchens, canteens, medical services – including a fully equipped surgery compartment.
![Img00092 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00092-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00091 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00091-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00089 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00089-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00088 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00088-1.jpg?w=396&h=264&ssl=1)
![Img00087 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00087-1.jpg?w=176&h=264&ssl=1)
![Img00085 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00085-1.jpg?w=396&h=264&ssl=1)
![Img00068 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00068-1.jpg?w=673&h=449&ssl=1)
![Img00065 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00065-1.jpg?w=299&h=449&ssl=1)
Most interesting is the propulsion system. Midway-class ships, as well as the later Forrestal-class, were all conventionally powered – non nuclear. Oil was supplied to burners, heating water and generating steam. By supplying steam to turbines mechanical power was obtained and transferred to the propeller shafts. This involved monstrous reduction gears. You can see the control room of this very complex system as well as burners, turbines gearboxes and propeller shafts, all explained with technical schemes – this will be extremely interesting for technically minded people. Close by, the similarly important air conditioning and ventilation system – an ancillary system at a first glance, it is absolutely necessary for all computers and electronics.
![Img00073 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00073-1.jpg?w=673&h=449&ssl=1)
![Img00074 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00074-1.jpg?w=299&h=449&ssl=1)
![Img00075 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00075-1.jpg?w=558&h=837&ssl=1)
![Img00076 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00076-1.jpg?w=414&h=277&ssl=1)
![Img00080 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00080-1.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00078 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00078-1.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00077 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00077-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00079 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00079-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
Other interesting sights are the briefing rooms for both flying and non-flying personnel, the chapel, and the inertial navigation system – buried close to the buoyancy center of the ship to reduce the influence of oscillations.
![Img00069 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00069-1.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00070 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00070-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00072 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00072-1.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00086 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00086-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00093 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00093-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
On the deck there is a collection of aircraft, most of them from the operational history of this unit. Also visible is the Fresnel optical landing aid.
![Img00094 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00094.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00095 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00095.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00098 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00098.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00097 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00097.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00096 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00096.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00081 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00081-1.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00082 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00082-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00083 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00083-1.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
Similarly to the USS Hornet, you can join a guided tour for a visit to the ‘island’. This is much roomier than that of the older Essex-class ship. You are provided clear explanations by very competent guides as you tour the navigation room, flight control and ship control areas.
![Img00109 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00109.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00110 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00110.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00111 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00111.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00106 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00106.jpg?w=280&h=187&ssl=1)
![Img00107 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00107.jpg?w=280&h=187&ssl=1)
![Img00112 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00112.jpg?w=124&h=187&ssl=1)
![Img00108 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00108.jpg?w=280&h=187&ssl=1)
From the deck you are offered a view of North Island NAS. Until she left for her new home port in Yokosuka, Japan, you could often see here USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), a nuclear powered, Nimitz-class carrier commissioned in the 2003 and home based in San Diego at the time of my visit.
![Img00099 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00099.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00100 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00100.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00103 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00103.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00104 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00104.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00101 USS Ronald Reagan San Diego CVN-76 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00101.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00102 USS Ronald Reagan San Diego CVN-76 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00102.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00119 USS Ronald Reagan San Diego CVN-76 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00119.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00120 USS Ronald Reagan San Diego CVN-76 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00120.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00105 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00105.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
Other Nimitz-class carriers are currently based here.
![Img00117 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00117.jpg?w=624&h=468&ssl=1)
![Img00123 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00123.jpg?w=348&h=232&ssl=1)
![Img00124 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00124.jpg?w=348&h=232&ssl=1)
![Img00121 USS Midway San Diego CV-41 West Coast](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00121.jpg?w=976&h=651&ssl=1)
Getting There
The USS Midway museum is among the best known museums in Southern California, and it’s really hard to miss it due to the prominent place on the waterfront next to downtown San Diego. Large parking on the pier nearby. For planning your visit have a look to their website.
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Naval Base Kitsap – Bremerton, WA
The Naval Base Kitsap with the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard are major installations of the Navy. The Shipyard dates from before WWI, and albeit a small museum on the topic exists close to the ‘civil’ port of Bremerton, clearly the installation is not possible to visit, for it is surrounded by the base. Luckily, the Shipyard is neither much hidden nor far from the street running along the waterfront, and the size of aircraft carriers makes them rather difficult to deceive… This leaves the opportunity to take a look at what is moored here by simply moving around a bit in the hilly area of Bremerton until you find a suitable spot for taking pictures. You can also walk to the waterfront, and find some isolated spots from where you can take some impressive shots without even coming close to violating the perimeter of the base.
Some pictures can be taken from the sea if you are leaving or arriving with a ferry-boat.
The Shipyard is where modifications are carried out on most vessels. Besides running the Shipyard, the Naval Base Kitsap acts as a home port for some ships, including some active aircraft carriers and many submarines. The Shipyard facility has been used for storing vessels in a mothballed condition and for stripping those to be sold for scrap of some lighter hardware. The latter are those placed in the most peripheral area of the base, and the easiest to see.
When I visited in 2012 the base was very busy.
![Img00125 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Independence Kitty Hawk](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00125.jpg?w=558&h=837&ssl=1)
![Img00126 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Independence Forrestal class](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00126.jpg?w=414&h=277&ssl=1)
![Img00127 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Independence Kitty Hawk Ranger](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00127.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00129 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk John C. Stennis](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00129.jpg?w=414&h=276&ssl=1)
![Img00132 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk Constellation Ranger](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00132.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00131 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk Independence](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00131.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
In the pictures you can see two Forrestal-class ships – USS Independence and USS Ranger – and two ‘Improved Forrestal’, Kitty-Hawk-class ships – USS Kitty Hawk and USS Constellation. As of late 2016 Ranger and Constellation have been transferred to Brownsville, TX for scrapping, while Independence is to follow and is awaiting towing for early 2017.
![Img00130 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk Independence](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00130.jpg?w=396&h=264&ssl=1)
![Img00135 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk Independence](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00135.jpg?w=176&h=264&ssl=1)
![Img00136 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk Independence](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00136.jpg?w=396&h=264&ssl=1)
![Img00139 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk Independence](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00139.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00134 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk Independence](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00134.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
USS Kitty Hawk remains in a mothballed status and there is some interest to preserve it as a museum somewhere, for together with USS John F. Kennedy they remain the only Forrestal-class ships still in a relatively good shape.
![Img00128 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Independence Kitty Hawk Forrestal class](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00128.jpg?w=459&h=688&ssl=1)
![Img00137 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk Independence](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00137.jpg?w=513&h=342&ssl=1)
![Img00138 Bremerton Shipyard Fleet USS Kitty Hawk Independence](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00138.jpg?w=513&h=342&ssl=1)
The eight Forrestal/Improved Forrestal-class aircraft carriers were the first conceived with an angled deck. They constituted the backbone of the US carrier fleet of the Cold War in the late Fifties, Sixties and early Seventies, when the nuclear powered USS Nimitz was commissioned. Many of them were deeply involved in Vietnam operations. All of them remained active until the Nineties and were involved in operations all over the world, a true icon of the might of the US Navy.
![Img00144 Bremerton Shipyard Puget Sound Washington USS John C. Stennis](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00144.jpg?w=650&h=433&ssl=1)
![Img00140 Bremerton Shipyard Navy Museum](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00140.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00142 Bremerton Shipyard Puget Sound Washington](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00142.jpg?w=322&h=214&ssl=1)
![Img00143 Bremerton Shipyard Puget Sound Washington](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00143.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00146 Bremerton Shipyard Puget Sound Washington](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00146.jpg?w=323&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00147 Bremerton Shipyard Puget Sound Washington](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00147.jpg?w=322&h=215&ssl=1)
![Img00148 Bremerton Shipyard Puget Sound Washington](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00148.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
![Img00145 Bremerton Shipyard Puget Sound Washington](https://i0.wp.com/www.sightraider.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Img00145.jpg?w=486&h=324&ssl=1)
Besides the mothballed or scrapyard-due fleet, you can find in Bremerton some carriers on active duty at the Naval Base Kitsap. At the time of my visit, I could see the Nimitz-class USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) – the latter is the one undergoing maintenance in the pictures. Kitsap is a huge base of the US Navy, among the largest in the US, and home port for many strategic submarines.
Getting There & Moving Around
The most convenient way to see the mothballed fleet is from Charleston Boulevard, approaching from the west along the waterfront. There is chance of parking in a somewhat deserted area out of the perimeter of the base. When leaving with the ferry from Bremerton port, you are allowed a view of the easternmost part of the base.