 ) USS Midway CV-41By Marc "Devil Dog Of The Web" Iseli / Updated Dec. 2025 USS Midway CV-41: the floating city that was too fat for the Panama Canal and too stubborn to die. She was commissioned just in time to miss World War II, then spent the next 47 years racking up frequent-flyer miles in every hotspot from Vietnam to Desert Storm. Decommissioned in '92, probably because she finally ran out of duct tape. Sailing the Midway in the Indian Ocean in '81 was basically a sweat lodge with jet noise. The line cabin and berthing were hotter than Satan’s armpit, so we’d scrounge for anything edible or drinkable. Cooling sodas? Easy, just yank the cover off porthole-like cover that kept the radar from melting. Of course, when the radar started to fry, they’d hunt us down and hand out the usual ass-chewing. And let’s not forget the legendary phantom shitter who’d drop a deuce in the shower like it was his personal latrine. One day, I parked butt on the bow, staring at nothing but the ocean, wondering what kind of fever dream had landed me here, and missing my family like hell. After months at sea, we finally hit Hong Kong for some R&R, translation: 24 hours to pretend we were human again. We had to cram into a tiny liberty boat just to get ashore. No sooner did we get a taste of freedom than the word came down: haul ass back to the ship, Typhoon Clara, was inbound. A few unlucky souls missed the boat and got to ride out the storm on a frigate, which is basically like being stuck in a washing machine. We had to tie ourselves off just to check the aircraft chains, with waves coming over the deck like Mother Nature was pissed. Clara slammed the Philippines, taking out 55 people, just to remind us who’s boss. Night shift with Fred Wingo, because who needs sleep when you can watch the sunrise come up over a floating steel city? Night crew meant midrats, usually some mystery eggs sweating under a heat lamp with a side of questionable mushrooms. I made the rookie mistake of eating them, and a few hours later, I was redecorating the head with my stomach contents. The plumbing was Vietnam-era, so the floor was always wet. I’d be sitting on the throne, ship rocking like a carnival ride, water sloshing up to my boots. I’d lift my feet and pray I didn’t catch the returning wave. Eventually, I was in such bad shape they medevac’d me to the Philippines, because somebody need to sacrific. That was my grand exit from the Midway. Every time you came back from liberty, the Navy played its favorite game: roll the dice, and if you hit snake eyes, drop your skivvies for a strip search. Poor Fred Wingo must have pissed off the dice gods, because he got snake eyes every damn time. We laughed and laughed, he did not.   Visit My Photo Album Photos of USS Midway, and aircraft, 1980's. Vertical Catapult Launch 04 Nov 1981 vertical cat launch.
1981 Det-C USS Midway Timeline NAF Atsugi, Japan Arrive 2300 24 June 81-Depart 0100 25 June 81 USS Midway Cruise Reported 0200 25 June 81-Detached 1230 17 July 81 NAF Atsugi, Japan Arrive 1430 17 July 81-Depart 1830 17 July 81 Flying to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan NAF Atsugi, Japan Arrive 2140 30 Aug. 81-Depart 0100 31 Aug. 81 USS Midway Cruise Reported 0230 31 Aug. 81-Detached 0730 15 Sept. 81 Emergencies departure to NAS Cubi Point, Pi. Meritorious Mast, PDF 16 July For Actions Aboard The USS Midway.
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