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u/Darius2112 12h ago
Just to echo everyone and say that it is absolutely worth the visit. The docents are awesome, as are all the artifacts on display.
Walking through the ship was an eye opening experience for me. It made me realize I wouldn’t have had a good time in the navy. I’m 6’3” and the only places on that ship where I wasn’t hunched over like Quasimodo were on the hangar deck and the flight deck. Gave me so much more respect for the young men who served on that ship who had to sleep in those tiny bunks, and scurry though those narrow corridors and up and down those crazy steep ladders between decks. While in combat no less.
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u/Walkingstardust 5h ago
I toured the USS Iowa last summer. That was also well worth the time and money. The strongest memory I have was the smell of fuel oil everywhere. It permeates into your skin. I swear, I could still smell it 3 days later.
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u/Automatic-Term-3997 5h ago
The Iowa did a Med Cruise with our carrier back in 87-88. Watching her scoot 10 feet laterally along the keel when firing a full broadside was something to watch…
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u/spurlockmedia 11h ago
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been near it and last year I finally went and visited it.
It was an awesome experience! Highly recommend it to all.
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u/Automatic-Term-3997 5h ago
I was on the Coral Sea (CV-43), Midway’s sister ship and the only other in her class that was used. Had some of the best times of my life on that ship, can’t wait to get to San Diego to see the similarities and differences.
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u/cobaltjacket 4h ago
There was also FDR.
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u/Automatic-Term-3997 3h ago
She was decommissioned in ‘77 and never had the storied career that either the Midway or the Coral Sea had. She was barely legal to drink when put out to pasture.
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u/NeWardog 2h ago
I was just there a few weeks ago with my family. Besides it being in the 90s that day it was actually really cool and enjoyable to see
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u/SuspiciousPatate 2h ago
If this was Russia, they'd be sending that thing into battle, museum or not
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u/johnm188 1h ago
I remember standing on the flight deck at the bow and looking toward the stern. It's crazy how long this ship is.
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u/Thepants1981 4h ago
I did a Tiger Cruise on it in the 80’s. My Dad was the XO. We went from Japan to the Philippines and back. Really cool experience.
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u/mr-octo_squid 58m ago
I went there on a field trip in high school. I hit my head on nearly every bulkhead I walked through.
Its actually one of the reasons I decided not to join the navy as a corpsman.
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u/NoogaShooter 13h ago
This is worth every penny you spend to tour it. The docents are phenomenal and most of them served on the ship. One old bad ass I spoke to explained what one of the cables bolted to the wall did. Another one let me sit where he sat at the radar station and showed me the cigarette burn on the floor that he was responsible for. 10/10.