Aircraft carriers are majestic ships that personify the military power of the state. Midway is an aircraft carrier that has been in the ranks of the U.S. Navy for 47 years. The ship served America flawlessly and took part in the Vietnam conflict. In 1992, it left the carrier fleet of the U.S. Navy, and five years later it was transformed into a museum ship. Today we take a closer look at this magnificent ship, its history, device, weapons and many other interesting facts.
History of creation
The US Navy aircraft carrier fleet thought about building a new class of ships at the end of 1941, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. For some time, the American government and the leadership of the fleet could not come to a consensus on a new type of ship. Franklin Roosevelt and Admiral Ernest King believed that it was necessary to build small aircraft carriers. Meanwhile, Admiral Chester Nimitz insisted on the construction of aircraft-carrying ships with a displacement of at least 45,000 tons. Ultimately, Nimitz was able to convince the leadership, and in December 1942 Roosevelt approved a project to build two aircraft carriers with a displacement of just over 40,000 tons.
In October 1943, in the vicinity of Virginia , the laying of the aircraft carrier CV-41 took place. Its construction lasted 17 months. In March 1945, a solemn launching of a new aircraft carrier, which holds great promise for the US Navy, took place.
Predecessors
Before the Midway aircraft carrier appeared, the most numerous and powerful American aircraft carriers were Essex class ships. Midway received some features from them: the reservation scheme, as well as the layout of the aircraft lifts and the "island". As for the external differences, the main ones were a huge chimney and deckhouse, which the "elder brothers" did not have.
Design
The first sketches of a heavy aircraft carrier, which once was to replace the Essex, were developed back in 1940. Development was in full swing, despite the fact that until 1942 the prospects for building a giant ship were very vague. The development of this project was greatly influenced by the events of World War II. The most powerful arguments in favor of increasing the reservation of the ship were the death of the Glories ship and the battle at Midway Atoll (hence the name of the aircraft carrier).
Since the new ship was significantly superior in power to its predecessors, they came up with a special classification for it. The aircraft carrier was assigned the CV-B class, which lasted until 1952, until more modern US aircraft carriers appeared, entailing the need to create a new classification.
Construction
Build the Midway aircraft carrier, the size of which is more than solid, at that time was not easy even for such a developed state as America. Dry docks, which were then very few then, were best suited for construction. But fortunately, at the time of signing the drawings for the heavy aircraft carrier project, premises were vacated on which the construction of the Montana battleships did not take place.
The aircraft carrier with the CVB-41 index was commissioned by the major shipbuilding company Newport News Shipbuilding. Incidentally, the name Midway was assigned to the ship only in the autumn of 1944. Together with him, the same class was represented by two more vessels: the Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Coral Sea aircraft carrier. The hero of our conversation was completely ready 23 months after the bookmark. The aircraft carrier "Midway", whose length is as much as 295 meters, has become an American achievement. At that time, he was considered not just a powerful military unit, ready to work in any conditions, but a real work of art. It's time to find out why the Midway aircraft carrier has earned so much respect.
Protection
Booking an aircraft carrier included an armored belt and three armored decks. In addition, there was a local reservation of some rooms. The flight deck was protected by an 87 mm layer of armor. In addition to horizontal, the ship carried a very solid vertical defense. The aircraft carrier was equipped with an armored belt with a thickness of 193 mm, which was never repeated on ships of this class. But there are some nuances. During construction, an impressive overweight of the ship was discovered on the right side, so the 193 mm armor was saved only on the right side. On the left side, it was reduced to 178 mm and smoothly cut to the bottom to 76 mm.
As for armor above the main belt, there is no reliable data. According to one version, there was armor 50 mm thick, and according to another, only 30 pound skin. The belt was locked into the citadel through traverse 160 mm bulkheads. The steering car was protected by box armor: on the sides - 193 mm; front and rear - 160 mm, top - 127 mm, and bottom - 63 mm. The wheelhouse was covered with 165 mm armor on the sides and 87 mm on top. The cables of the main control systems were enclosed in pipes with a thickness of 102 mm.
Driving performance
The ship’s power plant consisted of four Westinghouse turbo-gear motors that connected to a dozen Babcock and Wilcox boilers. The motors powered four 5.5-meter mushroom screws with speeds of up to 200 rpm. The ship had 10 thousand tons of fuel for about 15 thousand miles. During the design, it was planned to get lower fuel consumption, however, overloading with armor made its own adjustments. The boilers were located in the fore and aft parts of the aircraft carrier, in waterproof compartments. The power plant occupied a total of 26 compartments. On the one hand, this increased its survivability, and on the other, it complicated maintenance. In the future, such a scheme was not applied due to difficult maintenance.
The speed of the aircraft carrier was 33 knots, which at that time was simply an excellent indicator even compared to smaller vessels. It is noteworthy that the ship, like the representatives of the Essex class, kept up the pace well. Confirmation of this is the 4452-mile journey, which he made at an average speed of 32.5 knots.
Ancillary equipment
The main aircraft equipment of the ship became two catapults, three elevators and several finishers. The latest (at that time, of course) versions of the Essexes were equipped in the same way. In addition, the Midway aircraft carrier was equipped with systems for refueling aircraft maintenance and armament. Catapults N-Mk-IV-1 due to the elongated track gave the fighter a speed of 145 km / h. It took just 60 seconds to reload the catapult. As for the air finishers, they stopped a 13.5-ton aircraft flying at a speed of about 90 mph. Two aircraft lifts with dimensions of 16.5 / 14 m and a lifting capacity of 12 tons were located on the deck. The side lift was already four meters high and raised 8 tons.
The ship’s power plant included 8 alternating current turbogenerators with a capacity of 1250 kW each. The voltage of the power network was 440 V. The generators were installed in waterproof compartments adjacent to the rear of the boiler room. In addition, emergency diesel generators with a total capacity of 2850 kW were located in a pair of isolated compartments. As a result, the total capacity of the aircraft carrier reached a record high of 12,850 kW. A pair of desalination plants fully provided the ship with water for boiler and domestic needs.
Habitability
The crew of the aircraft carrier included not only ship, but also aviation staff. According to the plans of 1943, the crew was to be 3443 people. Of these, 2112 people (2006 sailors and 106 officers) belonged to the ship and 1331 people to the aviation staff. In addition, 140 reserve seats were anticipated in case the ship became the flagship. According to the project, the ship was designed for even more places in order to avoid overcrowding. However, by 1947 the crew was already 4,100 people, whose living conditions left much to be desired. However, overcrowding at that time affected all US carriers.
Armament
The ship was equipped with the most powerful guns ever used on aircraft carriers. Among them were 18 guns of the 127th caliber, 21st of the 40th and 28th of the 20th. Aircraft carriers of the Midway type were significantly different from their predecessors in terms of anti-aircraft weapons. Instead of 127-mm guns with a barrel length of 38 calibers, the new ships received 127-mm MK-16 guns. They were developed for the battleship Montana, the construction of which never took place. The gun was mounted in a single tower installation and had impressive characteristics. The aircraft carrier "Midway" was the only ship that received the MK-16 guns. They were later installed on the Japanese Murasame destroyers, but these were guns removed from the Midway during modernization in the 1950s.
For close air defense the ship was equipped with four-barrel “Bofors” of the 40th and single-barrel “Oerlikon” of the 20th caliber. At the time of entry into the U.S. Navy, the aircraft carrier’s artillery was 18 single-barrel and 21 four-barreled.
Aviation group
Since 1945, the aircraft carrier carried the Chance Vought F4U Corsair fighters. Two years later, the Grumman F8F Bearcat and Grumman F8F Bearcat fighters got on board. In the early 60s, Grumman F9F Panther jets appeared on the ship. In 1956, the following aircraft began their service aboard an aircraft carrier: F3H Demon, Vought F-8 Crusader, Douglas A-3 and Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The latter was replaced in 1970 with the A-7 Corsair II.
In 1965, all fighters were replaced by new ones - the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. In 1986, they were replaced by F / A-18 Hornet aircraft. In the early 70s, a Grumman A-6 Intruder bomber and refueling tanker entered the ship. The SH-2 Seasprite helicopter also served on board the aircraft carrier, which was used mainly for ship maintenance and cargo delivery. He worked in places where it was not possible to moor to the pier. To date, the entire air group is part of the aircraft.
Radar
The radar equipment of the Midway aircraft carrier practically did not differ from the Essex equipment. It included two radar stations for detecting air targets, two radars for detecting surface targets, one radio altimeter and a large number of stations that control fire.
Modernization
The ship was repeatedly refined. The first modernization took place already in 1955. Its goal was to increase the life of the aircraft carrier and expand its capabilities. The design of the ship received a number of changes. The main ones are:
- The landing strip was deployed 8 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft carrier. Thanks to this small refinement, it became possible to simultaneously land and take off from the ship.
- Instead of two outdated steam catapults, the ship was equipped with three more powerful ones.
- The brake system was strengthened. At the same time, the number of brake cables was reduced.
- The deck elevators were moved, increasing their carrying capacity.
- Ostrov was significantly modernized and equipped with a number of new equipment.
- The ship received a new "assault nose".
- The number of artillery guns was reduced to 8.
- The aircraft crane was replaced with a new one - more powerful.
- The volume of aviation fuel tanks has been increased.
- In the area of the waterline dismantled the armor belt.
All this led to the fact that the displacement of the vessel increased to 62 thousand tons.
At the end of 1966, the second revision of the Midway aircraft carrier took place, which became the largest comprehensive modernization of the ship in history. The results of the update were:
- Relocated elevators with increased carrying capacity.
- Reduced number of paired catapults - up to two.
- Reinforced braking system.
- Doubled the size of the flight deck.
- Modernization of the "island".
Thanks to these modifications, the ship remained in service until the 90s. The modernization budget amounted to $ 202 million.
Service
In February 1946, the ship became the flagship of the first aircraft carrier division. In March of the same year, vehicles and equipment designed for severe colds were tested on an aircraft carrier. In early autumn, the Fau-2 rocket was launched from the ship.
The most difficult test for the Midway aircraft carrier was Operation Frostbite, which involved preparing equipment for service in the Far North.
In the summer of 1951, the ship worked on tests of the transfer of the F9F-5 aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean. The following year, Midway took part in maneuvers with NATO forces. In 1954, the ship made a voyage around the world, the end point of which was the island of Taiwan. Here it, as part of the seventh US fleet, served as the basis for the aircraft that covered the evacuation from the island during the first Taiwan crisis.
In March 1965, aircraft carrier aircraft attacked military facilities in North and South Vietnam. In total, during the Vietnam War, Midway aviators shot down eight aircraft. In 1971, after modernization, the ship again returned to Vietnam, where its aircraft mined approaches to local ports. Ultimately, for the Vietnamese merits, the aircraft carrier received an award from the President of America.
In 1975, the ship took part in Operation Intermittent Wind. On April 29, Byong-Ly, a major in the South Vietnam Air Force, evacuated the family on a Cessna O-1 aircraft. Heading toward the sea, the aircraft met the Midway aircraft carrier. After several attempts, the ship established contact with the aircraft. The latter requested a landing. So that it could take place, the crew had to free the take-off deck from planes and helicopters. Some of them were even thrown into the water. The plane successfully landed on the deck, and the captain personally praised the pilot for his professionalism and courage. The equipment dumped into the water cost the US Navy $ 10 million. The crew of the aircraft carrier was so impressed with the act of the Vietnamese major that he even helped him find work in the vastness of America.
In the 80s, Midway and a group of other vessels were repeatedly called upon to demonstrate operations of US military concern over North Korea. In March 1981, two helicopters that were part of the aircraft carrier’s flight crew rescued 17 people who were injured in a civilian helicopter crash. The helicopter itself was also raised to the deck.
In June 1990, a tragic event occurred on board an aircraft carrier. Two explosions occurred on the ship, which led to a fire that raged for about 10 hours. As a result, two crew members died, and another 9 were injured. The event was covered by more than a hundred international journalists. The media made the incident a big problem, it was believed that the ship would then retire.
In 1989-1991 the ship took part in military operations against Iraq, in particular, in the operation “Desert Storm”. In June 1991, it helped the people of the Philippines affected by the eruption of Pinatubo volcano.
Turning into a museum
In 1992, the ship was put into reserve. Until 1998, it was mothballed in Bremerton, Washington. In September 2003, the aircraft carrier went on its last voyage. The final destination of the route was Broadway Pier in the center of San Diego, where the museum was made out of a ship. The opening took place on June 7, 2004. In the first year of the museum's operation, more than 870 thousand people visited it, which doubled the expectations of project managers.
For such a long service, the ship received many awards. The main one was the president’s gratitude block. There were also rewards for participating in Vietnamese hostilities, the liberation of Kuwait and other operations. Several awards to the ship were awarded more than once.
Conclusion
The Midway aircraft carrier, the characteristics of which we reviewed today, has become one of the most outstanding ships of the US Navy. On the one hand, it amazes with its grandeur and symbolizes the power of modern military equipment, and on the other, it reminds us of the absurdity of war. War is a universal disgrace. And it would be much better if billions of dollars were invested not in military affairs, but in something more useful.