USS Midway

Building on the expertise of the authors and historians of the Naval Institute Press, the Naval History Special Editions are designed to offer studies of the key vessels, battles, and events of armed conflict. Using an image-heavy format, these special editions appeal to scholars, enthusiasts, and general readers alike.

USS Midway (CVB/CVA/CV 41) was the lead ship of a revolutionary class of large, armored aircraft carriers. Making use of congressionally authorized tonnage previously allocated to the canceled Montana-class battleships, the Midway class were the largest carriers in the world in 1945-leading to the first use of the "large" or "B" designation for a carrier (CVB 41). Commissioned shortly after the end of World War II, Midway entered service in the age of piston-powered aircraft but remained on the front lines for nearly a half-century by continually adapting to the rapid evolution of naval aviation. Later redesignated as an attack carrier (CVA 41) to better fit the Navy's Cold War naming convention, Midway, through three major reconstructions,evolved into a modern jet carrier, remaining an essential part of American naval power as technology and global strategy transformed.

Over the course of her forty-seven-year career, spanning nearly the entire Cold War, Midway served across the globe during some of the defining events of the twentieth century. The carrier's career included Arctic operations, Cold War deterrence patrols in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, crises in the western Pacific, extensive combat operations during the Vietnam War, support for the evacuation of Saigon, and years as the first permanently forward-deployed U.S. aircraft carrier based in Japan. Now CV 41, USS Midway returned to combat during Operation Desert Storm before concluding active naval service in 1992.

Today, preserved as the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, the famed carrier continues to introduce new generations to one of the most distinguished warships in American history. Richly illustrated throughout, this volume follows Midway from revolutionary design and construction through decades of technological innovation, global deployments, and combat operations before concluding with its enduring legacy as one of America's most recognizable and visited museum ships.