Thursday 03/30/2006 11:30:42am

Name:

Joe E. Paidar

E-Mail:

jdpaidar@netins.net

Location:

Mechanicsville, IA

Comments:

Served 59-60 in V-4 visited in Feb 06 Sure brought back a lot of memories. Would like to hear from other buddies who served in that time frame.

Sunday 03/26/2006 2:05:03pm

Name:

John C. Porterfield

E-Mail:

pojohnc@aol.com

Location:

Marietta, GA

Comments:

Assigned to the Midway in the summer of 1953. The ship was in drydock at the time so I was assigned to permanent shore patrol duty in Norfolk. Quite an experience. The med cruise of 1954 was a great time. Served as aviation storekeeper.

Saturday 03/25/2006 2:28:12pm

Name:

Dion Butts

E-Mail:

blwntrkdion@sbcglobal.net

Location:

Livermore, California

Comments:

I served on Midway from 1970-1971 in A gang A/C&R. Would like to hear from Fred Whittmer. The web site is great. Planning to see the ship soon.

Sunday 03/19/2006 12:08:22am

Name:

James Fitzgerald

E-Mail:

Location:

Jacksonville, FL

Comments:

Was in OI Div. Aug75-Nov77. Seen a lot of the world, some of it on land. Quite an operating schedule, we were never at the pier for very long, even drydock was only 77 days. Had a lot of good and bad experiences on the Midway. Would love to get to San Diego to see her again.

Saturday 03/18/2006 9:31:49am

Name:

Harlan G. Sanderson (Sandy) AO2 '63-4

E-Mail:

eaglept@mwt.net

Location:

Eastman, WI

Comments:

Searching for contact with Mark D. Smith, AO2 1963-64 VA-25.

Saturday 03/18/2006 8:11:08am

Name:

Clarence A. Slim Wheeler

E-Mail:

cslimwheeler@bellsouth.net

Location:

Louisville, KY

Comments:

I was aboard the first Med cruise in 47 /48 while losing eight men while returning from liberty. I also played on the ships basketball team. I hope to visit the museum in April 06.

Friday 03/17/2006 5:06:04pm

Name:

Bob Lehan

E-Mail:

mblehan@verizon.net

Location:

Westfield, MA

Comments:

Midway was my 4th carrier. Made the 'round the world cruise on her in '54-'55. About 10 months long. Norfolk east to Seattle. There's a comment on this site of an Israeli guy who visited the ship in Capetown when we stopped there for a few days. Might have seen each other. I recall that a sailor named Darling died soon after we left Capetown. We carried his body in the reefers for quite awhile until we could offload him to an oiler. Today is 3/17/06 (St. Paddy's Day). Midway is a tourist site now, in San Diego. Tempus fugit.

Bob Lehan (AG 3..back in '55)

Wednesday 03/15/2006 4:07:02pm

Name:

Gregory Flanigan

E-Mail:

mama-papabear@mailcity.com

Location:

Comments:

I would like to tell you that one of your crewmembers, William (Bill) Shirley, who served on the USS Midway from 1950 to 1954 passed away March 12, 2006. He spoke fondly of his time aboard the Midway. He was a retired fireman in Elyria, Ohio.

Tuesday 03/14/2006 5:58:10pm

Name:

W. Raleigh Plesko

E-Mail:

cva41@yahoo.com

Location:

Valparaiso, Indiana

Comments:

Machinist's Mate 3rd class, I arrived well before Captain Eugene J. Carroll. I was welcomed as the 6th man assigned to USS Midway recommissioning crew.

My first weeks were spent at the shipyard library listening to music and reading as they had nothing for us to do but "muster in the morning and late afternoon! It was really just show up! Oh, I swept Master Chief Rosinksi's Midway Admin. Office at the end of the day, cleaned the coffee pot and emptied the ash tray! Tough but boring duty but someone had to do it!

Lived in S.F. Naval Shipyard BOQ quarters in a private room from July 1969 until enlisted men's barracks were ready some months later. Then spent a year plus in cubicles in the EM barracks before moving onboard to Midway berthing.

Accompanied "Midway" to Yankee Station and Yokosuka and returned to Yankee Station before departing Midway off Yankee Station for return to U.S. and Navy separation.

"A" division - "Steam Heat Gang"
Primary duties - responsible for 600 lb. high pressure catapult steam after it exited boilers. Those big accumulator tanks on the port and starboard sides of the forward hangar bay were just part of my responsibilities. I had to crawl inside to inspect them for interior cracks when maintenance required it!
Also climbed high above flight deck and strapped in to repair the ship's "steam whistle" when it needed it.

Also handled all galley food mixers, dishwashers, garbage grinders. Also, heat for all spaces as well as heat and maintenance of all hot water on ship. Also all medical/surgical instrument sterilizers in medical department. CPO, officer's, captains and admiral's galley mixers, dishwashing, hot water, equipment, etc. Maintenance of all laundry equipment (washers, dryers, dry cleaning and laundry presses) on ship as well as connected/disconnected shore steam in port and ship's whistle equipment. Also stood AC&R watches and 50 ft. utility boat engineman duty in port.

During "flight operations" I also wore a "green shirt" for required access to the flight deck catapult steam piping just under the flight deck which was accessible along the flight deck cat walks forward on both port and starboard sides. At recommissioning Midway had the newly installed version of the new C-13 catapult system. The carrier "Enterprise" had the first C-13 system. The Midway at recommissioning had the "new and improved version!"

I was one of the few who could roam "almost" every square foot of the Midway. Our high and low pressure steamline ran almost all over the ship. We even had steam traps and reducing valves in all the engine rooms!

Skated out of KP and cleaning compartment duty as they considered "catapult operations" "vital to ship's combat readiness" and would not permit any other long term adjunct duties like "KP, or compartment cleaning." That knowledge kept me from a "12 month" early out. I was told by personnel dept. that out of 1,200 men designated for early outs before Midway sailed to "Nam" I was one of 12 refused by the admiral of the 7th Fleet as they wanted me to train others to replace our "cat team."

All in all "Midway" was great duty for me!

Monday 03/13/2006 0:54:39am

Name:

Phil Scott

E-Mail:

pfscott@comast.net

Location:

Bolingbrook, Illinois

Comments:

ET served in OE Division from 71-75.

Monday 03/06/2006 7:52:47pm

Name:

Adrian Smyth

E-Mail:

smythage@aol.com

Location:

PA

Comments:

Ahoy shipmates! Was stationed aboard and worked on the deck as plane captain VA-93 Ravens {roof rats unite} 84-86. Great site.

Monday 03/06/2006 5:30:34pm

Name:

Don Bagent

E-Mail:

don_bagent@hotmail.com

Location:

Comments:

Radioman 1960 cruise

Friday 03/03/2006 12:52:49am

Name:

Mike Galbraith

E-Mail:

mickgmike@aol.com

Location:

Torrance, CA

Comments:

Great web site! I was aboard USS ORISKANY CVA-34 assigned to VA-153 70'-73' WESTPAC and remember the distinctive profile of MIDWAY at sea. No other flat top can be mistaken for her. Thanks for the memories.