I served on this ship from 1982 through 1985 when it was home ported in Japan. It was commissioned in the 1940's and had an angle deck added later. At 998 feet it was one of the shortest of the carriers in the USN yet it had the largest deck area of any carrier at that time. We only had two catapults but during our Norpac off the Russian coast we outperformed both the Coral Sea and the nuclear Enterprise to win the Battle E award. There was an aura about this ship that was hard to explain. The term "Midway Magic" was due to the special bond the crew had with each other. I have never met a better, more dedicated bunch of people in my entire life. While other carriers had switched over to the F14 Tomcat we continued to operate with the older F4 Phamtoms, A6's and A7's. I was saddened when the Navy replaced the dedicated fighter and attack planes for the duel role concept in the F/A 18's. I am old school and continue to believe that the Navy should have both a dedicated air superiority fighter and cheaper yet effective attack aircraft. The F/A 18 and the later Super Hornet fail to do either well. She was a great ship and I look back on those years as the best of my life. I intend to go to San Diego next year where she is now a museum and renew the bond I felt with her some 24 + years ago. I have no doubt the "Magic" will return.. Thanks to all of you that served aboard this fine ship. You enjoyed, as did I, the experience of serving our country onboard the finest ship ever to sail in the 7th fleet. Michael- (Shellback) OC Division, Air Operations, Air Transfer Office
