Yesterday we enjoyed the Maritime Museum but ran out of gas before we checked out the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier. We decided to head back today to take care of that and were glad we did - it is a massive, impressive boat and made for an interesting day.
The USS Midway was commissioned at the end of WWII in 1945 and was active through 1991 when it served as the Flagship of Persian Gulf air operations in Operation Desert Storm and rescued 1,800 Americans feeling the Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruption in the Phillipines. It opened as the USS Midway Museum in San Diego in 2004 and last year surpassed 5 million visitors. It's 1001 feet long, 258 feet wide, and weights 69,000 tons - the 1st ship too large for the Panama Canal.
There are 5 main levels with additional levels accessed by stairs and ladders. We started on the Flight Deck where we walked around dozens of planes from different eras. In the foreground of the photo below is a chart that shows the letter association for each flag; we were able to decipher the message of the flags flying on the bridge in the background: "Midway, home of the brave".
Some of the planes have wings that fold for storage.
Emile and Mike requested this photo to show a little scale; where they're standing was a narrow section near the bow which is less than half the total width of the boat.
I made some friends along the way. ;-)
You could spend days perusing the historical displays and exploring the living and working areas of the boat, some with life-size dioramas. 
Dinner was wonderful (again): personal pizzas. Here's Mike on the back patio firing up the barbecue for the chicken.
Topping choices included fresh herbs from Mariah's garden [not pictured: pepperoni, salami, and chicken].
We each filled out an order form and Mariah made the pizzas - on panini bread - to order.
The salad awaiting company at the table.
Dig in!
Another day well spent. :-) Happy trails!
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