The USS Midway Museum is a memorial that honors one of the country's most famous and important Navy vessels. Commissioned a week after World War II ended, the USS Midway aircraft carrier had several major assignments, including patrolling the Taiwan Straits in the 1950s, operating in the Tonkin Gulf off northern Vietnam and southern China, and serving as the flagship for operation Desert Storm. In total, more than 225,000 men served aboard the renowned ship before it was ultimately decommissioned in 1992. Today, you can find the USS Midway docked at Navy Pier in San Diego's Embarcadero area. Its current role as a museum began in 2004. To be more specific, the USS Midway Museum is a floating naval-aviation museum. You can visit it daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

USS Midway Tours

While venturing down to the Embarcadero and taking a look at the USS Midway is always something that you can add to your list of things to do in San Diego, nothing compares to taking things further and treating yourself to a tour. Included in the USS Midway admission price is a docent led tour that visits the "island" superstructure above the flight deck. You must be at least 42 inches tall to enjoy these tours. Also available are self-guided audio tours. These tours take visitors to 60 different locations around the massive aircraft carrier and bring the ship's history to life.

Inside USS Midway

A verifiable floating city in its heyday, the USS Midway offers plenty to see and consider. Inside the ship, visitors can view sleeping quarters, the ship's jail, the engine room, the machine ships, and the pilot's ready rooms. There is even a post office inside the vessel. Other highlights that guests of the museum can enjoy include two types of flight simulators, short films, music videos, and a special "Ejection Seat Theater." Back out on the deck of the ship, various aircraft are positioned, appearing to be poised for duty. Tips: Be sure to keep an eye out for the museum docents while touring the USS Midway. They are found throughout the ship and are full of interesting stories and facts. Also recommended is a climb up to the bridge of the ship, from which you can look down on the carrier's 1,001-foot-long deck and its collection of aircraft.

USS Midway Statue

Found near the water and the USS Midway Museum at Navy Pier in San Diego is a statue that depicts an iconic photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square. The photo was taken in 1945 after the end of World War II and has become famous over the decades. The USS Midway helped generate donations to save this statue and also donated some its own money to the cause. The statue itself is a 25-foot colorized bronze statue, and it is more specifically situated along the Port of San Diego's "Greatest Generation Walk." This attraction honors those who grew up during the Great Depression, fought in World War II, and later shaped the post-war America that we know today.