Midway

Kathy took us to the Midway, the aircraft carrier that Don had served on when he was in the navy.

It is one of America's longest serving aircraft carriers, a virtual floating city that about 225,000 sailors lived on while they served our country.   It is now docked in San Diego and is a museum.

 There was a ceremony honoring some retiring officers.

 There are 29 restored aircraft on the deck.  Don used to fly one like this.

  This was Don's squadron logo.

 Tired of flying?  Looks like the seagull wants a ride.

Kathy showed us all around the ship. 

Because Harley, Al's brother, was a chef on the Oriskany, we enjoyed seeing the kitchen.

 "Decommissioned in 1976, the Oriskany was sold for scrap in 1995, but was repossessed in 1997 because nothing was being done (lack of progress). In 2004 it was decided to sink her as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. After much environmental review and remediation to remove toxic substances, she was carefully sunk in May 2006, settling in an upright position at a depth accessible to recreational divers. As of 2008 the Oriskany is "the largest vessel ever sunk to make a reef"."

An interesting fact is that the Oriskany is mentioned in the 1986 film Top Gun as the ship from which the main character's father had flown during the Vietnam War.

 

 This is the room Don ate most of his meals.

 They placed a dummy on the toilet.  Or is it?

It was dark by the time we finished our tour.  Kathy was an excellent tour guide!!  

We decided to go to The Fish Market, an upscale restaurant located next to the Midway.  You can see the lights of the ship from the restaurant.

 This restaurant has been operating since the early 1900's.

One can also purchase fish here.  Fresh each day. 

It was a great day.