USS Midway CV-41 1:700

Plastic model kit of the aircraft carrier USS Midway (CV-41)

• Scale: 1:700
• Dimensions (L x W, assembled): 420.6 x 78.1 mm
• 860+ parts
• Includes 3D-printed and photo-etched parts
• Detailed one-piece hull
• Detailed flight deck and hangar deck
• Aircraft types included:
  • Chance Vought F4U Corsair (carrier-based fighter)
  • Grumman TBF Avenger (carrier-based torpedo bomber)
  • Curtiss SB2C Helldiver (carrier-based dive bomber)
• Display stand included
• Unassembled and unpainted
• Paint and glue not included

The USS Midway (CV-41) was a US Navy aircraft carrier of the Midway class and the lead ship of that class. She was commissioned on September 10, 1945—just days after the end of World War II—and remained in active service for nearly half a century, undergoing numerous modernizations.

Development and Construction
The Midway class was developed as an evolution of the large US Essex-class aircraft carriers. The ships were significantly larger and more heavily armored than their predecessors. The USS Midway was built by Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia; her keel was laid on October 7, 1943.

With an initial displacement of approximately 45,000 tons, she was the largest aircraft carrier in the world at the time of her commissioning. Her design was originally intended for the operation of conventional piston-engine aircraft but later proved adaptable enough to accommodate significantly heavier and faster jet aircraft.

Modernizations
The Midway underwent several major refits during her long service life. The SCB-110 modernization in the late 1950s and subsequent modifications during the 1960s and 1970s were particularly significant.

In the process, she received, among other things:

• an angled flight deck
• steam catapults
• modern arresting gear
• modified island structures
• modern radar and communication systems
• modifications to accommodate heavy jet aircraft
• and later, an SPS-48-3 3D air-search radar

Following these modifications, the *Midway* bore little external resemblance to the original 1945 carrier.

Combat Operations
The *Midway* saw her first major period of active service during the Vietnam War. She operated off the coast of Vietnam on several occasions, deploying her carrier-based aircraft against targets in both North and South Vietnam.

The *Midway* gained particular renown during Operation Frequent Wind on April 29–30, 1975—the evacuation of Saigon. Helicopters launched from her flight deck, while numerous South Vietnamese and U.S. aircraft landed on the carrier; the *Midway* played a vital role in the evacuation effort.

Her final combat deployment took place in 1990–91 during Operation Desert Storm. Aircraft operating from the *Midway* included the A-6 Intruder, F/A-18 Hornet, A-7 Corsair II, and EA-6B Prowler.

The USS *Midway* was decommissioned on April 11, 1992, and subsequently stricken from the Naval Vessel Register.

Today, the ship is berthed in San Diego, California, as the USS Midway Museum and is open to the public as a museum ship.