Midway Magic

Living in San Diego, one is constantly reminded of the presence of the military.  We have the Navy in Coronado and the Marines at Camp Pendleton and Miramar.  F-18s roar over your car as you drive up the I-15 freeway.  But somehow I never noticed the giant aircraft carrier sitting near the foot of Broadway and Harbor Drive--the USS Midway--home of the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum.

Although it has only been in San Diego a little over a year, it has become one of the most successful museums in town.  Not being much of a military buff, I probably never would have visited had I not accompanied my daughter’s class there on a field trip last month.  As well as housing a naval aviation museum, the Midway offers math and science labs for school age kids, covering subjects such as physics, weather, and electricity.

From the main entrance on the Navy Pier, we climbed several flights of stairs and came aboard the aircraft carrier on the Hangar Deck—a cavernous indoor space capable of holding 20 airplanes.  Below this deck are the “Midway University” classrooms where my daughter’s class took part in a thermal energy lab. 

After an introductory lecture about how the ship gets its power (steam generated by 2 million gallons of fuel), we set off on a treasure hunt.  With a map of the ship and a digital camera in hand, our assignment was to discover how energy was produced and used in various parts of the aircraft carrier.  It was a great way to get to know the ship.  We wandered up and down ladders, following pipes through the engine room and up to the massive flight deck, searching for answers and items, such as the steam-driven catapults that propel the aircraft off the ship at 165 mph in 2 seconds. 

The Museum is also open to the public.  The price of admission ($15 adults, $10 children) includes a free headset that guides you on an audio tour of the ship.  The segments are brief, but allow you to hear voices of actual pilots and crewmen from the Midway, the longest-serving carrier in US Navy history (47 years, from the end of World War II through Desert Storm in 1991). The best resources, however, are the docents located throughout the museum.  These navy veterans--many of whom actually served on this carrier--are fantastic, more than happy to answer questions and share their personal experiences with you.

Although the flight deck is probably the most impressive and popular area of the ship, my favorite, of course, was the galley (kitchen).  The amount of food that was prepared here is staggering:  8 galleys and 2 bakeshops on the Midway operated 23 hours a day, serving up 13,500 meals (10 tons of food) daily to the 4500 crew members.  Each day sailors consumed: 1000 loaves of bread, 5000 lbs. of vegetables, 4500 lbs. of meat, 3000 lbs of potatoes.  I walked around the Meat & Potates Galley and the Doggie Diner in awe, trying to imagine where they stored all that food and what it must have been like cooking in such cramped conditions.

From the audio headset tour, I copied down this recipe for Beef Stew, given by Charlie Keefer (sp?) who served on the Midway 1970-71:

600 lbs.    beef, diced
16 lbs.      flour
2.5 lbs.     salt
8 oz.         peppers
8 oz.         garlic, dehydrated
20 lbs.      shortening
100           cans, tomatoes (#10)
20 T.        thyme
80            bay leaves
160 lbs.    carrots
80 lbs.      celery
24 lbs.      onions
200 lbs.    potatoes, to thicken
20 lbs.      flour, to thicken
50 gal.     water

Here are the 80-gallon kettles in which the stew was prepared.  Imagine cooking (much less eating) while the ship was rolling and pitching along on rough seas.

And as one former pilot noted: “It didn’t take too long out of port before we were on powdered eggs and canned milk and brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts will last longer and get rottener than any other vegetable.  I don’t eat brussel sprouts to this day.  (But) I didn’t complain about it at the time.”

One meal sailors did complain about was creamed beef on toast.  SOS (or “Stuff on a Shingle," as Keefer euphemistically dubs it) got the most complaints, but ironically, it is the dish most veterans remember and request today.  Well, I’m not a veteran, but my Dad was (Army), and I have fond memories of my mom cooking this when I was growing up.  She made 2 versions, dried beef gravy and ground beef gravy, served either on toast or potatoes.  Online I found a great source for SOS recipes in old military cookbooks.  Unless you are planning on inviting 100 people to dinner, however, you’ll need to adjust the quantities somewhat.

Wonder what is was like to sleep in the enlisted racks?  Students who participate in the Live It & Learn Program get to find out, spending the night on board, sleeping in crew berths and eating dinner and breakfast in the mess area.

If you are in San Diego, I would heartily recommend visiting the Midway Museum.  (Scroll to the photo album on the left sidebar to see all of my Midway photos.)  A complete tour of the ship takes about 2 or 3 hours. Even if you have no connection to or interest in the military, the Midway remains an impressive feat of human engineering and gives you a some insight into what life was like on board for the over 200,000 men who served on this ship.

Photo courtesy of San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum 

Comments

[Kirk]

Hi Angie - Beef Stew anyone? LOL! Actually the first thing that caught my attention was the 20 lbs of shortening! Then I looked up and saw 600 lbs of meat...whew!

[-R-]

Hey Angie!
My Dad is ex Air Force and my Mom used to make SOS when we were kids too! We didn't call it "Stuff" on a Shingle though. Good times on the tour...thanks for letting us tag along.

[Angie]

Kirk:

Yeah, 20 lbs. of shortening--that'll stick to your ribs all right.

R:

I laughed when I heard "Stuff" on the audio tape. I very much doubt the sailors called it that, but this is a family-friendly museum, so I assume they were trying to keep it PG.

[Beth]

I've been wanting to go there for awhile now. Thanks for the report. It's being moved up in my To-Do list. :)