The Berthing Of A Museum

[HARDCORE]

Carrier Midway set in place at Navy Pier


By Ronald W. Powell
STAFF WRITER

January 11, 2004



It was a red-white-and-blue day of remembrance, celebration and appreciation for San Diego's naval aviation past yesterday as the aircraft carrier Midway slid easily into its permanent berth at San Diego's North Embarcadero.

Just minutes before tugboats nudged the flattop alongside its Navy Pier moorings, retired Rear Adm. Riley Mixon greeted a crowd of several hundred aboard the vessel much as he addressed his sailors each morning as the ship's commander in the mid-1980s.

"Good morning, Midway. It's another great Navy day ? and this is a great day for all of us," Mixon said to whoops and applause.

After a 12-year effort, the Midway is in place and expected to open this spring as a floating museum of naval history. Supporters tout it as a tangible symbol of the intertwined relationship between San Diego and the Navy, and as a fitting homage to the region's place as the cradle of naval aviation.

"The historical and educational aspect of the Midway is important to our kids coming up," said U.S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a highly decorated Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam War and a key Midway museum supporter.

"Peace comes through sacrifice and pain, and this is a reminder of those who made the sacrifice, and their families," said Cunningham, R-San Diego.

The towing of the 968-foot-long Midway from Coronado's North Island Naval Air Station began shortly after 9 a.m. yesterday. Dignitaries and several hundred donors to the museum were aboard to witness the ship's official transfer in a brief ceremony from the federal government to the nonprofit San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum group.

Across San Diego Bay, hundreds of people lined the Navy Pier to welcome the new tourist attraction. Executives of the nonprofit museum group expect to draw 440,000 visitors in the first year of operation and contribute $20 million annually to the local economy.

Many of the celebrants were veterans who were among 200,000 Americans who served aboard the Midway during a 47-year career that ended with its decommissioning in 1992. Some in the crowd served with distinction.

Retired Navy Capt. Jack Ensch admitted that it was "spine-chilling" to walk aboard the vessel from which he flew missions as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War. Ensch's wife, Kathy, said she was surprised that her husband was so emotional about yesterday's ceremony that he couldn't sleep the night before.

"It's a bittersweet sensation," said Ensch, wearing the same green flight jacket he had used aboard the Midway 32 years ago. "She was the sight of the pinnacle and the dregs of my naval aviation career."

Ensch's most memorable flight from the Midway occurred in the late afternoon of Aug. 25, 1972. Three months earlier, he and fellow pilot Ron "Mugs" McKeown had shot down two enemy planes during one encounter ? but this mission would end differently.

Ensch said he and pilot Mike Doyle were flying south of Hanoi when they became the target of surface-to-air missiles that looked like "telephone poles with plumes." Several missed, but one hit home.

Ensch and Doyle ejected. Ensch was captured; Doyle died.

Ensch was held prisoner for eight months. In the early days of his captivity, the North Vietnamese amputated his injured left thumb without anesthetic. Among his Navy colleagues, it left him with an enduring nickname: "Fingers."

The Midway has its share of detractors, although there were no protesters yesterday.

Diane Coombs of the regional planning group C3, or Citizens Coordinate for Century Three, said the vessel adds to the walling-off of the bay. She also fears that the public will have to bail out the museum if it fails to meet attendance projections.

Coombs said the $10.50 admission price is too steep. "How many families will go on board?" she asked.

Noel Neudeck, who is disabled, is concerned because the vessel is not equipped to handle people with disabilities or those unable to climb stairs.

"Disabled people should be able to go wherever the nondisabled can go," said Neudeck, who passed out fliers yesterday demanding accessibility at the Midway.

Alan Uke, the founder of the museum group, said accessibility concerns will be taken care of by the time the museum opens. And instead of seeing the vessel as blocking the bay, he said it will actually offer improved views of the bay and the downtown skyline from its flight deck ? part of which will be open to the public free of charge.

Rear Adm. Patrick Walsh, commander of Carrier Group 7, praised the museum during a brief pier-side ceremony that included speeches by Mayor Dick Murphy, county Supervisor Ron Roberts and Port Commission Chairman Peter Q. Davis, all mayoral candidates in the March 2 election.

"We need this museum for generations past, present and future," Walsh said.

Many in attendance predicted good things from the newest San Diego Unified Port District tenant.

"It's a great thing for San Diego," said Lynn McLeod, who came to see the carrier arrive with her husband, Rod.

The Escondido residents plan to be frequent visitors after the floating museum opens. They want to bring visiting friends and family, particularly the grandchildren.

"They'll love it," Lynn McLeod said.

Others said many people should find the museum a rare attraction.

"The armed forces is a whole other culture, and I think people will want to learn about it," said Ed Milardo of Mira Mesa, who served for two years in the Marine Corps.

He came this day with his wife, Joan, who added: "This is a Navy town. I think it's perfect for it."

There was some grumbling, though. A few attendees said they were taken by the size of the ship, described by some as overwhelming.

But those views were in the minority yesterday. Most of those present came to see the ship and support the effort. Many came with cameras and video recorders. More than a few were veterans.

David Daily drove from Los Angeles yesterday morning to see the Midway. The floating museum will be a draw, said Daily, who served aboard the carrier from 1990 to 1992 as part of a Marine detachment.

"This is a huge piece of history," he said, noting its many years of service.

Daily was on board when the ship took part in the Persian Gulf War.

"It's something I never thought I'd see again," he said.
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Staff writer Michael Stetz contributed to this report.