USS Midway Museum
Posted: 09.30.2024 | Updated: 09.30.2024
You’d no doubt be conjuring up images of a dark, dank house if asked to imagine a likely venue for a spook or specter to haunt and call home. Or maybe an aged hotel with a murky past. Perhaps even a stately home that the lord or lady still resided over long after passing beyond the reach of mere mortals. One of the most celebrated naval vessels the world has ever known and the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century was likely not your first guess. As is often the case, fact proves stranger than fiction, with the USS Midway Museum providing the backdrop to a litany of ghostly goings-on and unexplained occurrences.
WHO HAUNTS THE USS MIDWAY MUSEUM?
While a WW2-era aircraft carrier may seem an unlikely port of call for ghost hunters, the ship itself is a hotbed of spectral activity with all manner of intriguing instances. Spooky encounters range from ethereal crewmen long gone, the sounds of crashing metal in tight compartments, and even a curious encounter with a ghost inquiring about the ship's name. It seems the Midway’s otherworldly presence creates a stir, whether intended or not. Today’s crew and staff are reluctant to allow playful sprites or tales from the afterlife to overshadow the proud Naval history of the floating museum, now permanently docked in San Diego.
Hauntings of the USS Midway Museum
Nevertheless, these unexplained sightings, occurrences, and encounters with the unknown just won’t stay quiet. The museum’s Curator, David Hanson, also leads San Diego’s largest paranormal investigation group. For over ten years, Hanson has investigated incidents on the Midway and throughout California. The museum’s curator has a unique take on what is happening below deck in the dark.
Dave believes that most of the spirits, speculated to be as many as 30 in number, aren’t, in fact, the ghosts of people who died on the ship or while in active service but are the remnants of those who perhaps served on board the vessel and have been drawn back to a place they hold dear. Hanson quite firmly believes that there is positivity about these former crewmen haunting the seafaring giant.
He welcomes their presence; “If that is their choice to be here, we welcome them. We love and honor the Midway just like they do.” Hanson says. Perhaps these wandering souls could be forgiven for being pulled back to such a colossus that towers in both size and story. You can measure the might of the Midway and other San Diego haunts for yourself and on your own ghost hunt at sdghosts.com.
USS MIDWAY: TOPPLING TITANIC
Commissioned a mere week after the last breath of WW2, the USS Midway held the distinction of being the largest tonnage ship in the world until 1955. Simply too large for the Panama Canal, this floating behemoth dwarfed even the fabled Titanic. The longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century, with 47 years of continuous service, witnessed history on numerous occasions.
The carrier was home to over 100,000 sailors on active duty and was a stalwart of the U.S. Navy throughout the Cold War. Deployed during the Vietnam conflict, the Midway would see combat for the final time as part of Operation Desert Storm in the Persian Gulf.
For the Midway, the end as an active service vessel would see the monstrous floating city of sorts arrive in San Diego to be decommissioned in 1992. The ship consumed over 100,000 gallons of fuel a day. Time molded the Midway into a relic as the new and far more advanced nuclear-powered carriers were handed the baton of protecting a nation from the high seas.
It would be over a decade before the long and arduous process of making the USS Midway Museum a reality finally bore fruit. The Museum has been a roaring success, outpacing nearly every expectation. The fascinating jewel of San Diego’s ‘Embarcadero’, a bustling cruise ship hub, achieved its first year’s visitor target in a mere 3 months. Since opening its doors to the public, the floating icon of an age past has welcomed over 16 million people on board.
It resides a figurative stone’s throw from the Navy Fighter Weapons School, otherwise known as TOPGUN. The ship’s less-understood tales of spirits and other-worldly visitors merely add to an already towering story.
“WHAT IS THE NAME OF THIS SHIP?”
While Museum Curator David Hanson speaks clearly of what he feels is the positive nature of the ship's visitors from the other side, the encounters themselves are less clear and often surprising. Reports of encounters with long-dead crewmen and sailors are numerous, but some encounters suggest a more transient existence for some of the vessel’s curious attendees.
A female spirit can be heard asking, “What is the name of this ship?” in one of Hanson's EVP recordings. While encounters and evidence such as this suggest a curious consciousness at work, Hanson feels that other moments are what he describes as incidents “of residual energy.” This energy, Hanson theorizes, is a pattern of sorts, played out time and time again and picked up on by those more sensitive.
These sounds, smells, and sensations are all embedded or captured within the hulking bowels of the ship. Moments in time woven into the very fabric of one of the US Navy’s former crowning glories.
HAUNTED SAN DIEGO
Like most cities, San Diego lays claim to numerous locations where those curious and brave enough can follow the trail of ghostly breadcrumbs that captivate so many worldwide. San Diego stands alone, however, in permanently hosting an icon of American military history and one that contains such eerie and shadowy riddles within its massive steel frame.
Whether you’re an enthusiast of sea power, Cold War history or seeking to muster the courage to delve into the belly of the beast, the USS Midway Museum is truly unique. As large as the mighty ship may be, it could be the far smaller sights and sounds that leave you wondering who or what has come aboard with you. Enlist on San Diego’s ghostly adventure and set sail for the unknown at sdghosts.com today!
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