In 1990, USS Midway’s CEO, retired Rear Admiral Terry Craft, was aboard the aircraft carrier when an explosion rocked the ship and sparked a devastating fire that killed three people and injured more than a dozen.
“There were about 4,500 people on board the ship and we estimate that between 800 and 1,000 were involved in some way in fighting the fire,” he said.
Craft loves telling the stories of the brave sailors-turned-firefighters and the Midway’s indefatigable engineers, who kept the ship running until it was decommissioned in 1992, but he’s even more excited about the opportunity visitors will have to learn about these men and women in ways the museum has never told them before.
On Saturday, the USS Midway held the opening of “Midway Engineers: Service, Sacrifice and Everyday Life,” two exhibits that focus on the aircraft carrier’s engineers, including how they turn seawater into steam to power the ship and how they fight fires.
Visitors can explore the USS Midway’s new exhibit, “Midway’s Engineers: Service, Sacrifice and Everyday Life,” on board the ship in downtown San Diego on Saturday, May 25, 2024. The immersive exhibit focuses on telling the story of the aircraft carrier’s hardworking engineers.
(Courtesy of Sandy Huffaker/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Designed in partnership with design and technology company Art Processors, the exhibition uses cutting-edge equipment to break away from the tradition of simply displaying objects and provide visitors with a multi-sensory experience.
“Most of the things on the Midway have been lovingly restored to help people remember what it was like back in the day,” Craft says, “but museums today are changing. They’re becoming more interactive. They’re looking at how to tell stories and how to appeal to the emotional side of people who visit.”
Located on the Midway’s third deck, the new exhibit features nine galleries where guests can enjoy a range of audio, visual and tactile displays.
Take the berthing area, for example. As visitors walk down the gangway, a bed catches their attention. Blank letters on the bed sheets start to fill with quotes from sailors talking about life on board, while a recorded narration plays at the same time. A projector is used to weave sound and image together, bringing the memorabilia to life.
The berthing area of the USS Midway’s new exhibit, “Midway’s Engineers: Service, Sacrifice and Everyday Life,” opens Saturday, May 25, 2024, on board the ship in downtown San Diego. The immersive exhibit focuses on telling the story of the aircraft carrier’s hardworking engineers. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker, SD Union-Tribune)
(Sandy Huffaker/San Diego Union-Tribune)
“The purpose of the Midway is to expose people to different things and give them different experiences,” Craft said, “but this is totally different from what we normally do.”
Perhaps the most vibrant part of the exhibit is the “Fire Experience” gallery: as visitors enter the space, they are surrounded by an ensemble of light, sound and images that mimic a ship’s fire, creating a sensory overload that aims to mimic the intense physical and emotional experiences seafarers often face.
Not only do these exhibits embrace new ways of telling stories, they also represent the first additions to the museum since the Battle of Midway Theater opened in 2015.
Putting the spotlight on the carrier’s engineers is a fitting debut for Memorial Day weekend and also celebrates the museum’s 20th anniversary this year, said Paul Alvarado, a retired boiler engineer who helped organize the exhibit.
“I think the main reason this exhibit was created is because the engineers are always behind the scenes,” he said. “They spend most of their time at the bottom of the ship and never even see the sunlight, but they do the work that’s necessary to keep the lights on. We shouldn’t forget about them.”
The exhibit is open to the public seven days a week during the museum’s regular business hours, 10 am to 5 pm. For more information, Midway.
