The historic decommissioned USS Midway aircraft carrier-destined to become the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum-will be arriving in the Bay Area tomorrow, completing a week-long tow from Bremerton, Washington.

Tuesday, October 7, 2003

1. At 8 a.m. Midway is expected to cross under the Golden Gate Bridge (excellent aerial photo op, or from the GGB)
2. At 11 a.m. it will be at the mouth of the Oakland Estuary
3. At 2 p.m. it is expected to arrive at the Charles P. Howard Terminal in Oakland for two months of painting and preparation. Reporters will be allowed access to Howard Terminal to observe and film docking, but there will be no access to the vessel at that time. Plans are underway for possible limited public access on weekends aboard Midway while in Oakland. (Check www.midway.org)

Midway is scheduled to arrive in San Diego by mid-December (after a 5-day tow from Oakland) for outfitting as a museum over the winter in preparation for a late spring 2004 grand opening. While in Oakland the ship will be painted down to the waterline and there will be interior repairs and restoration.

The *ex-USS Midway served 47 years, from the close of WWII to serving as a flagship in Desert Storm in 1991. It was decommissioned in San Diego in 1992. San Diego community leaders have been working 11 years to establish Midway as a permanent naval aviation museum, tribute, and visitor attraction, expected to draw more than 400,000 visitors in its first year.

www.midway.org; www.midwaymagic.com (sneak preview of upcoming first-ever book on Midway's history)

The ex-USS Midway is a legendary aircraft carrier of extraordinary missions, accomplishments and contribution. It will become a naval aviation museum, tribute, education center and visitor destination.

Commissioned a week after the end of World War II, the USS Midway embarked on an unprecedented 47-year odyssey that set new standards in naval aviation, blazed new trails as the Navy's first carrier homeported abroad (Japan), and developed a "Midway Magic" aura of accomplishment and vigilance. More than 200,000 Americans took part in the odyssey, which ended after Midway served as the Persian Gulf flagship in Desert Storm.

San Diego Bay on the south side of Navy Pier 11A in the heart of downtown San Diego's revitalized Embarcadero.

Midway is expected to arrive in San Diego later in 2003. Outfitting will take place over the winter. Grand opening is tentatively projected for the spring of 2004.

Average admission price is expected to be approximately $10.50 with discounts for veterans/military, seniors and children.

For more than a decade, community leaders worked to bring the decommissioned Midway to San Diego for her final tour of duty. More than $8 million was raised in private contributions and financing to make the project possible.

1. Projected economic impact: $20 million annually
2. Major addition to San Diego's nearby convention center business
3. Estimated first-year attendance: 400,000
4. First major new visitor destination in San Diego in over 25 years
5. The only naval museum and attraction of its kind in a city that is home to one-third of the Pacific Fleet.