Customer Reviews

Midway Magic: An Oral History of America's Legendary Aircraft Carrier

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3 star:		(1)
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This is a great book, very well written, and it was as if the author was there as a crew member telling of the events of the life of this ship as they unfolded through the 46-year history of the USS Midway. It pleases me he did his research so well; the book lists his sources. Having served on this remarkable carrier during Vietnam, as I read it a lot of memories came flooding back. It's a very accurate, concise narrative of a great Lady's history, start to finish, truly a description of what `Midway Magic' was and actually still is. The magic affected me then, and it still affected me as I saw that great ship as She appeared before my eyes in San Diego on Harbor Boulevard recently as I toured her as a museum. Her 'Magic' beckoned me once again to her steel deck.

The book covers from laying of her keel, her construction as the largest warship of her time, the 45,000 ton Midway Class carrier (The Coral Sea and Ranger carriers are her sister ships), which lasted for 10 years, then being the first vessel of its kind to launch a V2 rocket from World War II, to being the first warship of its kind to be homeported in a foreign country, the addition of another 20,000 tons to add an 'angle' deck to enable her to launch & recover aircraft simultaneously, through the Vietnam with her aircrew flying thousands of sorties, participating in the evacuation of Vietnam, dealing with the Russians during the Cold War, to participation in Deert Storm, to her decomissioning in 1991, to her rebirth in June 2004.

'Midway Magic' began with her keel being layed, and continues right to this very day. I know it does because as soon as I saw her on June 14 2004 and once again stepped onto her deck, I knew she still possed all the 'Magic' she every had.

I encourage anyone who is interested in reading about Naval History to buy this book. Its not something you can easily put down and not come away affected by 'Midway Magic.' After reading it you will know what 'Midway Magic' was and still is today. Mr. McGaugh writes as though he was part of the ship's crew, the Marine and Naval air crews, right down to the snipes and right up to the Captains. Its a remarkable story. Just look at the back of the book at the list of Citations the USS Midway was awarded. For a 'convential' carrier, it outperformed it's larger nuclear sister ships. Speaking for myself, the USS Midway was a can-do ship. I also encourage any naval buff to visit the museum The USS MIDWAY CV-41 has been turned into, take the audio tour and walk the length of the flight deck, sit in the Captain's chair in the Island and then buy this book and see what Midway Magic is all about.

There wouldn't be Midway Magic without the snipes onboard. On any ship they breathed life into it. Without them other crew members can not do their jobs. Remember this when anybody decides to read this book. This book is well written and brought back alot of memories. Especially the 24" roll, the four typhoons, Liberty in Subic, Hong Kong, Thailand and back home in Yokosuka: all good times. The actual date of the 24" roll is 18 Oct 88 not in 89, I was there and transfered in Feb 89. The author needed to check his facts a little better. Another first for Midway was that she was an official carrier for the Olympic Games in Seoul back in 1988 (this is not in the book). The only carrier that I know of for any Olympic Games.When we made a stop in Pusan during the games I bought a Korean Olympic Coin to commemorate the event to Midway not the actual games. Anybody who have served on her will tell you about the magic. It grows on you even if your a desgruntled snipe. Even after being off her for more than ten years. Her and I tend to cross paths. She showed up a week before I did in San Diego for her decommisioning. I was transfered to 32th ST. Naval Station. 2nd time was in Bremerton. I was on the Abraham Lincoln (the cursed ship of the seven seas)and reenlisted. I did not have the ceremony on her, but on the Midway. Before I reenlisted, I paid Midway a visit numerous times.In Bremerton both Midway and the Missouri were tied to the same pier and at the end both of them became museums. 3rd time when she came back to San Diego to become a museum I donated money so she could be a museum. I hated to see her be cut up into razor blades and now I'm a member of the Museum, but still serving my country until I'm retired and mothballed. She is still a very loved ship back in Yokosuka among both the Japanese and those that served on her. The Japanese that I talked with disliked both the Independence and The Kitty Hawk. I served on the Kitty Hawk and disliked it with a passion, but still was glad to return back home to Yokosuka each time after each deployment. Most of the time on Kitty Hawk they did not have the "can do" attitude and the "magic" that Midway had. Read the book and enjoy.

I had no idea any ship's crew could be so accomplished! Midway Magic is a friendly read about a unique ship. Crew stories blend nicely with facts and figures. Some periods of time were skipped over, but I often found myself wondering what adventure would next befall the crew. And it's nonfiction! Heartily recommend.

Scott McGaugh's "Midway Magic" is a very readable collection of recollections about the career of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier Midway. The Midway was launched at the close of World War II, retired after the first Gulf War, and present at a remarkable number of Cold War crises and conflicts. McGaugh has assembled a series of vignettes based on oral history interviews, letters, and recollections by former crew members and arranged them in chronological order. They provide insights into the very human, often humorous, and sometimes heartbreaking aspects of life in the Navy at sea. Strictly speaking, this is not a true history of the Midway, as McGaugh makes no real effort to integrate or provide perspective on what are the opinions of individuals with necessarily limited fields of view on events. That said, those who served in the Navy in those years, and those who waited for them on shore, will recognize much that was true about life in the Navy duirng the Cold War. McGaugh does a remarkable job keeping the vignettes jargon-free and therefore within the reach of the average reader. This is a worthwhile read for the Navy veteran, for the student of naval warfare looking for some insights into the human factor, and for the casual reader with an interest in the Navy.

I served aboard the Carrier USS Midway from Oct 1958 to Feb 1961 in the Guided Missile Division. Mr. McGaugh's book "MIDWAY MAGIC" helped to answer a few questions I have had these 40-odd years. I feel the author did a good job of putting what may have amounted to 300 or so "sea stories" into a cohesive and quite readable account of a fine ship's very long service. Granted, there may be those who say Mr. McGaugh should have checked his information a bit more thoroughly, given the sheer number of contributors. "Sea stories" may be a bit exagerated at times, but the author's presentation of these individual accounts overall reflects the pride of those who served on the ship. There may have been a mislabeled photo or two; e.g.; a North American AJ-1 "Savage" labeled as a Lockheed P2V "Neptune," but I have encountered a "glitch" or two in the books of more well-known authors. Given the difficulty of writing such a book by one who may not have served on a carrier himself, the end product was a very enjoyable reading experience. The fact that it is not overloaded with technical data and statistics can make the book enjoyable reading for an even broader audience. Just the right amount of information for someone who may be curious about life aboard a Navy aircraft carrier.

Midway Magic uniquely captures the previously untold story of the longest-serving aircraft carrier in U.S. Navy history. It's a must read for anyone interested in an unusual perspective of the world affairs of the latter half of the 20th century. Author Scott McGaugh clearly has done his homework, blending interviews with direct research from Washington, DC, to CINCPACFLEET in Hawaii.

Midway Magic is a great read that will have the reader turning pages, particularly in the second half of the book as Midway navigates Vietnam, Operation Frequent Wind, detente, Desert Storm, and a final rescue mission.

A great story of American dedication, told in a compelling, friendly manner that will make you proud to be an American. I heartily recommend it.

This book is a very interesting read about the incredible history of the aircraft carrier Midway. Full of first person anecdotes and stories of events, people, events, tragedies, amazing heroics and heartwarming stories of naval solders serving their country.

Midway Magic is both an entertaining and enjoyable book. It's heavy on crew stories and light on heavy-duty Navy lingo. And it glossed over some of the 47 years it served. But I felt like I was on the flight deck or down in engineering sharing the experiences of the men aboard. Highly recommended as the author did an excellent job. I'd like to know more!

I recommend this book for crewmembers, family, friends and others interested in Naval or period history. It is factual, interesting, expertly researched and written. For an old sailor
it brings back wonderful, sorrowful, but never forgotten memories.

Thank you Scott McGaugh for the time, research and work to publish this true account of Midway Magic experiences.

Robert (Bob) Kennedy, AK2 USS Midway l948-52, MSgt, USAF (Ret.)

Couldn't put the book down. I served onboard the USS Midway from 1971 to 1973, working on the Port catapult crew. I was amazed at the detail that Scott McGaugh has put into this book. It brought back so many memories, and I learned things that I never even knew about the "Magical Midway" Good job Mr. McGaugh.