USS Midway Museum
She may no longer be in the Navy, but the Midway is enjoying a bustling second life as a San Diego museum ship that maintains strong service ties, having hosted more than 300 active-duty military events. As the author observes, "while these events could have been held at existing facilities on Navy bases, when performed on a decommissioned ship a greater sense of Navy and national maritime historical importance is imparted."
USS Midway Museum

Bring Historic Ships back into the Fleet

America’s floating museums are a vital pipeline to the public; the Navy would benefit by more actively engaging with such tangible reminders of its tradition.
By Commander David F. Winkler, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
February 2013
Proceedings
Article
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In its perpetual case statement to the American public on why its existence remains germane to the security and the economic vitality of the nation, the Navy overlooks an integral component of its argument: its history.

Arguably, providing Americans historical examples of the traditional naval missions of force projection, commerce protection, showing the flag, and humanitarian assistance help connect the dots far more effectively than the creation of some attention-grabbing slogan. (See Steve Cohen, “Winning The Battle, Losing The War” in the June 2012 Proceedings).

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