June 2024 Progress Update on Midway CVIC Restoration Project

In mid-May, USS Midway Museum Chief Executive Officer Rear Admiral (Ret) Terry Kraft and his team involved in planning the Midway CVIC exhibit had a great brainstorming session with the design vendor, Art Processors. Kraft acknowledged the outstanding job that Art Processors did on the exhibit that just opened in the engineering spaces of the ship. Kraft’s team spent half a day working through ideas and objectives for the CVIC project and identified a route that will get good traffic flow in and out of the exhibit, which is a key factor. The NIP members in attendance—docents Captain (Ret) Frank Kelly and Commander (Ret) Phil Eakin, and Stan Kowalsky (Chief Petty Officer in charge of CVIC)—were key contributors to the discussion due to their expertise in CVIC operations. Kraft’s vision moving forward is to work on building out the three areas of the exhibit, which correlate to the three rooms being designed:  What is CVIC; Who is CVIC; and the Desert Storm Mission Planning Cell.  

Meanwhile, donations continue to flow in in support of the CVIC restoration project. Diana Guglielmo (NIP San Diego Chapter member and USS Midway docent) received a donation of CTF-154 unclassified imagery, maps, evasion charts, recce guides, and weapons systems videos from Captain (Ret) Bob Allen (NIP Programs Committee Chair and CVW-8/CVN-71 Desert Storm veteran). On 1 June, Guglielmo led Allen on a tour of the Midway spaces to see some of the Desert Shield/Desert Storm storylines that will be part of the CVIC exhibit. The imagery, maps, and recce guides will be scanned for display and the weapons systems videos will be digitized for incorporation into the CVIC experience.  

The CVIC spaces are currently undergoing physical restoration and hazmat removal in preparation for the exhibit development phase of the project. The exhibit is expected to open in May 2025.