On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese forces overtook Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. Immediately, thousands of at-risk Vietnamese joined a large number of Americans who needed to be evacuated from the area.

In the wake of chaos, Operation Frequent Wind ensued.

The U.S. Navy enlisted seven ships to conduct the evacuation process, and among those ships was the USS Midway.

The Midway, constructed just after World War II, was called upon for its uncanny size. The ship alone rescued more than 3,000 Saigon refugees in less than 48 hours, which would later be recognized as the largest humanitarian mission in U.S. naval history.

On Sunday, the Syracuse men’s basketball team will open its season against San Diego State in the Battle on the Midway in San Diego. The game will take place on the flight deck of the USS Midway, the very ship that saved thousands of lives on that dark, April day.

From 1945 to 1955, the USS Midway was the largest ship in the world. In 47 years, from 1945 to 1992, it became the longest commissioned U.S. Navy carrier of the 20th century. When the ship opened as a museum in 2004, it attracted over 1 million visitors, the most of any museum in the world.

The Battle on the Midway is the first-ever sporting event the vessel will host.

“We’re not a sports venue, obviously. We are a naval aviation museum,” said Scott McGaugh, the marketing director for the USS Midway museum. “But to have a game here where the proceeds benefit military veterans is fitting.”

McGaugh, a native of the San Diego area, has written three books and has appeared on the History Channel to discuss the Midway. He said the ship is better known for humanitarian missions than its role in actual military combat.

“The ship spent less than 10 percent of its total life in combat,” McGaugh said. “It’s famous for its humanitarian missions, and that is something that we are particularly proud of.”

Beyond the countless missions, the Midway is widely known for its outlandish size. The ship weighs nearly 70,000 tons, has a height equal to a 20-story building, a width of greater than 250 feet and a length of just more than 1,000 feet. The flight deck, where the basketball game will be played, covers an area of 4.02 acres.

Jim Nash, the museum’s docent program manager, is in charge of the education of museum visitors, and often interacts with the large historical artifact. Nash said the Midway’s size has earned it a nickname in San Diego.

“The ship is called a ‘city at sea’ because everything you would find in a city in America you would find on board,” Nash said. “We have our own post office, own little stores, our own barbershop, restaurants, a tailor and cobbler shop, and more.”

On a single voyage, 4,500 men served on the Midway, and over the ship’s lifetime more than 225,000 would call it home for extended periods of time. The average age of Midway crewmembers, 19, is younger than every player on Syracuse’s roster, aside from freshman forward Jerami Grant.

As for what this game means for the city of San Diego, McGaugh said the event is about more than two college basketball teams.

“This is the birthplace of naval aviation, about 500 yards from where the boat sits today,” McGaugh said. “We have people asking to play games here all the time, but we pass on those opportunities.

“But to bring in a nationally ranked Syracuse and have this connection between military and the city of San Diego, we had to do it.”

The ship’s historian Karl Zingheim echoed McGaugh’s excitement for the historic event.

“It is a unique pleasure to host this game,” Zingheim said. “And I am sure it will be truly memorable for everyone.”

Published on November 7, 2012 at 1:48 am

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse