About this Unit
The Marine Detachment (MARDET) aboard USS Midway (CV-41) was established to provide security, ceremonial duties, and support for shipboard operations. Activated with the commissioning of the carrier in 1945, the MARDET played a key role during major conflicts, including the Korean and Vietnam Wars, manning gun stations and overseeing the security of nuclear weapons. Marines from the detachment also participated in humanitarian missions and liberty port security throughout the ship’s decades-long service. The MARDET was eventually deactivated in the late 1990s as the Navy phased out Marine detachments from aircraft carriers.
Historical Facts
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Marine Detachment (CV 41) was the U.S. Marine Corps unit assigned to the USS Midway (CV-41), the famous aircraft carrier commissioned in 1945.
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The Marine Detachment's primary roles included shipboard security, ceremonial duties, and manning the ship’s secondary batteries during combat operations.
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Marines aboard the USS Midway served as part of the ship’s landing party, ready to go ashore for special missions or to defend the vessel if necessary.
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The detachment played a key role during the Vietnam War, when the USS Midway launched numerous combat sorties, and Marines provided security during sensitive operations.
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During Operation Frequent Wind in 1975, Marines from the detachment helped manage the evacuation of Americans and South Vietnamese from Saigon, famously assisting with the influx of helicopters landing on the carrier.
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Marines on the Midway participated in honor guard duties for visiting dignitaries and played a visible role in fostering good relations during the ship’s numerous port calls around the world.
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The Marine Detachment maintained a longstanding tradition of discipline and spit-and-polish standards, often acting as the ship's “military police” and overseeing discipline among the crew.
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The detachment was one of the last of its kind, as the tradition of Marine Detachments on aircraft carriers was phased out in the late 1990s; the Midway's detachment was decommissioned before the ship’s retirement in 1992.
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Marines living aboard the Midway had their own separate quarters and mess, fostering a tight-knit esprit de corps and unique identity within the larger ship's company.
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Today, the legacy of the Marine Detachment (CV 41) is preserved through reunions, oral histories, and exhibits aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, where former Marines share their stories with visitors.
