USS Midway Museum
A.O. Reed has a long history working on the Midway Museum. We have participated in building many jobs on the Midway ranging from a restroom renovation to building a new central plant. The Midway Museum is a place where American patriotism is high, and reflection of our history is remembered. The Midway provides countless exhibits, galleries, theatres, flight simulators, and even an island tour! Overall, the Midway has a four-acre hanger deck, and the ship rises 50 feet above the water. This retired warship was built in seventeen months to lead countless battles all over the world. The Midway was the longest serving ship in the 20th century. It was also the first warship to enter the sub-Artic in the midwinter, and the only ship to launch a captured German V-2 rocket. The warship contributed to the success of many American battles. Since the ship’s retirement, the government has used it as an active military museum based in San Diego. A.O. Reed has renovated multiple areas of the ship. Some projects include constructing Café 41, renovating the women’s and men’s restrooms, revamping the flight deck, and improving the forward sewage ejector systems.
A.O. Reed was a design build partner on the Café 41 project. Our team designed and constructed the HVAC and plumbing systems at the café. We installed grease duct systems, water source heat pumps, exhaust systems, grease interceptors, and hooked-up the kitchen features. Our team provided new plenums and air distribution for the water source heat pumps. We installed condenser water piping and hose kits for the new water source heat pumps for the project as well. The project was completed in December 2020.
Have you ever heard of Lake Midway? For many years, after a heavy rain, the flight deck had many grooves and uneven surfaces which caused heavy flooding. To solve this problem, A.O. Reed fabricated a custom hole saw to drill the three-and-a-half-inch steel deck. From there, we installed floor drains and flattened out the surface of the flight deck. Once complete, this solved the flooding problem and proper operational activities was restored.
Originally, the women’s restroom used to be the oxygen-nitrogen separation room. When the ship was still in service, the military used pumps and tanks to separate the two gases. From there, they used the oxygen for the pilots. A.O. Reed renovated and constructed the restrooms on the hanger bed. All metal work in the restroom was built and fabricated by our fabrication shops. Our team provided and installed 15 water closets, 1 janitor room, 3 floor drains, sixteen-inch-long basin sinks with seven Dyson air blade wash/dry faucets, and a 24/7 toilet exhaust system. Throughout construction, the museum remained in full operation. This project was completed in December 2018.
The Midway is expecting to construct a new classroom that is sponsored by Home Depot. A.O. Reed was recently awarded the mechanical and plumbing scopes of the job. Our team will construct the domestic water and wastewater systems on the project. As for the HVAC scope, we will expand the existing HVAC system to the classroom. A.O. Reed also provide comfort cooling systems for the client as well. The estimated start date will be in August 2022. Once the project is completed, the classroom will be used for educating the public about the Midway's history.
The A.O. Reed team enjoys working on the Midway and continues to build relationships with their dedicated staff. A.O. Reed is proud to become a part of these jobs to do our part in continuing the Midway Museum's success. We look forward to adding more projects on the Midway in our portfolio.
