A look at the history of the iconic Navy ship [Video]

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — More than a million visitors a year learn the story of the impressive USS Midway ship that sits in the San Diego Bay, but there was a time when the city was without a true tribute to the Navy or Naval history in the city.

“San Diego is the birthplace of Naval aviation, the original home of Top Gun, Navy Town USA,” said Scott McGaugh, one of the co-founders of The USS Midway Museum.

Before the Midway ever became a salute to San Diego’s Naval history, its story began when it was commissioned in 1945.

“It was the only Navy ship to serve from the end of World War II all the way through the Cold War. More than 100,000 sailors served and sacrificed on the ship,” McGaugh said.

A pioneer throughout its years in service, the aircraft carrier was the largest warship in the …