Midway had twelve boilers, Westinghouse geared steam turbines, 212,000 shaft horsepower, and a top speed of 33 knots. Plans for 8-inch guns were abandoned, and the 5-inch battery used single mounts, but eighteen 5-inch guns still made the original fit formidable. They were backed by 84 40 mm Bofors guns in quadruple mounts and 56 20 mm Oerlikon cannon in twin mounts. The strength deck sat at hangar level instead of making the flight deck the hull's upper strength deck. Damage that penetrated the armoured flight deck might therefore stop before compromising the structure below. This arrangement left a strong platform for later alterations. Midway grew from about 45,000 tons at commissioning to about 64,000 tons at decommissioning.
Notable Point · 16:48-19:58
Machinery, weapons, and strength-deck design
Midway's power plant, heavy anti-aircraft battery, and hangar-level strength deck gave the ship room for decades of alteration.