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Midway was very interesting and Princess was the only cruise ship to anchor off Midway and it has been several years since they were last there. The had a special ceremony commemorating the Battle of Midway, the 65th Anniversary, and the Governor of Hawaii, Secretary of the Interior, Asst. Sec. Of the Navy, Admiral of the Pacific Fleet and the Admiral for the 14th Coast Guard District were all present for the event. They honored all of the Midway Veterans that were present from the Regal Princess and anyone else who had visited Midway while in the service or been there with parents in the service. |
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This is the Pacific Fleet Band that was playing music for us before, during , and after the Ceremony. |
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Here we are approaching Midway Atoll by sea. We were on board the Regal Princess. The cruise was fantastic and the food even more so. It is my mom sitting there out on deck watching the ship get closer to Midway. It was about 7a.m. in the morning. |
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The Atoll is now a wildlife Reserve and the Albatross have all the rights. The babies are everywhere and you are not allowed to touch them or bother them. They do make it hard to drive on the Island, even though they only use small electric carts, sometimes the driver must get out move a baby bird and then move it back after he passes by. The baby must stay within 3 feet of where its parents left it so the parent can find it when they return from catching squid in Alaska to feed the baby with. |
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Here's an adult Albatross feeding the youngster, sometimes also known as a Gooney Bird. It takes an adult about 6 days to make the round trip from Alaska to Midway, so a parent comes by about every 3 days to feed the baby. Both parents work on feeding the chick. |
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A view of the Regal Princess from Sand Island, part of the Midway Atoll. Notice all the Alabatrosses in the foreground. The island was literally covered in the birds! |
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The memorial at Midway honoring those that served in the battle. |
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The start of the Ceremonies with Admiral Robert F. Willard, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet saying a few words. The Ceremony started at 12:30 and was over by 2:00, as the Regal Princess needed to sail by 6:00 p.m. Or miss the tide. |
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Some of the buildings from World War II are still standing. This is the Mess Hall but the building is no longer safe to go in and is off limits. |
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Yes, Midway Atoll has really gone to the birds! |
