WWII Aircraft Carriers on Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan's Aircraft Carriers is the story of the USS Wolverine and the USS Sable, two Great Lakes excursion ships converted for use as aircraft carrier training during World War II. Through the duration of the war, the United States Navy qualified 17,800 pilots for aircraft carrier operation. Training the pilots on either the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean would have exposed the training ships to the danger of submarine attack, while requiring the escort of fighting ships that were needed elsewhere. It would also have involved arming and armoring the ships used for training. Commander R.F. Whitehead came up with an idea that solved all of these problems. He suggested doing the training on the protected waters of the Great Lakes.

The USS Wolverine and the USS Sable were chosen and thus became the only fresh water, paddle-wheeled, coal-fired aircraft carriers in the history of the world. Author Paul M. Somers shares his collection of vintage photos and a lifetime of research to detail the history of these two great vessels-from their life as cruise ships to their contributions to the war effort and then to their eventual scrapping.


President George Bush trained on these carriers.

Documentary explains how Lake Michigan became an aircraft ...

www.chicagotribune.com/.../ct-sta-wwii-documentary-st-0524-20160525-story.html

May 27, 2016 - World War II fighter plane pulled from Lake Michigan ... that had been used duringWorld War II to train pilots for landing on aircraft carriers was ...

USS Wolverine (IX-64) - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Wolverine_(IX-64)

USS Wolverine (IX-64) was a training ship used by the United States Navy during World War II. She was originally named Seeandbee and was built as a Great Lakes luxury .... were still on board. Intended to operate on Lake Michigan, IX-64 received her name because the state of Michigan is known as the Wolverine State.

‎Design and construction · ‎History · ‎Naval service

USS Sable (IX-81) - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sable_(IX-81)

USS Sable (IX-81) was a training ship of the United States Navy during World War II. Originally built as the passenger ship Greater Buffalo, a sidewheel excursion steamer, she was purchased by the Navy in 1942 and converted to a training aircraft carrier to be used on the Great Lakes. ... USS Sable (IX-81) underway on Lake Michigan in 1944–45.

‎Construction · ‎History · ‎Naval service · ‎Refit

The US Navy's Forgotten Great Lakes Aircraft Carriers

https://militaryhistorynow.com/.../fresh-water-flattops-the-u-s-navys-forgotten-great-la...

Aug 29, 2016 - The USS Sable underway in the Great Lakes during the Second World War. ... Before it was converted to an aircraft carrier, the USS Wolverine was the ... Pier into Lake Michigan where she'd conduct flight training operations.

Secret WW2 aircraft carriers on Lake Michigan focus of history project ...

www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/lake_michigan_navy_carriers.html

Feb 19, 2015 - In 1943, two Great Lakes steamships were converted into Navy aircraft carriers where thousands of pilots trained.

The Navy's Historic Aircraft Wrecks in Lake Michigan

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/...and.../aircraft-wrecks-in-lake-michigan.html

Feb 26, 2018 - The Navy thought the Lake Michigan area, because it was so far inland, was ... Bothcarriers were scrapped sometime after World War II.⁵ On ...

Heroes On Deck: World War II On Lake Michigan | Trailer | WTTW ...

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https://www.pbs.org/.../wttw-presents-heroes-deck-world-war-ii-lake-...

May 25, 2016

More than 100 WWII aircraft rest on the bottom of Lake Michigan.

Heroes on Deck World War II documentary about aircraft carrier pilots

https://www.heroesondeck.com/

In response to Pearl Harbor, the ingenious WWII aircraft pilot training program on Lake Michigan and the recovery of rare warbirds from the bottom of the Lake.

Lake Michigan's Aircraft Carriers by Paul M. Somers | Arcadia ...

https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9780738532080

Lake Michigan's Aircraft Carriers is the story of the USS Wolverine and the USS Sable, ... ships converted for use as aircraft carrier training during World War II.

Great Lakes World War II aircraft carrier aviators sought for ...

https://www.cleveland.com/.../great_lakes_world_war_ii_aircraft_carrier_aviators_s.ht...

Nov 7, 2016 - The National Museum of the Great Lakes is looking for Navy pilots who trained on Lake Michigan during World War II aboard two aircraft ...