Robert Lee shared his post of 80 photos with the comment: "AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ON THE GREAT LAKES, The U.S.S. Wolverine IX-64 and the U.S.S. Sable IX-81 were United States Navy training Aircraft Carriers during World War Two. The most amazing thing about this to me is they were both paddle wheelers."
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| Glen Miller posted, 2x Navy planes fly over Navy Pier in 1942. The Navy not only trained some 15.000 carrier pilots including George H.W. Bush on Lake Michigan during WW2, but thousands more trained to become metalsmiths, aviation mechanics, and diesel operators at the pier. Most of the instructors were furnished by Chicago vocational schools through the cooperation of the Chicago Board of Education. Bush spent three days training at Naval Air Station Glenview in 1943, The Carrier Qualification Training Unit program required pilots to complete eight successful takeoffs and landings on an airplane carrier in Lake Michigan. Bush completed his training on the USS Sable. (Tribune photo) Patti Hunt My mom recalled seeing the sky filled with B-17 bombers over Chicago. She said the noise was incredible. Some of her high school buddies were part of those flight crew...in the ball gun turrets because they were short guys. Mike Firtik I was stationed at Glenview NAS . Sad when it closed down .. Colleen Blackburn shared Bob Busch The Navy used CVS high school,and left many airplane engines, carrier plane parts ,and rumor had it several airplanes in a hanger on campus. , Donald J Coday Jr. A few of those planes were tossed overboard and laying in the bottom of the lake, in the early 90s, a great group of people who I had the chance to know, rescued a few, Sent to Pensacola and were refurbished, not rebuilt, and are in the museum of airspace... I got to see one particular plane that I knew was rescued... was really a treat to see it. And to know the story about it. |
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| James Stein posted The 'old' Navy Pier David Church Notice the two ex passenger steamers converted to aircraft carriers for training Navy Pilots from Glenview Naval Air Station. One was the Greater Detroit I believe. Justin Reynolds Look how long Ogden Slip is compared to today! Dennis DeBruler I'm so glad the resolution is high. You can see three boxcars on the C&NW tracks to Navy Pier and many cars on the C&NW industrial leads running between the buildings on the north side of the river and the south side of the slip. |
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| The Warshipologist posted TWO AIRCRAFT CARRIERS ON CHICAGO WATERFRONT The Great Lakes paddlewheel carriers of the 9th Naval District Carrier Qualification Training Unit (CQTU) at rest and tied up to the Navy Pier on the Chicago waterfront in the 1940s. Though moored at the pier, both USS Wolverine (IX-64) (right) and USS Sable (IX-81) (left) were attached to Naval Air Station Glenview, Illinois. Located in Glenview, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, the air base primarily operated training aircraft as well as seaplanes on nearby Lake Michigan during the Second World War. Later during the war, NAS Glenview also hosted advanced training in Fleet combat aircraft, primarily for carrier qualification in Lake Michigan aboard the Chicago home-ported Sable and Wolverine. Today, the Navy Pier (the long structure in the foreground), is a tourist and entertainment destination with, still intact, lake terminal (lower left). Photo and caption: Navsource.org Thanks to Adam Baum for suggesting the post. Michael Mahan Lawlor: George H.W. Bush trained on USS Sable.Daniel A. Mitchell: A nice model of IX-64 "USS Wolverine" is in the Kalamazoo Air Zoo (museum) in Kalamazoo, MI. Keith Brent: Daniel A. Mitchell I think there's another one at the Buffalo naval museum. David Heineken: President Bush did his first Carrier Quals as did most WW2 Naval Aviators on Lake Michigan. Didn't have to worry about detailing sub chasers that way. There is a great exhibit at the Pensacola NAS museum concerning this. Bert Simon: And NAS Glenview, which closed in 1995, is now The Glen, an upscale mixed-use development of homes, apartments, offices, stores and restaurants. Chuck Mott: Dozens of planes were lost in accidents and failed landings. Some have been recovered and restored. Bill Hale: At the Palm Springs Air Museum there is a Lake Michigan aircraft that crashed on take off the pilot survived and on display with his restored aircraft is the helmet and flight jacket he was wearing evidently the story of the cause of the crash was the person on deck who was supposed to switch fuel tanks did not turn the valve far enough and when the pilot tried to take off he got just a bit into the air and splashed now then I have no other details about that crash but we were told that the plane was the only one in the museum that did not come there under its own power all the rest were flown in there we were there about three years ago |
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| Jim Futrell commented on the above post The Air Zoo museum in Kalamazoo has a model of the Wolverine. |
Historical Niagara posted three photos with the comment:
This would have been something to see coming through the Welland Canal in 1948. The USS Sable has such an interesting story.Built in 1924 in Lorain Ohio as the Side wheeler called "Greater Buffalo" it was a luxurious excursion Ship that could accommodate up to 1500 passengers. Working mainly from Detroit to Buffalo for several years and in 1936 became a floating Hotel in Cleveland Ohio. It got a new life in 1942 when it was converted to a Training Aircraft Carrier in Buffalo Ny. Renamed The USS Sable..Training Pilots in the great lakes kept the ship from enemy subs . In 1943 it began service in Chicago Illinois .Pilots could master takeoffs and landings from her in less than a 60hrs of training . The ship remained in service untill the end of the War in 1945. The navy struck it from the registry shortly after..There was a proposal to make it a museum in Ohio but it fell through..it was sold and brought to Hamilton to be scrapped.The USS Sable had to be cut down to be brought through the Welland Canal in 1948. The Ship along with its Sister the USS Wolverine trained 17820 pilots one of them future President G..W Bush..The ship is gone but its legacy and importance goes on and is a fantastic part of The Great Lakes Maritime history.
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| Biz Kat posted U.S.S. Sable..... The great lakes carrier "for training" during World War 2. Steve A. Hawks: One of the really interesting things about these two ships is that they did not have propellers. They used paddle wheels! You can see see it in the photo, just behind the island. Biz Kat: Steve A. Hawks and rerouted funnels to the island side .... Sable also had a steel flight deck ,crew amenities like pilot quarters, a mess hall, rec rooms and many other things. Sable was the first ship ever to experiment with combat drones as well ..... true story look it up. Gary Finch: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/.../I-remember-like-yesterday... |
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| safe_image for link that Mark Braun shared The two training aircraft carriers tied up at the South Basin of Navy Pier. Used to train airplane pilots on carrier landings without the need of escort vessels to protect against enemy attacks, they were unique vessels. Among the pilots to land on these ships was future president, George H. W. Bush. Ted O'Connor They really were not Aircraft Carriers. They were ships that the Navy put a carrier like deck on. For training only. Lake Michigan did not have the massive swells that real carriers plowed through in the Pacific Ocean. But it was war and we needed pilots. A lot of brave young men flew off those carriers. Many never returned. God keep them. Mark Braun In the classic sense, no they were not carriers, but a sort of "touch-and-go" operation. It is also to be noted that the crews were also in training for regular carrier operations. And one of the ships that occasionally had training excerises with the carriers was the USS Wilmette. Mark Braun Since these were "experimental" ships, the USS Sable was the first carrier in the US Navy with a metal instead of wood landing deck. Ted O'Connor Yes, things changed fast when Navy ships were suddenly attacked from the air. Wooden decks were a liability when bombs started dropping. They splintered and produced shrapenal. They caught fire. Amazing how ill prepared the Navy was for war in 1941. Ships of the line , like destroyers and cruisers were fast but supply ships were way too slow. Dangerous business when you had to slow down and Jap subs were around. Now the supply ships are very fast. Operated by the Military Sealift Command. Crew are civilians. Many retired Navy. Also, The Warshipologist posted Another view of the USS Wolverine and USS Sable in Chicago during the Second World War. They were qualifying 100 pilots a day at their peak... |
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| David Church commented on Mark's post These used to be passenger paddle wheel steamships. Greater Buffalo became the USS Sable. Eugene Klichowski SS Seaandbee became the Wolverine |
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| David Church commented on James post Here she was in all her glory. Notice, she was a side wheeler. Other ship was the Greater Buffalo. |
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| David Church commented on James post And here's the Greater Buffalo prior to conversion. |
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| David Church commented on James post And now she's an aircraft carrier - minus a few customer amenities. Charles Kocian posted Naval training air craft carrier docked at Navy Pier Chicago winter 1945. Robert McNay: Marty Zielinski yes they were [steam powered]. Both the USS Sable and Wolverine were rebuilt side wheel paddle steamer excursion boats. One built around 1910, the other was the mid 20s. They operated from Navy Pier and pilots training at Glenview NAS would fly out to do "touch and go" practice landings, then fly back to Glenview. There were no facilities to store or service planes aboard. [The comments have some links to additional information.] |
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| Commemorative Air Force posted Here's something you don't see too often: an aircraft carrier in Michigan! Specifically, this is the newly-converted training aircraft carrier USS Sable (IX-81) on her delivery trip to Chicago upbound on Lake St Clair, Michigan #OTD in 1943. Originally built as the passenger ship Greater Buffalo (a sidewheel excursion steamboat), Sable was purchased by the Navy in 1942 and converted to a training carrier to be used on the Great Lakes. She lacked a hangar deck, elevators, or armament and was not a true warship, but she provided advanced training of naval aviators in carrier takeoffs and landings. Do you know any other training carriers from WWII? Garth Kidman USS Wolverine, former paddle streamer Seeandbee on Lake Michigan with the Sable. Ranger and Enterprise were used later in the war to train night carrier groups. With Enterprise actually deploying as a night carrier. Ranger continued as a training and trials carrier for a bit after the war, and there was some consideration to retaining her as such but she was scrapped in 1947. Saratoga was converted to a training carrier right at the end of the war. Craig Ward The technicalities that make it "not a true warship" are important. As I recall, the U.S. and Canada have a treaty that prohibits either country from deploying warships on the Great Lakes. Mark Sapienz: Lake Michigan was safe from Submarine attack so no Naval Task Force was needed to escort them around Chicago. Many Naval fliers trained Grosse Ile island in the Detroit River. The Naval Air Station was located next to river so it simulated a carrier landing. Fliers like President Bush trained there and flew over to Chicago too. They had to have 9 landing to be qualified for deployment. PBS did a special hour documentary about the Great Lake Naval Carriers. Jonathon Van Til shared David Hill: Three days of training @ Naval Air Station Glenview. Day 1 classroom, Day 2 practice take offs & landings on painted off areas on runways, Day 3 Landings and take offs on either the Wolverine or Sable out on Lake Michigan. |
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| Historical Military Firearms Experience commented on the Commemorative Air Force post |
It is obvious that this is basically the same photo that James posted, but I think the different exposure and cropping is of interest.
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| John Grummitt posted During WW Two it was suggested to the Navy that they convert two side paddle ships into training aircraft carriers. At the time German U-boats were sinking hundreds of ships in the Atlantic. With the need to train thousands of pilots Lake Michigan seemed a logic location. Both the USS Sable and Wolverine are pictured here docked at Navy Pier. Marita Varnes President Bush the elder was trained as a Navy pilot on them. There are a few planes on the bottom of Lake Michigan from that time. John Grummitt He qualified on one of them. Over 100 planes went into the the lake, They continue to find and restore them for museums. Stephen Boisvert The SS Eastland was also converted to a training vessel (gunboat - USS Wilmette) on Lake Michigan.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_EastlandStephen Boisvert 
Images: WWII aircraft carrier documentary [payware] |
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| National Naval Aviation Museum posted USS Wolverine (IX 64) was a most unusual flattop. Converted from a side paddlewheel steamer, she never steamed in saltwater, instead operating on Lake Michigan during World War II training fledgling carrier pilots. Ron Richter shared |
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| MichiganRadio Why did more than 100 WWII-era aircraft sink to the bottom of Lake Michigan? |
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| safe_image for 4:36 video 1940, Greater Buffalo ferry on the great lakes, USA [One ferry route was overnight from Detroit to Cleveland. [3:23]] |
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| Marine Historical Society of Detroit posted Toronto Dry Dock's tug J.C. Stewart tows the United States aircraft carrier USS Sable through the Welland Canal to Hamilton, Ontario for scrapping in 1948. The tower, stacks, and portions of the flight deck had to be removed and placed on the remaining flight deck in Port Colborne to allow the vessel to fit into the locks. Doug Mackie photo. Skip Gillham/MHSD collection. The USS Sable was one of two passenger paddle-wheel steamships on the Great Lakes turned into aircraft carriers to train pilots during World War II. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sable Don Lee: https://militaryhistorynow.com/.../fresh-water-flattops.../ |
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