Former Homeport of the Great Lakes Aircraft Carriers

During World War II, Navy Pier served as a training post for Naval Aviators bound for combat the world over. The Navy, lacking a aircraft carrier small enough to enter the Great Lakes yet large enough to operate aircraft and unable to spare any of it's modern ships, decided to convert 2 paddle-wheel steamships already in operation on the Lakes into Training Aircraft Carriers.

The ships, SS Seeandbee and SS Greater Buffalo were aquired by the Navy in 1942, and were converted and placed into service as USS Wolverine (IX-64), August 12th, 1942 and USS Sable (IX-81), May 8th, 1943 respectively. These unique ships were the first (and probably last) freshwater Aircraft Carriers in the US Navy, and certainly the only sidewheel paddle-driven Aircraft Carriers in the US Navy. Operating out of a pier at this location in Chicago Harbor, the two Carriers trained some 17,820 pilots flying from NAS Glenview and during the war had 116,000 landings on their decks.

Following the war, both ships were laid up for a period and eventually declared surplus. Both vessels were scrapped by 1948, ending the period of carrier aviation in the Great Lakes.

Ship Info & Pics:
USS Wolverine (IX-64)
www.navsource.org/archives/09/46/46064.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Wolverine_%28IX-64%29
USS Sable (IX-81)
www.navsource.org/archives/09/46/46081.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sable_%28IX-81%29

 Second World War 1939-1945militarydraw only borderhistorical layer / disappeared objectUnited States Navy