Lake Michigan's Aircraft Carriers (IL) (Images of America)
by Paul M. Somers
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Book Summary Information
Author: Paul M. SomersEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-11-10
ISBN: 0738532088
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Book Reviews of Lake Michigan's Aircraft Carriers (IL) (Images of America)
Book Review: Naval Aviation - Great Lakes
Summary: 5 Stars
Combining a lifetime of research with lots of vintage photographs, the author covers a little known aspect of U.S. naval aircraft carrier pilot training during World War II.
I knew very little about this story when I happened to see the book in a bookstore while I was in Michigan sightseeing. The book is about two freshwater aircraft carriers that were built for carrier pilot training on Lake Michigan. They were the practice carriers, USS WOLVERINE (IX-64, ex-SS SEEANDBEE) and the USS SABLE (IX-81, ex-SS GREATER BUFFALO). The carriers were created from two Great Lakes excursion ships.
There were several reasons that two carriers were specially built for carrier pilot training on the Great Lakes. First, aircraft carriers were at a premium with none that could be spared for pilot training. Second, by having two carriers on the Great Lakes the Navy would not have to provide escort ships for their security. There would also be no need for armor or armament. This idea was the brainchild of Commander Richard Francis Whitehead (later Vice Admiral), aviation aid to the commandant, Ninth Naval District. The Chicago area was ideal for supporting such a carrier training program with the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, Naval Air Station, Glenview, and Naval Aviation Mechanics' School on the Navy Pier.
The author gives the reader a brief U.S. naval aviation history prior to World War II, starting with the USS BIRMINGHAM (CL-2), then the PENNSYLVANIA (ACR-4)), LANGLEY (CV-1), LEXINGTON (CV-2), SARATOGA (CV-3), RANGER (CV-4), YORKTOWN (CV-5), ENTERPRISE (CV-7) HORNET (CV-8), and WASP (CV-9).
The author covers the history of the SEEANDBEE and GREATER BUFFALO prior to their conversion into practice carriers, the conversion, air operations aboard the carriers, and their post-war scrapping of the carriers.
The author mentions that there were 136,428 landings, which qualified 17,800 pilots for aircraft carrier operations from these two carriers. The carriers were also used to train Landing Signal Officers (LSOs), Flight Deck Officers (FDOs), and other deck crewmembers. The author mentions that future president Geroge H.W. Bush received his carrier qualification on the Great Lakes. The training was not without its share of accidents, which are briefly covered in the book.
Other facts the author writes about is the SABLE being used in trials of the Navy's secret TDN drone aircraft and the WOLVERINE becoming the flagship of the U.S. Navy for a day when Admiral Ernest J. King inspected the ship. Twenty-one pilots were killed during training operations on the Great Lakes with Lake Michigan containing as many as 300 sunken aircraft.
The book is well illustrated with 110 photographs within its 128 pages.
The book also contains some information on the Great Lakes training ship USS WILMETTE (IX-29, ex-SS EASTLAND).
According to the Universal Ship Cancellation Society's (USCS's) Catalog of United States Naval Postmark, Fifth Edition the WOLVERINE's post office was established on 31 January 1943 and disestablished on 30 October 1945. The SABLE's post office was established on 2 August 1943 and disestablished on 25 October 1945. Covers from both vessels have a scarcity code of "C."
I highly recommend this book for U.S. naval aviation and Great Lakes maritime enthusiasts.
Summary of Lake Michigan's Aircraft Carriers (IL) (Images of America)
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.
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