Customer Reviews

Lake Michigan's Aircraft Carriers (IL) (Images of America)

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In the early months of World War II, the United States Navy recognized the need for ships to train pilots in carrier take-offs and landings. Realizing that current aircraft carriers already in service could not be used for this task, another approach was taken. Based on the recommendations of Commander R.F. Whitehead, the Navy acquired two Great Lakes pleasure cruisers: the S.S. Seeandbee and the S.S. Greater Buffalo. These ships were coal-fired sidewheelers which passengers rode on pleasure cruises on the Lakes. They were loaded with luxurious staterooms, atriums, and beautiful furniture. But, due to the needs of the war effort, they were purchased, stripped down, and converted into training aircraft carriers for pilots destined to fight in the Pacific War.

The S.S. Seeandbee became known as the USS Wolverine, and the S.S. Greater Buffalo became known as the USS Sable. Each was dratically changed from their previous appearance so as to incorporate a flight deck and "island". The flight decks were approximately 500 feet long, but there was no way to store aircraft belowdecks. So, land bases were incorporated to house the planes and pilots. Training consisted of take-offs and landings. After a pilot successfully completed 14 of these, they were carrier-qualified and ready to face the enemy.

The primary purpose for designing these ships was so that training would not have to have been conducted in either the Pacific or Atlantic oceans, because the risk of submarine or aerial attack was too great. Plus, escorting ships would have been required. By concentrating training on the Great Lakes, there was no need for escorts or armaments on the carriers. Over 17,000 pilots were qualifed for carrier combat during the war, and many of these pilots, including former President George H.W. Bush, trained on the Wolverine and Sable. These carriers served throughout the war.

This is an excellent book and tells the story of two little-known ships of the U.S. Navy. Despite their autonomy, these ships played a vital role in the war effort. The book is packed with vintage photographs and informative text.

I recommend this book very highly. If you're interested in naval aviation, then this book is a must-read.

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.

During World War II, the U. S. Navy's great need for thousands of trained pilots produced a unique solution. Two Great Lakes excursion ships were converted into training flat-tops, USS Wolverine and USS Sable eventually turning out some 17,000 pilots qualified for carrier duty. Chicago native Paul Somers details the interesting careers of those two ersatz warships in this 2003 release from Arcadia Publishing.

In the fall of 1941, faced with the upcoming demand for thousands of qualified pilots, Commander Richard Whitehead, assigned to the Ninth Naval District, proposed converting existing Great Lakes shipping to serve as training aircraft carriers operating in the Great Lakes. SS Seeandbee and, later, SS Greater Buffalo were purchased, had all pre-war fixtures removed and a flight deck and various other modifications installed. In fairly short order, both were qualifying fighter and bomber pilots including a certain George H. W. Bush. These two unlikely warriers - both of which were paddle-wheelers! - compiled an exemplary war record, being scrapped at war's end.

Somers does a good job detailing and illustrating the Seeandbee/Wolverine and Greater Buffalo/Sable's pre-war careers and WWII activities. The book features over 100 photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams depicting the two ships in all their civilian and military glory.

Having said that, I had to give LAKE MICHIGAN'S AIRCRAFT CARRIERS four stars - actually 4 1/2 - because it lacked an index.

That criticism aside, Somers' book is an excellent, concise and well-illustrated tribute to those two ships. Despite their odd appearance, they rendered invaluable service during World War II. Recommended.

An easy read with a lot of great period photos. My biggest negative criticism is that the first, albeit short, bit of the book tended to get bogged down too heavily in the details of the two donor ships' opulence. I wasn't really concerned with how many toilets were on the vessel or how many state rooms were going to be demolished to make way for the deck. I was much more interested in the ships' service as a training vessel for the armed forces at the time and the rather unique role they played in the Great Lakes region. And for the latter bit, the book lived up to its title just fine. Also, not to spoil the ending, but it was interesting to have some closure to the short lives of the carriers as there were photos of their final days prior to hitting the scrapyard. Very sad, but an excellent book with great historical photos.