Between 1943 and 1945, two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, USS Wolverine and USS Sable, stationed at Navy Pier in Chicago functioned as a training platform for about 17,000 pilots, signal officers and other personnel. Former U.S. President, George H.W. Bush was among the pilots who learned to take off and land on the 500-foot long carrier decks.
The carriers were converted Great Lakes paddle steamers. They had shorter flights decks, no hangar bays, and required enough lake wind for operations.
This is the story of the secret and challenging US Navy Operation during World War Two.
Up Next in Maritime Stories
-
Eastland: The Shipwreck That Shook Am...
On 24 July 1915 the SS Eastland rolled onto its side and sank in the Chicago River, killing 844 passengers that were onboard. This is the story of this tragic event, 'the Blue Collar Titanic', one of the worst maritime disasters in US history.
-
A History of the Cutty Sark
Alice Loxton heads to Royal Museums Greenwich to visit the Cutty Sark, one of the most famous 'clipper' ship that traversed the world’s major trading routes in the late 19th Century. Alice was even lucky enough to climb the rigging of the spectacular tea clipper!
Experience life at sea for yours...
-
Hunt for the U-576
A team of maritime archaeologists descends 700 feet off the coast of North Carolina in search of the U-576, a German submarine that went down in a historic 1942 battle, possibly trapping 45 Nazi sailors inside.
8 Comments