9 photos of the USS Wolverine, a strange WWII aircraft carrier that was originally a luxury paddlewheel steamer - This is the SS Seeandbee in 1912, decades before the US purchased it in March 1942.jpg ...

In article , Mitchell Holman
says...

Miloch wrote in
news
...short read plus good pics

https://www.businessinsider.com/9-ph...-a-weird-wwii-
carrier-originally-cruise-ship-2018-7

The USS Wolverine is one of the oddest aircraft carriers in US Navy
history.



Since it didn't actually "carry" any planes
but just served as a "touch and go" landing
platform can it really be called a carrier?

Dumb question, I know, but there you go...



Built in 1912, the Wolverine was originally a side-wheel steamer
called the SS Seeandbee that was used for luxury cruises on the Great
Lakes. But it got a second career when it was bought by the US Navy in
1942 as the service rapidly stood up a carrier force to answer
Japanese aggression.

By January 1943, the Wolverine had been converted into an aircraft
carrier to train naval aviators and flight deck crews for World War
II.

It was based in Navy Pier in Chicago so that it could operate in Lake
Michigan, but it lacked many features that combat carriers have, such
as elevators and hangar decks.

During WWII, the Wolverine, along with its sister trainer, the USS
Sable, conducted more than 120,000 landings and qualified more than
35,000 pilots.


I always wondered about the training for
LSO's. Surely they were instructed on how to
signal pilots how to land on carriers, but
where?



https://www.globalsecurity.org/milit...ship/ix-64.htm


"Fitted with a 550-foot flight deck, Wolverine began her new job in January
1943, to be joined by her sister Sable in May. Operating various aircraft out of
NAS Glenview, the two paddle-wheelers afforded invaluable training not only to
pilots, but to smaller numbers of Landing Signal Officers (LSO) as well. As the
Navy's first side-wheeled aircraft carrier, Wolverine was equipped to handle
plane take-offs and landings, a vital duty that she performed for the duration
of World War II. She contributed to the winning war effort in World War II by
training hundreds of pilots in basic carrier operations.



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