The stars at night are big and bright...

The stars at night are big and bright...
The stars at night are big and bright...

Monday, May 6, 2013

A Sidepaddle Aircraft Carrier?

I consider myself a sightly more informed than the average bear when it comes to military history, especially when it involves naval vessels. But I was stunned to find out there was not one but two sidewheel carriers in the US fleet during WWII. The USS Sable and the USS Wolverine were both converted commercial passenger ships that served as training ships on The Great Lakes. President George H.W. Bush trained on the Sable before shipping out to the PAC Theater.

Sadly, after the war both ships were scrapped and the only sidewheeled carriers in the history of the US Navy were lost forever.

The steamship Greater Buffalo

The converted USS Sable

The steamship Seeandbee

The converted USS Wolverine

There's tons more pics and info here. Thanks to the guys at WIX for their efforts in getting this info out there.

Bonus footage! : 

1 comment:

el chupacabra said...

I am surprised I had never heard of a sidewheel flattop. I even knew GHWB trained on Sable.