Today we take a look at how the USN came to operate a pair of paddlewheel coal fired carriers on the Great Lakes.
Sources:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michigans-Aircraft-Carriers-Images-America-ebook/dp/B0093X45E2/
http://www.nnapprentice.com/alumni/letter/PADDLEWHEEL_AIRCRAFT_CARRIERS_082109.pdf
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-Fleet-Great-Lakes-World/dp/0814324797/
Naval History books, use code ‘DRACH’ for 25% off – https://www.usni.org/press/books?f%5B0%5D=subject%3A1966
Free naval photos and channel posters – www.drachinifel.co.uk
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‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
source
Pinned post for Q&A 🙂
Being a Wisconsin native from Milwaukee, it’s nice to see mention of these unique flattops. A shame one wasn’t preserved as a museum. Due to all the accidents, there are still many wonderful aircraft in the lake waiting to be pulled up and restored.
I read that some of the crew were from the sunken Lexington and Yorktown. Imagine going from fighting for survival at Coral Sea and Midway to the less stressful duty of training near Chicago!
I wonder how many Naval pilots were trained by Japan during the whole of the Second World War. Any idea?
HAHAHA The hunt for a suitable vicitm LMAO.
As much as I know about WWII history, I have never before heard of these ships and the incredible contribution to the war effort they made! The one thing I would have liked to know is if they received any unit awards. The letter that was quoted at the end sounded like a great start to a Naval Unit Commendation citation.
That those companies didn't keep the carriers as is (while also purchasing some surplus WW2 aircraft) and offer their services to thrill seekers is beyond me…sounds like a decent business model!
7:20 Anybody know what roller coaster that is in the background?
great post man!!
I knew the Lakes Carriers were a good idea, but I didn't realize how perfect the solution actually was. How weird to get a story where a government gets a visit from the good idea fairy and doesn't screw it up in any meaningful way.
Glad this finally got covered! A local naval history favorite.
US: starts building aircraft carriers on the Great Lakes
Canada: chuckles I'm in danger
Excellent video, as always. It was so interesting to hear about the Wolverine and Sable paddle-steam carriers and the role the Great Lakes played in training so many pilots.
I have been waiting for this one for yonks!
What a shame that the seaway wasn't built. It would have been brilliant to have been able to watch this pair as a carrier task group taking on the IJN.
Oh well, when I invent my time machine. Sigh!
I've been looking forward to this for ages – fascinating ships
How is the united states still an english speaking country
we left a quarter of a millennium ago and americans are mostly hispanic and irish
its bizarre honestly, even jorge washington (shultzheimerbergstein) wanted the states to be spanish speaking thats why he fought a war against us
Thanks Drach.
Funny enough, there is a German U-boat resident in the area — U-505 at the science museum — though obviously it wasn't present at the time.
Anyone know of drawings for either of these ships? Would make a great model.
Dug into this bit of history back in the 1990s. An editor of a diving magazine living in Superior told me there are around 450 WWII era aircraft scattered on the bottom of Lake Michigan, most of them in the vicinity of Glenview NAS. He dove on a lot of them and discussed it with fellow divers who have done the same as well as salvage operators on Lake Michigan. The trouble isn't finding them-it's getting them. The US Navy doesn't let go of ANYthing they paid for. And they watch, they confiscate and they press charges.
Local here, Elgin is pronounced with a soft G rather than a hard G
A party ain’t a real party until someone ends up in Lake Michigan
I wish you would collaborate with Mike Brady from “Oceanliner Designs” sometime, you two both would have so much to talk about, I feel!
You have to laugh at the sheer steampunk ridiculousness of a coal fired paddle-wheel aircraft carrier, but at the same time using these for training was an ingenious idea for all the reasons mentioned in the video.
And you also have to gawk at the industrial might and wealth of the US, that they could afford to unceremoniously kip damaged planes over the side just in order to keep up the rate of flight ops.
Thank you for making this video. The role of the Great Lakes in WW II is often overlooked. It is good to see one of our biggest contributions highlighted.
Shocked by the number of flight training accidents in general in ww2 was the training inadequate or were some pilots unqualified.
Im still trying to find out the song in the beginning of the video
Hi. Can you please make some video about SS Bessemer. Thanks
Great Video. Thanks for covering these wonderful carriers of the Corn belt fleet.
Thanks for posting. I used to live in Illinois, but now live in Michigan.
Thanks!