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USS Wolverine IX-64 (WWII)

The USS Wolverine was an aircraft carrier that was used during the second World War by the United States Navy. Originally the boat had been a paddle wheel steamer named the Seeandbee. The ship was converted for use a training vehicle so that navy airmen could practice takeoffs and landings on the ship. The USS Wolverine was a freshwater vessel and was based in Chicago.

The ship was originally owned by the Cleveland and Buffalo Transit Company. Once the Navy purchased the ship they began to work on the conversion from excursion steamer to aircraft carrier. The aircraft carrier was named after Michigan, which is known as the Wolverine State. It took the name because of plans to operate the training vessel on Lake Michigan. The IX was military lingo for unclassified vehicle, because the USS Wolverine was not considered an aircraft carrier, but rather a training vehicle. The transition from passenger vessel to military craft was rapid. The redesign called for a steel structure to support the wooden landing deck. The rooms that had been ornately decorated before were stripped bare. The ship was acquired by the Navy in March of 1942, and she entered service in January of 1943. The USS Wolverine was used throughout World War II to train pilots and landing officers.

The need to train pilots spawned the idea of converting the steam wheeler into a training vessel. While it was difficult to simulate accurately the conditions that a pilot would experience in an open water landing situation, it was important that the pilots receive some training. There were limitations to using the paddle wheel boat for training missions, but the value exceeded the drawbacks. The pilots that trained on the USS Wolverine were new graduates of flight training school, and landing an aircraft on open water was unlike anything that they had ever experienced. Using the paddle wheeler provided valuable training for the members of the Navy that would soon be in combat. Using the USS Wolverine on Lake Michigan did more than train the pilots for landing. For those unfortunate pilots that received their training during the winter months, they learned a good deal about toughness and mental strength as they flew their open cockpit planes over Lake Michigan.

The drawback of using the ship was related to the size of the ship. While a 550 foot flight deck seems large, it did not compare with the size of an ocean going vessel. With no hanger deck there was nowhere to move planes that crashed or were otherwise unusable. The limited storage space meant that only so many landings could be performed in any one day. Another problem with landing on Lake Michigan was that the weather conditions were different than on the open water. To land safely the planes required a certain amount of wind over deck (WOD). If the Wolverine could not move quickly enough to generate the required WOD, flying would be suspended for the day. Several days of less than favorable weather conditions would soon lead to pilots clamouring for their turn in the planes. The USS Wolverine was in operation every day that the weather cooperated from the time that she was rebuilt to the time she was decommissioned.

While the limitations of training for ocean landings on an aircraft carrier with freshwater landings on a converted steamboat are apparent, they were not insurmountable. The training provided by the USS Wolverine proved invaluable to those aviators who were fortunate enough to train on the ship. The USS Wolverine was not the only paddle wheel ship that was converted for use as a training vehicle. Another, the USS Sable was used as well. Between the two ships, over 120,000 successful landings were conducted and around 17,000 aviators were trained on landing aircraft. In the three years that the steamboats were used as training vehicles, about 120 aircraft were lost, and there were approximately 200 accidents on board. Most of these accidents were not serious, but there were eight fatalities. These fatalities and accidents cannot diminish the importance of the work completed by the USS Wolverine. Without the Wolverine and the Sable it is unlikely that the United States could have fought World War II, a war in both oceans, as effectively as it did.

Once World War II ended, the need for training of aircraft pilots diminished. In November of 1945 the Wolverine was decommissioned, and eventually sold for scrap. The USS Wolverine and USS Sable hold the distinction of being the only aircraft carriers that were made for use on inland waterways by the Navy. The USS Wolverine had another important honor. On October 27, 1943, Admiral Ernest J. King, the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations was on board the USS Wolverine. During this time, the Wolverine was the flagship of the United States Navy.

If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Wolverine, or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, Asbestos.com offers a free packet with more information. Enter your contact information in the form in the right column and we'll send a copy immediately.

Aircraft Carriers Index

USS America USS Antietam CV 36 K USS Antietam CV 36 USS Badoeng Strait CVE 116 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Belleau wood CVL 24 USS Bennington CV 20 USS Bon Homme Richard CVa USS Boxer CV USS Bunker CV USS Cabot CVL 28 USS Constellation CV USS Coral Sea CV USS Corregidor CVE 58 USS Sable ix USS San jacinto CVL USS Saratoga CV USS Saratoga CV3 USS Shangri La

USS Cowpens CVL 25 USS Enterprise CV 6 USS Enterprise CVN USS Essex CV 9 USS Forrestal CV USS Franklin CV 13 USS Hancock CV 19 USS Hornet CV 12 USS Hornet CV 8 USS Independence C1 USS Independence CVL 22 USS Intrepid CV 11 USS Kearsage CV 33 USS Kearsage CV USS Kitty Hawk USS Sicily CVe USS Sitkoh bay USS Tarawa CV USS Ticonderoga CV USS Valley forge CV

USS Lake Champlain CV 39 USS Langley CV 1 USS Langley CVL 27 USS Lexington CV 16 USS Lexington CV 2 USS Leyte CV 32 USS Midway CV USS Oriskany CV USS Phillipine Sea CV USS Point cruz CVE USS Princeton CV USS Princeton CVL USS Randolph CV USS Ranger CV USS Rendova USS Wasp CV 18 USS Wasp CV 7 USS Wolverine IX 64 USS Yorktown CV 10 USS Yorktown CV 5

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