Does anyone here know where one might find pictures and drawings of the training carriers USS Wolverine and USS Sable, the two carriers that were converted from paddle wheel steamers and used in the Great Lakes (primerly in Lake Michigan I believe) by the US Navy? I’ve only seen one picture of the Wolverine in Jane’s All the Worlds Aircraft 1945-1946.
Thanks
Check the Naval institute’s “Naval History Magazine” they ran a story about them in the last 1 or 2 years. They were converted lakes cargo ships, they had no hanger deck or fascilities to refuel or repair aircraft. If you broke down after you landed the ship had to go to port to have the aircraft lifted off by crane. after the war they were modified back to merchant service, but I don’t remember what happened after that.
If you go to Model Warships web site.A friend of mine is doing a scratch build in 1/72 scale of the USS Wolverine.He had to really search for plans and stuff.He’s building it for The Kalamazoo Air Zoo Museum.One of the their planes is off this ship.The Builders name is Bill Waldorf he’s a great model builder.He has some of our club members doing figures and planes.It will be done the first of August.
Rod
try this link mentioned by millard http://www.shipmodels.info/mwphpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1575
Pictures of those ships are extremely difficult to come by. I have seen only a few. Several months ago someone on ebay outbid me on a group of large fromat negatives of one of them. Some years ago I saw an unbelievably detailed model of one of these ships at the maritime museum in Chigaco. I think it was 1/48 scale, it was huge. It was full hull but set in water so that you could see above and below the water line. Because the water was even sculpted you could put your eye at water level and imagine being on a boat and watching her go by. I have no idea who the modeller was or where he got the information, it is one of the most detailed ship models I have ever seen, it was nothing short of amazing. I can not remember though if it was the former “Seeandbee” or the “Greater Buffalo”. I just remember looking at all the carrier deck supports and the paddle wheels and being blown away by the detail. The Dossin museum in Detroit also has a gigantic cutaway model of the “Greater Detroit/Greater Buffalo” showing how they looked when new. This model is really cool because you can see the engines, kitchens, cabins and lounges. It is turely a masterpiece of the modellers art.
Check out these 2 pages from navsource.org
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/46064.htm
http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/46081.htm
It’s their pages on both ships.
FSM published an article on this subject.
Huge paddlewheel aircraft carrier by Lawrence Hansen
Fine Scale Magazine: May 2003
Scale : 1/72
Era : WWII
Bill Ballenger’s scratchbuilt replica of a World War II training ship.