The Navy Had Freshwater Carriers
The Atlantic Fleet and the Pacific Fleet are the current divisions of the US aircraft carrier fleet. Since it makes sense, every other nation in the world that owns an aircraft carrier also has it stationed in an ocean. Where else might a person ever require such a vessel?
The USS Wolverine and the USS Sable were the two most distinctive carriers in US Navy history. When most other ships had switched to fuel oil, both of these carriers continued to use coal. And although that is undeniably significant, that wasn't what made them unique.
A long way from any ocean, the Sable and the Wolverine were both stationed in Lake Michigan. These were crucial to the war effort because on these two ships, before venturing out into the ocean, thousands of navy aviators trained how to take off and land at sea.
Initially, the Wolverine was a paddle-wheel steamboat. A slightly bigger paddle-wheel liner than the Wolverine, the Sable was also modified for military usage. Because the military lacked ready-made ships to utilize in the war effort after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, they converted Wolverine and Sable from their previous uses as opulent tourist ships. By 1943, the ships were providing training for 100 pilots every day. Both ships were swiftly decommissioned and turned into scrap after the war.
