Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Richard Jenkins wrote:Greater Detroit remained a passenger ship to the end, and was scrapped in 1956-1957. She was an identical sistership to the Greater Buffalo, which became the training carrier U.S.S. Sable. Greater Detroit and Greater Buffalo share the distinction of being the largest "pure" paddle steamers ever built. (The Great Eastern was larger, but she had a screw propeller and sails in addition to her sidewheels.)

Thanks Richard.

Greater Detroit remained a passenger ship to the end, and was scrapped in 1956-1957. She was an identical sistership to the Greater Buffalo, which became the training carrier U.S.S. Sable. Greater Detroit and Greater Buffalo share the distinction of being the largest "pure" paddle steamers ever built. (The Great Eastern was larger, but she had a screw propeller and sails in addition to her sidewheels.)

The other was the Seandbee which became the USS Wolverine.

Harry Dean wrote:Question
During the 1940s one ship I fired on was the greater detroit,
later heard it was turned into an aircraft carrier.
Does anyone have information on this history? Thanks.

If you mean the Greater Buffalo, running from Buffalo to Detroit, she was converted into the USS Sable, one of the two auxiliary carriers operating on the Great Lakes to train pilots during World War 2. Her area of operations was off of the Chicago Lake Front, and the planes doing the takeoffs and landings operated out of Glenview Naval Air Station.

See the following info on Wikipedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sable_%28IX-81%29

Also see Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s2/sable.htm

Question
During the 1940s one ship I fired on was the greater detroit,
later heard it was turned into an aircraft carrier.
Does anyone have information on this history? Thanks.