​Military Training

Chicago's Navy

​Although Chicago has never seen hostile action of war, the lake has been used since 1901 for naval training. Today, the only remaining indication of this illustrious history is the German U-505 which is housed ashore at the Museum of Science and Industry. During World War II, two steamer ships were converted to aircraft carriers to teach naval pilots to land their planes on a moving target. The USS Wolverine and USS Sable, both coal fired paddle wheelers, were the only aircraft carriers to ever dock in Chicago.