An aircraft carrier out of a paddle-wheeler - who'd have thought it!? Which one of these ship refits was your favourite? For me it has got to be SS Seeandbee. Kudos and big thanks to Alexander Kostov of ScoreTwins for the fancy new intro music! Check out his work at; www.scoretwins.com/ ~Mike

@roboboydax

3 ай бұрын

I agree with your pick Mike. Though, it was an unusual career like you said it’s an interesting story deserving of it’s own video.

@abyssminiaturestudios6103

3 ай бұрын

Another fantastic video,have you heard of the s.s. Ticonderoga, the last walking beam side wheeler

@nebula4702

3 ай бұрын

Bro said famed british battlecruisers like they didn't all blow up in battle

@michaelglinski3809

3 ай бұрын

The Air Zoo in Kalamazoo, MI has actually pulled up and restored a number of the training aircraft that ended up at the bottom of Lake Michigan as a result of accidents. They did a Dauntless a while back, and (iirc) are currently restoring a Wildcat. I can't confirm which carrier they were based off of, but the museum also had a LOVELY model of the Wolverine in 1/72. Definitely worth a look if you're in the area.

@Superchamp22

3 ай бұрын

Gotta love the Paddler to Aircraft carrier transformation

Hey, it’s our friend, Mike Brady, from Oceanliner Designs!

@bruce70403

3 ай бұрын

Mike Brady sounds like a rappers name. Lol

@jooei2810

3 ай бұрын

Our friend, Mike Brady, the best friend you can have!

@sasukeuchiha-vz4fe

3 ай бұрын

Omg 😱 he’s your friend too??

@tutorial_builder

3 ай бұрын

Iconic phrase

@minorityofthought1306

3 ай бұрын

Yes, we've been friends for years. Mike really gets around.

A paddle-wheel aircraft carrier is the most steampunk thing I've ever heard. All she needed was a zeppelin mast.

@domfjbrown75

3 ай бұрын

It's well cool!!!!

@jackthorton10

3 ай бұрын

So, I am assuming that their is some steampunk anime out their they has this as a location, I mean… of course such a thing would had to been created

@WilliamRWarrenJr

3 ай бұрын

And a Jeff Wayne soundtrack! 🎵😂🤣👍🖖

@WilliamRWarrenJr

3 ай бұрын

​@@jackthorton10 yes, but nothing "canon" or "official"

@Schlipperschlopper

3 ай бұрын

I would love to see that giant thing with my own eyes!

The HMS Zubian's origin is one of the wildest true stories I've ever heard.

@SennaAugustus

3 ай бұрын

There's the opposite of Zubian, which is Porcupine, who was split into Pork and Pine.

@Grandmaster-G

3 ай бұрын

They should've made the 'Nubulu' as well...😁

@lafeelabriel

3 ай бұрын

@@Grandmaster-G Neither of the other halves was in any state to be put together sadly.

@DrBovdin

2 ай бұрын

@@lafeelabriel Then we should at least offer our respect to the grand struck warship Nubulu and her war effort 😊

The biggest thing that the Seeandbee had going for it was that it was laid up and available. And by the end of the war, she and her sister were just plain worn out. They were already old when they were converted, and the war basically finished wearing them out.

The S.S. Suevic incident is one of my favorites in all of nautical history, as it shows the lengths White Star Line would go to save their vessels. I also use it as a way to disprove the Olympic/Titanic switch theory, because if White Star was willing to blow the bow off an older Australian cargo vessel to save it, They’d patch some holes in the stern of their gleaming new transatlantic flagship. Great video as always, Mike!

@sc1338

3 ай бұрын

Totally true, awesome story

@KPW2137

3 ай бұрын

Ah, the switch theory. Let's not even get started on this one, it's patently dumb.

@zombiedoggie2732

3 ай бұрын

@@KPW2137 Yet people still believe it. Somehow being able to switch all the fine furnishes, and sticking an entire new room, Not to mention, entire suites, into a ship within what, weeks? It isn't possible. Of course majority of these people do not know the differences between Titanic and Olympics' layouts. They just go "Oh two ships that look similar, One happened to have it's hole patched up! Conspiricccyyy..."

@KPW2137

3 ай бұрын

Yep, and it's even dumber than just that because all the rationale behind the swapping makes no sense. Not to mention that it would be pretty much impossible to cover up. Not with all the people that would have to get involved in. @@zombiedoggie2732

@davidjones332

3 ай бұрын

More to the point, how did White Star manage to buy the silence of two ships' companies of 2000 people, a whole shipyard and the entire population of Southampton while they pulled this stunt off? It's amazing what tripe some people will believe.@@zombiedoggie2732

HMS Furious sister ship to Courageous had a bizarre original design of 2 18 inch guns, she became the most heavily armed aircraft carrier in the world as during the experimental conversion they kept the aft 18 inch gun.

@hudsonball4702

3 ай бұрын

Only the Yamatos had 18 inch guns. If you mean 18cm, they yes you are correct.

@masterdynamo6457

3 ай бұрын

@@hudsonball4702 Incorrect. The Courageous-class battlecruiser mounted two twin 381 mm( 15") guns in an A-X configuration. Furious, a modification of the Courageous-class, instead mounted two single 457 mm (18") guns. As completed, she kept the after 18" gun, but the fore gun was replaced with a flying-off deck. This indeed makes her the most heavily armed aircraft carrier ever built.

@dovetonsturdee7033

3 ай бұрын

@@hudsonball4702 Wrong. Furious did indeed put to sea with an 18 inch gun. As did HMS General Wolfe, and HMS Lord Clive, WW1 monitors.

@rwdavidoff

3 ай бұрын

Furious is so wild, because she was converted in phases, initially at one point having a flying-off deck up front, a landing deck in the back, but her original superstructure amidships with ramps for moving planes around outboard of it (plus actually setting to sea with the 18" gun as mentioned).

@rwdavidoff

3 ай бұрын

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/SSZ_airship_aboard_HMS_Furious_1918_IWM_Q_20640.jpg

Interesting about the bow removal. Many warships lost their bows in action, and there are hilarious stories of ships steaming backwards across the Pacific, or with temporary bows made from coconut logs!

Being from Michigan I always like the Great Lakes content. My favorite lake conversion is the Lee Tregurtha / USS Chiwawa. The Tregurtha was converted from a fleet oiler to a bulk carrier. She still sails the Great Lakes displaying the 6 battle stars she earned during WWII.

@American_Savage

3 ай бұрын

You’re not from Michigan dude.

@PereMarquette1223

3 ай бұрын

Many oil tankers got this conversion. The Lee Tregurtha is the last one left sailing

@484berkshire

3 ай бұрын

@@PereMarquette1223 And don't forget the former Victory ship that became the Cliffs Victory - the only Great Lakes ore carrier ever built with with 2 separate holds.

@kevinbrower233

3 ай бұрын

The Canadian Transfer, a Great Lakes ship, was cobbled together from two very different ships.

@twilightparanormalresearch186

3 ай бұрын

@@American_Savagecan you prove he’s not

I remember reading about these paddlewheel carriers. At first, the concept looked ridiculous but when you consider what they were built for, when they were built and what was achieved they actually made a lot of sense.

@oceanlinerfan

2 ай бұрын

i like japanese carriers like ijn akagi and kaga because the way they were built they were tall and they had these huge support pillars on the bow and stern they were gonna be yamato class battle ships but were changed last minute but they shock me because they way they were built

@JacenHawk

2 ай бұрын

​@@oceanlinerfanwell that is just incorrect. Akagi was laid down as an Amagi-class Battlecruiser and Kaga was laid down as a Tosa-class Battleship, both being 1920s designs. Originally Kaga was to be scrapped with Amagi being the 2nd, but after Amagi was severely damaged in an earthquake she was scrapped and Kaga was converted instead. This actually caused some minor problems as Kaga was much slower than almost all other fleet carriers. The carrier that was a converted Yamato-class Battleship was the Shinano.

The crashes while training on Sable and Wolverine have provided a great number of raised and restored warbirds for us to enjoy. The ice cold fresh water is less corrosive.

@JacenHawk

2 ай бұрын

Sadly in recent years invasive mussels have all but destroyed most that weren't already recovered.

USS Wolverine and USS Sable were hugely underrated. Yes, they were not the mighty fleet carriers with a kill counts to brag but those carriers won’t have a fine pilots and aces without these two.

As a born and raised Michigan native, I love the Great Lakes content! For some reason I get the image stuck in my head that Great Lakes ships were primarily for cargo. Thanks for shedding light on the passenger & wartime ships!

@garthsnidpick4151

3 ай бұрын

hello . i'm a "yooper" and had a gloriuos 91 day sailing career aboard the M.V. BURNS HARBOR. what a fantastic summer that was...you should try it learn how to bake/make deserts and apply for cooks assistant. great money and great memories..................no previous expiernce needed

@Daniel_Huffman

Ай бұрын

To be fair, many of the more well-known vessels that operated in the Great Lakes were cargo ships, namely bulk carriers.

I just want to say thanks for reliably doing videos where no one dies. There is a tendency among ship tube for creators to get more and more "true crime channel! but ships!" over time and you've managed to avoid that trap, and AS A criminologist I really appreciate it.

@marckyle5895

3 ай бұрын

Drachinifel does do warships, but he doesn't glory in the death and destruction they deal in.

@SewingandSnakes

3 ай бұрын

@@marckyle5895I mean, that's the thing. Yes people do go down with ships, but **less** people will go down in future if we learn from an accident and fix the root cause. Even amongst those who will never see a warship or go on a cruise, I bet way more people now pay attention to where the emergency exits are when they enter a crowded building because of people like Mike and Drach.

@bionicgeekgrrl

3 ай бұрын

​@SewingandSnakes in a similar vein this is why air travel has become so much safer after meticulous reconstruction and investigations lead to more and more regulations and design improvements.

The Italian dreadnought modernization in the 30s and the Ocean liner SS Roma being turned into the Italian Aircraft carrier Aquila would be a good addition to the video

YES! Finally, someone is talking about the paddle wheel carriers. I love it. Interestingly, the paddle wheel riverboat Delta Queen was also used in WWII and transported wounded crew from the navy to hospital areas on the west coast.

@iankerridge5720

3 ай бұрын

Drachinifel already had a video out, mentionind them

@JacenHawk

2 ай бұрын

He actually just did a half hour video covering them.

@elliottsaucedo442

2 ай бұрын

@@iankerridge5720 I know, but it’s cool to see more than just one person talk about something. Sometimes they have different material to present

Confusion is an understatement for the Germans at Zubian's appearance, I imagine. The hell the intelligence service got for missing an entire ship's production is pretty funny to imagine.

I had just learned about the Wolverine and the Sable from a war bird channel. Thanks for the more in-depth dive focusing on the ship more than the planes.

@OceanlinerDesigns

3 ай бұрын

That’s a funny coincidence!

@mh53j

3 ай бұрын

Were there any fatalities aboard these ships during flight operations that could be traced to the shortcomings in the modifications? Several years ago someone made a model of one of these carriers, forgot what scale it was; maybe 1/72. It was in Fine Scale Modeler magazine.

@russelljohnson6267

3 ай бұрын

​​@@mh53jnot necessarily due to the ships themselves but there were a few trainees killed. fortunately less than a dozen of the several thousand pilots to come through but some of the trainee pilots who were involved in mishaps in training were killed. Most if not all of them drowning when the planes went off the end of the flight deck or over the side on landing.

@JacenHawk

2 ай бұрын

If you want an even more in-depth look at them, Drachinifel just did a half hour video on them a few days ago.

Another stitched together ship is USS Wisconsin (BB-64). In 1956 in heavy fog, she ran into USS Eaton. The then languishing partially built USS Kentucky (a 5th Iowa class battleship) had her bow cut off and grafted onto USS Wisconsin bringing Wisconsin back to full functionality.

@jacobdill4499

2 ай бұрын

Technically, Kentucky was the 6th Iowa class ship.

Good on Suevic for briefly becoming the world's longest ship

The story of the Suevic and the mention of the longest ship in the world, was wonderful. I had a little chuckle over that. Thanks mate. 🙂

@aslamnurfikri7640

3 ай бұрын

Another ship with that title is USS Pitssburgh who lost her bow after a typhoon. It was later recovered by a tugboat and nicknamed McKeesport after a suburbs in Pittsburgh

Holy crap it made me SO unbelievably happy to see Zubian in this video, I keep forgetting her name but when you mentioned another Frankenship I knew _exactly_ who it was!

SS Suevic. 508km long from stem to stern. TAKE THAT, TITANIC!

@ChrisCooper312

2 ай бұрын

In comparison, Titanic is only about 1km from stem to stern.

A ship to look into is the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Argus. An over 40yr old converted container ship with war honours still in active service today as a hospital, aviation training, lateral strike ship.

I just love the USS See and Bee. A converted paddle steamer was something unexpected to hear, but that's just what makes her unique. Even whilst she never served in active combat, Wolverine and her shipmate arguably served the more important role of training the air men responsible for delivering some of the most crucial and decisive victories for the US in the Pacific.

I just learned about the USS Wolverine last week from the AirZoo in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They even have some aircraft that served aboard her as trainers on display. Very interesting,

This here is the best documentary channel of the great ocean liners of the times.

Those two _freshwater 'carriers'_ are quite fascinating, plus they worked well. Thanks.

Seeing just the bow of a ship being launched down a slipway made my day.

SS Seeandbee was an old ship. She got a new lease on life as USS Wolverine. USS Wolverine and USS Sable were, I'll argue, almost critical to teaching our carrier Aviators how to land, thus enhancing our odds in the PTO.

As a Briton, I'm grateful for Mike's insightful presentation that highlights the nation's shipbuilding legacy. It's a poignant reminder of our once-great industry and the engineering giants it produced. While it's sad to see its demise, especially in my region of Scotland, it astounds me that we once had people with the brains to fashion two ships together, compared to now, when Scotland can't even produce a single ferry without it ending in shambles. Your dedication ensures these stories live on, inspiring many, myself included. Thank you, Mike, for preserving our heritage.

Mike, you forgot to add this video to the Ship Makeover playlist. Anyways, good video as always

I love the look of the seeandbee so much it’s become my favorite paddle wheel ship by far

@kyleshape8645

2 ай бұрын

For me, nothing beats Waverly, but Seeandbee is a close one; a truly beautiful ship.

Another ship you may want to consider for being made over is SS Governor Cobb. This ship has the double distinction of being not only the first American-built ship to be powered by steam turbines, but also, late in her career, of becoming the world's first helicopter carrier. My Grandfather was First Mate when it was taken to Philadelphia. And was aboard when the navy inspected it.

From a Light Cruiser to a Carrier... Would love to see you cover the USS Independence class of carriers... Great and very informative video... keep up the awesome work...

19 minutes was the exact amount of time to eat lunch. Thanks Mike!

Finally, some more information about the USS Wolverine and Sable!

@453castle

3 ай бұрын

Thanks Mike, my uncles always talked about the side wheel carriers when the grew up in Chicago

Mike, When my Father (born 1926) was a boy, they used to travel from Buffalo, NY to Ohio to visit his mother's family and frequently the first leg of the trip was on SEEANDBEE. Years later, we be came acquainted with a friend of his cousin here in Buffalo that worked on building the carriers. One of the pilots that qualified on SABLE was George Herbert Walker Bush, later President of the United States.

This video is fascinating! I enjoyed your coverage of the old Seeandbee. Several of my relatives traveled on her, and the stories of her relative opulence and good times had aboard her were handed down in my family :) This video demonstrates that ingenuity comes in many forms. Great job!

Your Buster Keaton cameos are absolutely incredible. Lol Love the Great Lakes content, we who are surrounded be these incredible bodies of water, salute you!

You’ll LOVE the story of USS Pittsburgh (CA-72). After it’s bow broke off in a typhoon, it went to Guam for temporary repairs before proceeding to Puget Sound in Washington. Thing is it’s bow was found bobbing around upside down where it was towed to Guam, where it stayed. As measured from stem to stern, one source cites 5,656 miles long. 🤣

I actually found out about the Seeandbee when reading the "Nickel Plate Story" (A book about the New York Chicago & St.Louis railroad) and instantly fell in love with her quirky design. You have no idea how surprised I was when i found out she was converted to an aircraft carrier. A strange one at that too.

@SteamCrane

2 ай бұрын

Have it, great book! I watched the Berkshires flying by until I was a teenager.

A great show today Mike! And thanks for bringing us inside SS Seeandbee, I've known about USS Wolverine for years but always wondered what it looked like as a Great Lakes steamer. It looked pretty darn good! Imagine a lake cruise on something like her today!

The importance of the role USS Wolverine (and Sable) played in helping the USN train pilots is definitely understated. Being able to equip the Essex-Swarm with well trained pilots was a huge advantage.

I always like before I watch because I already know that the video will be great!

You should have mentioned the SS Stubby, the front and rear sections of the first 1000 ft ore carrier on the Great Lakes. The Stubby was built on the East Coast and sailled through the Wellington Canal to Erie Pennsylvania where it was cut in half and welded to the midsection that was built on the Great Lakes, and became the Stuart J. Cort. You do a great job with your channel.

@terrywiggins1736

3 ай бұрын

*Welland

@nursestoyland

3 ай бұрын

Was the SS Stubby named after Sgt. Stubby, the war dog?

_Courageous_ and _Glorious_ were such 'successes' as battlecruisers that their sister, _Furious,_ never had her forward turret installed and became a testbed as both a carrier, with a flight deck mounted in front of the superstructure, and an 18" gun in her rear turret replacing the twin 15" guns her sisters had. Like her sisters, _Furious_ was eventually refit with a full-length flight deck.

A lot of the early carriers were indeed conversions, many come to mind - Langley (CV-1), Lexington and Saratoga (CV-2 and 3), courageous and glorious as mentioned, kaga and akagi for the japanese and so on...

Mike, another brilliant episode. You are providing such a great service to maritime history, not to mention great entertainment. Bless you!

You mentioned the difficulty in joining the HMS Nubian and HMS Zulu was they were of different beams. That sounded odd as they were both of the Tribal class. Did some research and found out the Tribal class was a set of specs and each shipyard was free to design them differently. This made each of the 12 built unique.

The USA's paddle-wheel aircraft-carriers have always been a source of great delight for me.

The SS Suevic has got to be my favorite funny ocean liner stories. despite initial seriousness, and the straining efforts of all involved, it is just gold.

The Suevic made me think of a person getting a leg or arm amputated and having a prosthetic attached. That made me lol. Excellent video as always, Mike!

@laratheplanespotter

3 ай бұрын

Btw I’ve literally just been to Chatham dockyard. I live in it!

@scotpens

3 ай бұрын

It made me think more of the way modern large ships are built. Entire sections are prefabricated and then assembled, like gigantic Lego blocks!

@laratheplanespotter

3 ай бұрын

@@scotpens it’s like some cruise ships being sliced in half and then extending them by adding new sections.

@rolfjensen7650

2 ай бұрын

If my memory is correct, she later had her stern changed. And ended her life as a whaleship.

Great video, as always! BTW, amongst the many ships that were converted into aircraft carrier, there is the strange case of Ise and Hyūga, two japanese battleships that were only half turned into aircraft carrier, staying half battleship on the forward part...

Great video as usual Imagine blowing the bow off a ship, steaming the stern to a yard, putting a new bow on it and sailing it again!

Merch request: ball caps and coffee mugs with YFMB printed in early 20th century font!! “Your Friend Mike Brady.”

!! Wolverine mention !! The aircraft museum at Willow Run has a really cool exhibit about WW2 training on the Great Lakes, centered around a mostly intact crashed SBD Dauntless from 1943, recovered in 1996. It's definitely worth a visit if you're in the Detroit area.

Jackie Fisher was one mad genius. The Spurious and Outrageous were not his best work but his legacy still lives to this day OMG!

My mother took a trip on SS Seeandbee, it was a classy boat. Wolverine and Sable probably saved many aviators' lives by providing carrier training in a controlled environment.

The Courageous class was a key part of the Fisher's Baltic Plan. Very specific designs for the shallow waters of the Baltic.

Excellent video, as always. Thanks Mike!

I simply LOVE your ship makeover videos 🥹

I learned about the wolverine on a visit to chicago, it's one of those things your rarely here about but when you do, it makes so much sense. the great lakes are in land seas and made it possible to train pilots in perfect safety.

Brilliant video, these are some very bizarre and interesting ship makeovers, what amazing stories

Out of the weirdest ship conversion list in the video, I don't think nothing tops this ship conversion I know of. How about the Ostpreussen? A freighter made from *two U-Boats?*

@oldtimegames96

3 ай бұрын

May I ask for a bit more details about this ship?

Mike Brady, as always, great information provided with class and detail. Thank you!

That new intro is absolutely amazing!

Bro thanks sooo much this is my favourite series

..I knew about the aircraft carriers in our lake here in Chicago, but not of the other modifications here, great job! I'm always learning something new here!

What a fun video. Some cool stories told in such a fashionable way. Thanks.

Good stuff as always. Thanks!😊

Ooh, new intro! I've heard about the Zubian before, it's always been a very funny story to me! But I hadn't heard of the USS Wolverine! As someone who digs paddle ships, that's probably my favorite!

I found it crazier that the seeandbee hadn’t been scrapped

Great video! WOW!! in the ship's designs and conversions.

Good one Mike, thanks for covering them.

I also liked the USS SEE ANDBEE . when you said side steam paddle boat my first thought ( jokingly ) was" I wonder if Mark Twain was part of the crew ? " . Those were some very interesting stories and I loved your term " Frankenship " . Keep up the great work and much respect from Dundalk , Maryland 👍👍

This is the Best channel... always interesting and amusing!

“Necessity really is the mother of invention” as these ships have proven. Thank you for another great Sunday afternoon.

This may be one of the most interesting and fascinating episodes on your channel. Your photo documentation is truly remarkable. Thanks so much for this brilliant vblog.

This was an Outstanding video. Great job Mike.

I love the great lake paddle wheel aircraft carrier

This us the kind of history that fascinates me. Keep it up.

Interesting and informative video. Very surprised that you were able to find those old "moving pictures" and still photos of the ships.

Fascinating stories told respectfully. Good job.

What a great vid, very informative, with some hysterical graphics! Yay!

I like the new intro. Really wild makeovers! Thanks

Fresh water aircraft carriers! Something I had never heard of before. Thanks Mike, for another interesting and well made video

Hi Mike nice Channel Ocean liner Designs you do a nice job at it love it

Fascinating as always, thank you.

The Great Lakes training facility just north of Chicago. I believe is still one of the largest training facilities the Navy has

Thank you so much for covering the Wolverine and Sable. They are just interesting ships.

@OceanlinerDesigns Awesome and yet highly intriguing history! Thank you for making such fascinating videos. Recommendation for a future video: Tragedy of HMY Iolaire.

Wow. This was pretty cool, *Amazing Photos*

what if one day mike brady *wasn't* our friend from oceanliner designs.. makes me shudder thinking about it

Courageous and Glorious have a really unusual, but kinda beautiful shape

I love me some tales of SS Suevic. She's my favourite ship that grounded.

An excellent video as always, although I would definitely suggest talking about the IJN Shinano's curious development history and conversion partway through in a future video in this series.

A video about Seeandbee! This great ship usually doesn’t get the attention it deserves

@cac_deadlyrang

3 ай бұрын

don’t deadname the wolvie :P

I had no idea about the paddlewheel aircraft carriers. But I can see how it would make sense. Very smart of the Navy at the time, and a fitting end to an intriguing, but amazing ship.

Hi Mike! What a fascinating episode! Maybe you should call these makeover episodes Pimp My Ship! Seriously, though, the paddlewheel aircraft carriers and the Suevic story were mind-blowing! Thanks for sharing their stories!