USS Sable ( IX - 81 ) USS " Sable " ( IX - 81 ) was a training ship of the United States Navy during World War II . Originally built as the " Greater Buffalo " , a sidewheel excursion steamer , she was converted in 1942 to a freshwater aircraft carrier to be used on the Great Lakes . She was used for advanced training for naval aviators in carrier takeoffs and landings . One aviator that trained upon the " Sable " was future president George H . W . Bush . Following World War II , " Sable " was decommissioned on 7 November 1945 . She was sold for scrapping on 7 July 1948 to the H . H . Buncher Company . Construction . Formerly named " Greater Buffalo " , " Sable " was originally built in 1924 by the American Ship Building Company of Lorain , Ohio as a sidewheel excursion steamer designed by marine architect Frank E . Kirby . When completed , " Greater Buffalo " was in length , a beam of , height of and had a . She was powered by a three - cylinder inclined compound steam engine . She was six passenger decks high and carried three funnels along her top . History . One of the largest ships on the Great Lakes , she served from 1924 – 1942 , " Greater Buffalo " was used as a palatial overnight service boat transporting up to 1 , 500 passengers from Buffalo to Detroit for the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company . She was acquired for Navy use on 7 August 1942 by the War Shipping Administration to be converted in to a training aircraft carrier and renamed " Sable " on 19 September 1942 . Refit . " Sable " was converted at the Erie Plant of American Shipbuilding Company at Buffalo , New York . The cabins and superstructure of the ship were removed leaving the main deck . Along with additional supports , a steel flight deck was installed instead of the originally planned Douglas - fir wooden deck similar to what was installed on . " Sable " lacked a hangar deck , elevators or armament , as her role was for the training of pilots for carrier take - offs and landings . " Sable " was commissioned on 8 May 1943 , Captain Warren K . Berner in command . Training duty . The completed " Sable " departed Buffalo on 22 May 1943 and arrived at her assigned homeport of Chicago , Illinois on 26 May 1943 . " Sable " along with her sister ship , " Wolverine " , were assigned to the 9th Naval District Carrier Qualification Training Unit ( CQTU ) and qualified pilots for carrier operations . " Sable " s steel deck was used for testing non - skid material on the flight deck as well as her normal duties . Following the end of World War II , " Sable " was decommissioned on 7 November 1945 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 28 November 1945 . She was sold by the Maritime Commission to H . H . Buncher Company on 7 July 1948 and was reported as " disposed of " on 27 July 1948 . Legacy . Together , " Sable " and " Wolverine " trained 17 , 820 pilots in 116 , 000 carrier landings . Of these , 51 , 000 landings were on " Sable " alone . One of the pilots qualified on " Sable " was a 20 - year - old Lieutenant , junior grade , future president George H . W . Bush . Of the estimated 135 – 300 aircraft lost during training , 35 have been salvaged and the search for more is underway .