Aircraft repair ship

[1] [2] After World War I two United States Navy ships were used as Lighter-than-Air Aircraft Tenders for naval kite balloon and rigid airship support.

Seaplane tenders were able to do repair and maintenance and had all the supplies needed to operate in remote forward bases for months.

Seaplane tenders acted as barracks, supply depots, workshops, air mechanic and control towers for the planes.

With hundreds of Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber aircraft operating in the Pacific the ships were stocked B-29 parts and B-29 trained personnel.

The eighteen ships provided repair and maintenance to smaller aircraft like the North American P-51 Mustang, Lockheed P-38 fighters, and Sikorsky R-4 helicopters.

[4][20] US Navy operated a fleet of Aviation Stores Issue Ships (AVS) to supply needed parts.

USS Chloris , an aircraft repair ship
USS Chourre , aircraft repair ship
The Liberty ship Rebecca Lukens , part of U.S. Army's Operation Ivory Soap, was converted into a floating machine shop, repair, and maintenance depot and rechristened as the Maj Gen Herbert A Dargue