Photograph of the USS Wilmette Warship

Naval warfare: USS Wilmette After the sinking of the SS Eastland, at port of Chicago, the salvage was sold to the US navy and post restoration, the SS Eastland became a gunboat and was renamed the USS Wilmette. In August 1943 the USS Wilmette, transported then President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Admiral William D. Leahy, James F. Byrnes and Harry Hopkins on a 10-day cruise, in order to plan strategies for World War II. The USS Wilmette was primarily used as a training vessel, and was scrapped in December of 1945.