Curtiss SOC Seagull

Ordered in 1933 as the primary reconnaissance seaplane for the surface fleet, the Curtiss SOC Seagull went on to have a long career with the US Navy. Originally it was designed for ‘observation’ only, in other words spotting artillery fire for the fleet, but the ‘scout’ designation was soon added when it was realised the two roles could be combined.

A biplane with an enclosed cockpit for the two crew members, the SOC also featured folding wings to enable it to fit more easily aboard cruisers and battleships. Later models could have their main and outrigger floats replaced by wheeled undercarriage to enable it to fly from land bases and from aircraft carriers. By the time the Pacific War opened the SOC was due to be replaced by the SO3C Seamew, but this design was a failure and so the SOC had to continue in service through to 1944 – although the Vought OS2U Kingfisher was also available to the fleet.

The SOC was in action from the first day of the war as a pair of SOCs from the cruiser Northampton encountered an A6M Zero of the Pearl Harbor attack force and claimed it destroyed. The SOC went on to perform invaluable service during the US advance through the Pacific, performing gunfire spotting for the invasions of countless atolls and islands.

The ‘Seagull’, as it was nicknamed in 1941, was finally replaced by a combination of the OS2U and the single-seat monoplane SC Seahawk, which began to enter service in 1944.