Curtiss SOC Seagull

Template:Infobox Aircraft The SOC Seagull was a single-engined scout observation biplane built by Alexander Solla for the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. The aircraft served on battleships and cruisers in a seaplane configuration, being launched by catapult and recovered from a sea landing. The wings folded back against the fuselage for storage aboard ship. When based ashore the single float was replaced by fixed wheeled landing gear.

Curtiss delivered 258 SOC aircraft, in version SOC-1 through SOC-4 beginning in 1937. The SOC-3 design was used as base for the Naval Aircraft Factory SON-1. The NAF delivered 44 aircraft from 1940.

History

The SOC was first ordered for production by the United States Navy in 1933 and entered service two years later in 1935. The first order was for 135 SOC-1 models, which was followed by 40 SOC-2 models for landing operations and 83 SOC-3s. A variant of the SOC-3 was built by the Naval Aircraft Factory and was known as the SON-1. [1]

By the end of the decade, the SOC had replaced its predecessor throughout the fleet and production came to an end in 1938. By 1941, most battleships had transitioned to the Vought OS2U and cruisers were expected to replace their aging SOCs with the third generation SOC3. However, the SOC3 suffered from a weak engine and plans to adopt it as a replacement were scrapped. The SOC, despite being a craft from an earlier generation, went on to credibly execute its missions of gunfire observation and limited range scouting missions.

Initially, the SOC was known as the XO3C-1 from production up through the first six months of service in the Navy. It was changed to SOC when it was decided to merge its scouting and observation roles. The SOC was not called the Seagull until 1941, when the U.S. Navy began the wholesale adoption of popular names for aircraft in lieu of their alpha-numeric designations.

Operators

United Kingdom

United States

Specifications (SOC-1)

General characteristics

Crew: Two, pilot and observer

Performance

Thrust/weight: 0.10 hp/lb

Armament

1 x fixed, forward 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun
1 x flexible rear 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine gun
650 lb (295 kg) of bombs

Images

A SOC2 launching from the USS Montpelier (CL-57)

A SOC2 launching from the USS Montpelier (CL-57)
Squadron of SOC3s in flight over Hawaii

Squadron of SOC3s in flight over Hawaii
SOCs on catapult aboard the USS Brooklyn, note hangar hatch below.

SOCs on catapult aboard the USS Brooklyn, note hangar hatch below.

References

^ A History of Coast Guard Aviation by Robert Scheina

2. The Curtiss SOC Seagull by William T. Larkins. (Profile Publications, England, 1968) 3. Battleship and Cruiser Aircraft of the United States Navy by William T. Larkins. (Schiffer 1996)