Vought OS2U Kingfisher

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vought_OS2U_Kingfisher

The Vought OS2U Kingfisher is an American catapult-launched observation
floatplane. It was a compact mid-wing monoplane, with a large central float and
small stabilizing floats. Performance was modest because of its light engine.
The OS2U could also operate on fixed, wheeled, taildragger landing gear.

The OS2U was the main shipboard observation aircraft used by the United States
Navy during World War II, and 1,519 of the aircraft were built. It served on
battleships and cruisers of the US Navy, with the United States Marine Corps in
Marine Scouting Squadron Three (VMS-3), with the United States Coast Guard at
coastal air stations, at sea with the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy, and with
the Soviet Navy. The Royal Australian Air Force also operated a few Kingfishers
from shore bases.

The Naval Aircraft Factory OS2N was the designation of the OS2U-3 aircraft built
by the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The OS2U first flew
on 1 March 1938.

In the late 1930s, Vought engineer Rex B. Beisel was tasked with designing an
observation monoplane aircraft for the U.S. Navy suitable for a multitude of
tasks including directing battleship fire. In replacing the standard biplane
observation aircraft with a more modern monoplane design, Beisel incorporated
innovations making it the first production type to be assembled with spot
welding, a process Vought and the Naval Aircraft Factory jointly developed to
create a smooth fuselage that resisted buckling and generated less drag. Beisel
also introduced high-lift devices, spoilers and in a unique arrangement,
deflector plate flaps and drooping ailerons located on the trailing edge of the
wing were deployed to increase the camber of the wing and thus create additional
lift.

For combat missions, the pilot had a .30-caliber Browning M1919 machine gun, the
receiver mounted low in the right front cockpit, firing between the engine
cylinder heads, while the radio operator/gunner manned another .30-caliber
machine gun (or a pair) on a flexible Scarff ring mount. The aircraft could also
carry two 100 lb bombs or two 325 lb depth charges. Additionally, the
"Kingfisher", as it was designated, served as a trainer in both its seaplane and
landplane configurations.

Beisel's first prototype flew in 1938, powered by an air-cooled, 450 hp Pratt &
Whitney R-985-4 Wasp Junior radial engine.


Role
Observation floatplane

Manufacturer
Vought

First flight
1938

Retired
1959 (Cuba)

Primary users
United States Navy
Royal Navy
Royal Australian Air Force
Soviet Navy

Number built
1,519

The first 54 Kingfishers were delivered to the U.S. Navy beginning in August
1940 and six had been assigned to the Pearl Harbor-based Battle Force before the
end of the same year. Many of the following 158 OS2U-2s were attached to flight
training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, but 53 were assigned to equip
the newly established Inshore Patrol Squadrons, based at NAS Jacksonville,
Florida. In 1942, nine more Inshore Patrol Squadrons were established, all
exclusively equipped with OS2N-1s built by the Naval Aircraft Factory.

The Kingfisher was widely used as a shipboard, catapult-launched scout plane on
U.S. Navy battleships, heavy cruisers and light cruisers during World War II, as
well as playing a major role in support of shore bombardments and air-sea
rescue. Two examples showing the plane's rescue capabilities include the
recovery of World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker and his crew from the Pacific in
November 1942 and Lieutenant John A. Burns' unique use of the aircraft on 30
April 1944 to taxi airmen rescued from Truk Lagoon to the submarine Tang, which
was serving rescue duty near the atoll on that date. In all, LT Burns rescued 10
survivors on two trips and was awarded the Navy Cross for his efforts.

Australia received 18 Kingfishers from a batch of aircraft ordered by the Dutch
East Indies that was diverted to Australia in 1942. They were initially used as
training aircraft for pilots destined for flying boats, but in 1943, they were
used to equip No. 107 Squadron RAAF, which carried out convoy escort duties
until disbanded in October 1945. One Kingfisher was used in support of the
Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition in 1947–48.

Throughout its U.S. Navy service, the OS2U and even its predecessor, the Curtiss
SOC Seagull served much longer than planned, as the planned successor, the
Curtiss SO3C Seamew, suffered from an insufficiently powerful engine which was a
complete failure. The OS2U was only slowly replaced in the latter stages of
World War II with the introduction of the Curtiss SC Seahawk, the first examples
reaching the U.S. Navy in October 1944.

Specifications (OS2U-3)

General characteristics
Crew: Two, pilot and observer
Length: 33 ft 10 in (10.31 m)
Wingspan: 35 ft 11 in (10.95 m)
Height: 15 ft 1.5 in (4.61 m)
Wing area: 262 ft² (24 m²)
Empty weight: 4,123 lb (1,870 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 6,000 lb (2,721 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-2 radial engine, 450 hp (336 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 164 mph (264 km/h)
Range: 805 mi (1,296 km)
Service ceiling: 13,000 ft (3,960 m)

Armament

Guns: 2 × .30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns ( one on flexible mount
for observer )
Bombs: 650 lb (295 kg) of bombs




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