The Vought OS2U Kingfisher is an American catapult-launched observation

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, m ...

. It was a compact mid-wing

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

, with a large central float and small stabilizing floats. Performance was modest because of its low-powered

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

. The OS2U could also operate on fixed, wheeled,

taildragger Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms ...

landing gear. The OS2U was the main shipboard observation seaplane used by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and 1,519 of the aircraft were built. It served on

battleship A battleship is a large armour, armored warship with a main artillery battery, battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1 ...

s and

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several ...

s of the US Navy, with the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

in Marine Scouting Squadron Three (VMS-3), with the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, m ...

at coastal air stations, at sea with the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wi ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

, and with the Soviet Navy. The

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

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 Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. The OS2U first flew on 1 March 1938.

Design and development

In the late 1930s, Vought engineer Rex B. Beisel was tasked with designing an observation monoplane aircraft for the U.S. Navy suitable for many 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 spot welder Spot welding (or resistance spot welding) is a type of electric resistance welding used to weld various sheet metal products, through a process in which contacting metal surface points are joined by the heat obtained from resistanc ...

, 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 The Scarff ring was a type of machine gun mounting developed during the First World War by Warrant Officer (Gunner) F. W. Scarff of the Admiralty Air Department for use on two-seater aircraft. The mount incorporated bungee cord suspension in elev ...

mount. The aircraft could also carry two 100 lb bombs or two 325 lb

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...

s. Additionally, the "

Kingfisher Kingfishers are a family, the Alcedinidae, of small to medium-sized, brightly colored birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania, ...

", as it was designated, served as a trainer in both its seaplane and landplane configurations. OS2U Kingfisher

Beisel's first prototype flew in 1938, powered by an air-cooled, 450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-4 Wasp Junior radial engine.Noles, James J
"Old, slow and ugly."
''Air and Space,'' February/March 2005, p. 66.

Operational history

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 Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...

, Florida, but 53 were assigned to equip the newly established Inshore Patrol Squadrons, based at

NAS Jacksonville Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jacksonville) is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25 Location NAS Jack ...

, Florida. In 1942, nine more Inshore Patrol Squadrons were established, all exclusively equipped with OS2N-1s built by the

Naval Aircraft Factory The Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) was established by the United States Navy in 1918 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was created to help solve aircraft supply issues which faced the Navy Department upon the entry of the U.S. into World War I. ...

. The Kingfisher was widely used as a shipboard, catapult-launched scout plane on U.S. Navy battleships, heavy cruisers, and light cruisers during

and played 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 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

ace Eddie Rickenbacker and his crew from the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

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 , 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 The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

for his efforts. Australia received 18 Kingfishers from a batch of aircraft ordered by the

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, whic ...

that was diverted to Australia in 1942. They were initially used as training aircraft for pilots destined for

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fuselag ...

s, but in 1943, they were used to equip

No. 107 Squadron RAAF No. 107 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force maritime patrol squadron of World War II. It was formed in May 1943 and was equipped with Vought OS2U Kingfisher aircraft. The squadron conducted anti-submarine patrols off the Australian east c ...

, which carried out convoy escort duties until disbanded in October 1945.Vincent 1998, pp. 54–59. One Kingfisher was used in support of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition in 1947–48.Vincent 1998, pp. 61–62. Throughout its U.S. Navy service, the OS2U and even its predecessor, the

Curtiss SOC Seagull The Curtiss SOC Seagull was an American single-engined scout observation seaplane, designed by Alexander Solla of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation for the United States Navy. The aircraft served on battleships and cruisers in a seaplane configurati ...

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.

Variants

OS2N-1 Kingfisher at Naval Aircraft Factory 1941

;XOS2U-1 :Prototype Vought Model VS.310 powered by a 450 hp (336 kW)

Pratt & Whitney R-985 The Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior is a series of nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engines built by the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company from the 1930s to the 1950s. These engines have a displacement of ; initial versions produce ...

-4 engine, one built. ;OS2U-1 :Initial production variant as the prototype but powered by a 450 hp (336 kW)

-48, 54 built. ;OS2U-2 :Production variant with minor equipment changes and powered by a 450 hp (336 kW)

-50, 158 built. ;OS2U-3 :Based on the OS2U-2 with self-sealing fuel tanks, armour protection, two .30 cal (7.62 mm) guns (dorsal and nose mounted), and able to carry 325 lb (147 kg) of depth charges or 100 lb (45 kg) bombs, powered by a 450 hp (336 kW)

-AN2 engine, 1006 built. ;OS2U-4 :Two aircraft converted with narrow-chord and high-aspect ratio wings, also fitted with full-span flaps. Not developed. ;OS2N-1 :Naval Aircraft Factory built OS2U-3 with a 450 hp (336 kW)

-AN-2 or -AN-8 engine, 300 built. ;Kingfisher I : British designation for the OS2U-3, 100 delivered to the

Operators

Vought Kingfisher 778 NAS at Arbroath c1942

; *

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

; : 15 aircraft, operated 1942–1957. ; * Cuban Naval Aviation : Operated four aircraft between 1942 and 1959. ; :(Three aircraft) ; *

Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy is one of the two independent armed forces of Mexico. The actual naval forces are called the ''Armada de México''. The ''Secretaría de Marina'' (''SEMAR'') (English: Naval Secretariat) includes both the ''Armada'' itself and ...

: Six aircraft, 201 Squadron. ; : 24 aircraft, not delivered in time for hostilities. ; *

Soviet Naval Aviation Soviet Naval Aviation (AV-MF, for ''Авиация военно-морского флота'' in Russian, or ''Aviatsiya voyenno-morskogo flota'', literally "aviation of the military maritime fleet") was the naval aviation arm of the Soviet Na ...

: 2 aircraft on the ship USS ''Milwaukee'' (Murmansk) ; *

: Received 100 aircraft. ; *

– the USCG operated 40 aircraft. ; * Uruguayan Navy : Received six OS2U-3s in 1942 to 1959 under

Lend Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (), was a policy under which the United States supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, ...

Aircraft on display

At least eight Kingfishers survive in collections of historic aircraft around the world:

Australia

; OS2U-3 *5985 – Whale World, Albany, Western Australia. It is waiting to be restored. Originally built for the Netherlands Navy in the Dutch East Indies, it was transferred to the RAAF in 1942, serving with Seaplane Training Flight (later 3 OTU) and 107 Sqn before being sold as war surplus in 1945. Now with Pioneer Aero Ardmore New Zealand for restoration, see below.

Chile

;OS2U-3 *5925 –

Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio The Museo Nacional Aeronáutica y del Espacio (MNAE) is an institution responsible for disseminating the aeronautical heritage in Chile. History It was created on July 13, 1944, as Museo de Aviación, during the government of Juan Antonio R� ...

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

Cuba

;OS2U-3 *bureau number unknown (marked #50) – Museum of the Revolution (Museo de la Revolución),

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. It is fitted with fixed landing gear rather than a float.

New Zealand

; OS2U-3 *5985 – Pioneer Aero, Auckland, New Zealand. Currently undergoing restoration. Originally built for Netherlands Navy in Dutch East Indies, it was transferred to the RAAF in 1942, serving with Seaplane Training Flight (later 3 OTU) and 107 Sqn before being sold as war surplus in 1945. *5982- Pioneer Aero, Auckland, New Zealand. Currently in Storage for future restoration.

United States

; On display ; OS2U-3 *1368 (marked #60, painted as 0951) – Obtained years ago from Mexico, this aircraft was previously displayed aboard the battleship and is now displayed inside the aircraft pavilion adjacent to the battleship in

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...

. The building and the aircraft sustained some damage from

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

in 2005. *5909 – Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center,

National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the N ...

Dulles International Airport Washington Dulles International Airport , typically referred to as Dulles International Airport, Dulles Airport, Washington Dulles, or simply Dulles ( ), is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located in Loudoun County and F ...

outside of Washington, DC. USMC-101112-M-4752B-025

*5926 –

National Naval Aviation Museum The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1962 and moved to its cur ...

at NAS Pensacola, Florida. It was one of six OS2U-3 Kingfishers that were transferred by Lend-Lease to the National Navy of Uruguay during World War II. This aircraft operated as a seaplane until 1958 and was obtained in 1971. Lynn Garrison salvaged Vought Kingfisher from Calvert Island, British Columbia, February, 1965

Lynn Garrison salvaged Vought Kingfisher from Calvert Island, British Columbia, February, 1965

*3073, (marked #8 based on assigned air group) – is on board the battleship in

Wilmington, NC Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

. With the assistance of a Royal Canadian Air Force Piasecki helicopter,

Lynn Garrison Lynn Garrison (born April 1, 1937) is a Canadian pilot and political adviser. He was a Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot in the 403 City of Calgary Squadron, before holding jobs as a commercial pilot, film producer, director and mercenary ...

salvaged this Kingfisher from

Calvert Island (British Columbia) Calvert Island is an island on the coast of the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located east of Queen Charlotte Sound in the Central Coast region, about north of the town of Port Hardy, which is at the north end of Vancouver Isla ...

, during the winter of 1963. It crashed there on a ferry flight to Alaska during World War II. It was initially restored for display by volunteers at Vought Aeronautics in

Grand Prairie, TX Grand Prairie is a city in Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties of Texas, in the United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It had a population of 175,396 according to the 2010 census, making it ...

; In storage ; OS2U-3 *bureau number unknown – in storage at the Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California.
''Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier'' Retrieved: 6 October 2018.

Specifications (OS2U-3)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Adcock, Al. ''OS2U Kingfisher in Action (Aircraft in Action No. 119)''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1991. . * Bowers, Peter M. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990, pp. 447–448. . * Doll, Thomas E., and B.R. Jackson. "Vought-Sikorsky OS2U Kingfisher". ''Aircraft in Profile, Volume 14''. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1974, pp. 113–136. . * Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng, eds. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.'' London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002, . * Hickman, Patrick M. ''The Aircraft Collection.'' Pensacola, Florida: The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, Inc., 2010. * Pattison, Barry. ''Kingfisher in the Antipodes''. Glen Waverly, Victoria 3150, Australia: Red Roo Model Publications, 1998. * Steinemann, Peter. "Protector of the Plate". ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fi ...

'', Vol. 42, No. 2, February 1992. pp. 73–78. . * Sturtivant, Ray and M. Burrow. ''Fleet Air Arm Aircraft: 1939 to 1945''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd, 1995. . * Vincent, David. "Kangaroo Kingfishers". ''

Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to ''Air International'' maga ...

'', No. 77, September/October 1998. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing. pp. 54–62. .

External links

Wainwright, Marshall. "Kingfisher goes to war" Air Classics, June 2004.

"Slingshot Planes" Popular Science, May 1943
als
page 62
of the same article

{{Authority control OS02U Floatplanes 1930s United States military reconnaissance aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Carrier-based aircraft Naval Aircraft Factory aircraft World War II reconnaissance aircraft of the United States Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1938