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SOC Seagull file photo [4033]

SOC Seagull

CountryUnited States
ManufacturerCurtiss-Wright Corporation
Primary RoleSeaplane
Maiden Flight1 January 1934

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe SOC observation biplanes were built by Alexander Solla of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. The first batch of aircraft were delivered to the United States Navy in late 1935, and by the end of the production run in 1938, 258 aircraft were built. Beginning in 1940, the Naval Aircraft Factory license-built 44 aircraft under the designation of SON. In 1941, the nickname Seagull was assigned. Although by the time WW2 began they were terribly out-dated, they continued to serve aboard battleships as gunfire observers and aboard cruisers as scouting aircraft. They were typically launched by catapults and recovered after landing in the relatively smooth-water "slick" that the turning mother ships could create on the open sea. When being stowed aboard ships, their wings folded back to conserve space. A few of them remained in US Navy service after WW2.

ww2dbaseSource: United States Navy Naval Historical Center.

Last Major Revision: Jun 2007

SOC Seagull Timeline

10 May 1944 At Tulagi, USS Honolulu received aboard two OS2U Kingfisher scout planes as replacements for her SOC Seagull aircraft.

SPECIFICATIONS

SOC-3
MachineryOne Pratt & Whitney R-1340-22 radial engine rated at 550hp
Armament2x0.30 caliber machine guns, 2 small bombs or depth charges under wing
Crew2
Span10.98 m
Length9.58 m
Wing Area31.77 m²
Weight, Empty1,661 kg
Weight, Loaded2,406 kg
Rate of Climb4.64 m/s

SOC-1
MachineryOne Pratt & Whitney R-1340-22 radial engine rated at 550hp
Armament1x7.62mm forward machine gun, 1x7.62mm flexible rear machine gun, 295kg of bombs or depth charges
Crew2
Span10.98 m
Length9.58 m
Wing Area31.77 m²
Weight, Empty1,648 kg
Weight, Loaded2,406 kg
Speed, Maximum266 km/h
Rate of Climb4.64 m/s
Service Ceiling4,540 m
Range, Normal1,086 km

Photographs

SOC-1 aircraft in landplane configuration, circa 1935SOC-1 Seagull aircraft parked at on the apron at Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC, United States, circa Sep 1935
See all 82 photographs of SOC Seagull Seaplane



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SOC Seagull Seaplane Photo Gallery
SOC-1 aircraft in landplane configuration, circa 1935SOC-1 Seagull aircraft parked at on the apron at Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC, United States, circa Sep 1935
See all 82 photographs of SOC Seagull Seaplane


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