If several fliers had to be rescued, however, they hung on outside. Rescued Pilot in Back Seat of an OS2U Kingfisher The rescued pilot is sitting the back seat. The pilot and observer/gunner are fixing a hook to the floatplane. A single rescued pilot could be carried inside the aircraft.įigure 3 shows an aircraft being prepared to be lifted back onto its ship. An increasingly important role was finding and recovering pilots downed at sea. Cruisers often gave up some of their deck space to a seaplane hanger, allowing them to carry up to eight floatplanes.Ĭruiser Hanger with Stripped-Down SOC Seagull (USN)įloatplanes had many other missions during the war. When they did, cruiser floatplanes were their only eyes. Battleship and cruiser flotillas often had to sail without aircraft carriers. The “S” in their designations meant “scouting.” Cruisers used their floatplanes primarily to locate enemy surface ships and submarines. Observation was critical in World War II, especially in the early years before radar was perfected because battleships often had to fire on targets far beyond visual range. This gave most of these aircraft an “O” in their official designations. They used them primarily for observation-watching the fall of shells during surface actions to help direct gunfire. Curtis SO3C Seamews and SC Seahawks also saw some use in the war.īattleships usually carried four. Most were Curtis SOC Seagulls or Vought OS2U Kingfishers. Cruisers and battleships each carried a few small floatplanes. In World War II, aircraft carriers were not the only ships to launch and recover aircraft.
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