SOC Seagull

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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. Pratt & Whitney R-1340-22 radial engine, 550 hp (410 kW)="hiddenStructure">
SOC Seagull

The Seagull Seaplane configuration in Flight
General Characteristics
Military aircraft>Class Scout
Crew Two, pilot and observer
Length 31 ft 1 in (9.48 m)
'''Wingspan 36 ft 0 in (10.98 m)
Height
Wing area 342 ft² (31.8 m²)
Weight (Empty) 3,633 lb (1,648 kg)
Weight (Loaded) 5,306 lb ( 2,407 kg)
Maximum Takeoff
Powerplant Pratt & Whitney R-1340-22 radial engine, 550 hp (410 kW)
Performance
Max Speed 165 mph (266 km/h)
Cruising Speed
Range 675 mi (1,086 km)
Service Ceiling 14,900 ft (4,540 m)
Rate of Climb
Wing Loading 16 lb/ft² (76 kg/m²)
Thrust/Weight 0.10 hp/lb (0.17 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns 1x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) fixed, forward-firing machine gun,1x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) flexible, rearward-firing machine gun
Rockets
Missiles
Bombs 650 lb (295 kg) of bombs

SOC Seagull
The Seagull Seaplane configuration in Flight
General Characteristics
Military aircraft>Class	Scout
Crew	Two, pilot and observer
Length	31 ft 1 in (9.48 m)
'''Wingspan	36 ft 0 in (10.98 m)
Height
Wing area	342 ft² (31.8 m²)
Weight (Empty)	3,633 lb (1,648 kg)
Weight (Loaded)	5,306 lb ( 2,407 kg)
Maximum Takeoff
Powerplant	Pratt & Whitney R-1340-22 radial engine, 550 hp (410 kW)
Performance
Max Speed	165 mph (266 km/h)
Cruising Speed
Range	675 mi (1,086 km)
Service Ceiling	14,900 ft (4,540 m)
Rate of Climb
Wing Loading	16 lb/ft² (76 kg/m²)
Thrust/Weight	0.10 hp/lb (0.17 kW/kg)
Armament
Guns	1x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) fixed, forward-firing machine gun,1x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) flexible, rearward-firing machine gun
Rockets
Missiles
Bombs	650 lb (295 kg) of bombs

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.^{[#endnote_soc]}

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.

SOC Seagull

History

Operators

External links

Reference

SOC Image Gallery

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