This is the 404-page 3rd Edition of "Joining the War at Sea 1939-1945" The Second Edition of Joining the War at Sea 1939-1945 is pictured above. There are just twocopies remaining. ---------- "The Triumph of Instrument Flight: A Retrospective in the Century of U.S. Aviation" Find out what instrument needed to appear on the pilot's instrument panel before flight through instruments (in clouds, with no horizon) could be achieved. ------------- In series, top to bottom, below, the Mediterranean regained in WW II. The first link is the index page for this series: SO3C by Curtiss Operation Torch Navy Aerial Reconnaissance Warships at Morocco-1942 Aircraft Carriers for Torch Battle for Morocco Bridging World Wars Supply and Support Husky, Palermo, Messina Bloody Salerno Luftwaffe Standoff Weapons Aircraft of World War II-"friendlies" Long "slog" at Anzio USS West Point AP23 War Cruise-part 1 USS West Point AP23 War Cruise-part 2

Ships and Aircraft of World War II SO3C by Curtiss; Navy's Intended Replacement for SOC Aircraft on Cruisers Copyright 2008 Return to Table of Contents Contact Author (Many of the photos in this series are from the U.S. Navy WW 2 Recognition Training Slide Set*) This SO3C aircraft was designed and built for the Navy just before World War II . "SO" was the Navy designation for Scout Observation and "OS" was for Observation Scout . The appending alphabet letters were for manufacturers. The "C" in SO3C was for Curtiss. The "U" in OS2U was for Chance Vought. Some exciting moments were contributed by cruiser-based SOC scout aircraft in the "Torch" invasion that targeted Casablanca in November 1942. More such moments occurred off Sicily in July 1943. . Designed for catapault operation off a cruiser or battleship, the SO3C aircraft was normally fitted with a single large float underneath the fuselage and a smaller wingtip float under each wing. Intended primarily for at-sea launch and sea recovery from cruisers and battleships, aircraft in the Scout and Observation class could be fitted with fixed landing gear to operate off airfields. The then prevailing (late 1930s up to U.S. entry into WW II) floatplane models, SOC and OS2U, actually served through the war; the U.S. Navy priority for production went to the carrier-based fighters and bombers and it was not operationally persuasive to be introducing new aircraft of the scout or observation type to the fleet with a war going on. I do not recall ever seeing the SO3C aircraft on an operational ship in WW II. Its likely disposition was to be used for utility purposes in the continental U.S. In an early picture in this series on "Ships and Aircraft of World War II" web surfers will be able to pick out an SOC aircraft in the catapault area of a U.S. heavy cruiser that fought in World War II. Franklyn E. Dailey Jr. July 20, 2007: Revised Nov. 27, 2008

In series, left to right, the Mediterranean regained in WW II. The first link is the index page for this series:| SO3C by Curtiss | Operation Torch | Navy Aerial Reconnaissance | Warships at Morocco-1942 | Aircraft Carriers for Torch | Battle for Morocco | Bridging World Wars | Supply and Support | Husky, Palermo, Messina | Bloody Salerno | Luftwaffe Standoff Weapons | Aircraft of World War II-"friendlies" | Long "slog" at Anzio |USS West Point AP23 War Cruise-part 1 | USS West Point AP23 War Cruise-part 2 |