View source for Vought OS2U Kingfisher

{|{{Infobox aircraft begin
 |name=OS2U Kingfisher
 |image=OS2U-2 Kingfisher in flight 1942.jpg
 |caption=
}}
{{Infobox aircraft type
 |type=Observation floatplane
 |manufacturer=[[Vought]]
 |designer=
 |first flight=1938
 |introduced=
 |retired=1959 (Cuba)
 |status=
 |primary user=[[United States Navy]]
 |more users=[[Fleet Air Arm]]<br/>[[Royal Australian Air Force]]<br/>[[Soviet Naval Aviation]]
 |produced=
 |number built=1519
 |variants with their own articles=
}}
|}

The '''Vought OS2U Kingfisher''' was an [[United States|American]] [[Aircraft catapult|catapult-launched]] observation [[floatplane]]. It was a compact mid-wing monoplane, with a large central float and small stabilizing floats. Performance was modest, because of its light engine. The OS2U could also operate on fixed, wheeled, taildragger landing gear.
The OS2U was the main shipboard observation aircraft used by the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]], and 1,519 of the aircraft were built. It served on [[battleship]]s and [[cruiser]]s of the US Navy, with the [[United States Marine Corps]] in Marine Scouting Squadron THREE (VMS-3), with the [[United States Coast Guard]] at coastal air stations, at sea with the [[Fleet Air Arm]] of the [[Royal Navy]], and with the [[Soviet Navy]]. The [[Royal Australian Air Force]] 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. 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 a multitude of tasks including directing battleship fire. In replacing the standard biplane observation aircraft with a more modern monoplane design, Beisel incorporated innovations becoming the first production type to be assembled with spot-welding, 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.<ref name="Noles"/>

For combat missions, the pilot had a .30-caliber machine gun while the radio operator/gunner manned another .30-caliber machine gun (or a pair) on a flexible ring mount. The aircraft could also carry two 100&nbsp;lb bombs or two 325&nbsp;lb depth charges.<ref name="Noles"/> Additionally, the "Kingfisher", as it was designated, served as a trainer in both its seaplane and landplane configurations.<ref>Hickman 2010, p. 59.</ref>
Beisel’s first prototype flew in 1938, powered by an air-cooled, 450&nbsp;hp Pratt & Whitney R-985-4 Wasp Junior radial engine.<ref name="Noles">Noles, James Jr [http://www.serviceclub.org/air_space_catapult_crews_layout-fm05.pdf "Old, slow and ugly."] ''Air and Space,'' February/March 2005, p. 66.</ref>

==Operational history==
[[File:USPlaneTruk1944.jpg|thumb|right|Downed American airmen near Truk await rescue on the wings of an OS2U Kingfisher]]
The first 54 ''Kingfisher''s 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]], Florida, but 53 were assigned to equip the newly established Inshore Patrol Squadrons, based at [[Naval Air Station|NAS Jacksonville]], Florida. In 1942, nine more Inshore Patrol Squadrons were established, all exclusively equipped with OS2N-1s built by the [[Naval Aircraft Factory]].<ref>Bowers 1990, p. 447.</ref>

The ''Kingfisher'' was widely used as a shipboard, catapult-launched scout plane on U.S. Navy battleships, heavy cruisers and light cruisers during [[World War II]], as well as playing 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]] ace [[Eddie Rickenbacker]] and his crew from the Pacific in November 1942 and LT John A. Burns' unique use of the aircraft in April 1944 to taxi airmen rescued from the Truk Lagoon to the submarine [[USS Tang]] 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]] for his efforts.
Australia received 18 Kingfishers from a batch of aircraft ordered by the Dutch East Indies that was diverted to Australia in 1942. They were initially used as training aircraft for pilots destined for [[flying boat]]s, but in 1943, they were used to equip [[No. 107 Squadron RAAF]], which carried out convoy escort duties until disbanded in October 1945.<ref name="Vincent p54-9">Vincent 1998, pp. 54–59.</ref> One Kingfisher was used in support of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition in 1947–48.<ref name="Vincent p61-2">Vincent 1998, pp. 61–62.</ref>

Throughout its U.S. Navy service, the OS2U and even its predecessor, the [[Curtiss SOC Seagull]] served much longer than planned, as the planned successor, the [[Curtiss SO3C Seamew]], suffered from an insufficiently powerful engine which was a complete failure.<ref>Bowers 1990, p. 164.</ref> 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.<ref>Bowers 1990, p. 169.</ref>

==Variants==
[[File:OS2N-1 Kingfisher at Naval Aircraft Factory 1941.jpg|thumb|An OS2N-1 at the [[Naval Aircraft Factory]], 1941.]]
;XO2SU-1
:Prototype Vought Model VS.310 powered by a 450&nbsp;hp (336&nbsp;kW) [[Pratt & Whitney R-985]]-4 engine, one built.
;OS2U-1
:Initial production variant as the prototype but powered by a 450&nbsp;hp (336&nbsp;kW) [[Pratt & Whitney R-985]]-48, 54 built.
;OS2U-2
:Production variant with minor equipment changes and powered by a 450&nbsp;hp (336&nbsp;kW) [[Pratt & Whitney R-985]]-50, 158 built.
;OS2U-3
:Based on the 02SU-2 with self-sealing fuel tanks, armour protection, two .30&nbsp;cal (7.62&nbsp;mm) guns (dorsal and nose mounted), and able to carry 325&nbsp;lb (147&nbsp;kg) of depth charges or 100&nbsp;lb (45&nbsp;kg) bombs, powered by a 450&nbsp;hp (336&nbsp;kW) [[Pratt & Whitney R-985]]-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&nbsp;hp (336&nbsp;kW) [[Pratt & Whitney R-985]]-AN-2 or -AN-8 engine, 300 built.
;Kingfisher I
:[[United Kingdom|British]] designation for the OS2U-3, 100 delivered to the [[Royal Navy]].

==Operators==
[[File:OS2U 107 Sqn RAAF in flight.jpg|thumb|An OS2U of 107 Sqn RAAF.]]
[[File:Vought Kingfisher 778 NAS at Arbroath c1942.jpg|thumb|A [[Fleet Air Arm]] 778 NAS Kingfisher at Arbroath.]]
;{{AUS}}
*[[Royal Australian Air Force]]
**[[No. 107 Squadron RAAF]]
;{{CHL}}
: 15 aircraft, operated 1942–1957.
;{{CUB}}
* Cuban Naval Aviation
: Operated four aircraft between 1942 and 1959.
;{{DOM}}
:(Three aircraft)
;{{MEX}}
: Six aircraft, 201 Squadron.
;{{NLD}}
: 24 aircraft, not delivered in time for hostilities.
;{{USSR}}
*[[Soviet Naval Aviation]]
: 2 aircraft on the ship USS ''Milwaukee'' (Murmansk)
;{{UK}}
*[[Fleet Air Arm]]
: Received 100 aircraft.
;[[United States of America|United States]]
*[[United States Navy]]
*[[United States Marine Corps]]
*[[United States Coast Guard]] - the USCG operated 40 aircraft.
;{{URU}}
*[[Uruguayan Navy]] (six)

==Aircraft on display==
{{double image|right|USS Iowa (BB-61) Planes.jpg|220|Missouri Recovers.jpg|120|{{USS|Iowa|BB-61|6}} launches <small>(left)</small> while {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|6}} recovers <small>(right)</small> Vought OS2U Kingfishers in 1944.}}
At least eight Kingfishers survive in collections of historic aircraft around the world:<ref>[http://www.aero-web.org/locator/manufact/vought/os2u.htm "Vought OS2U (Kingfisher)."] ''Aviation Enthusiast Corner.'' Retrieved: 12 January 2011.</ref>

===Australia===
;OS2U-3
*5985 - Whale World, Albany, Western Australia. It is also waiting "to be restored." 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.<ref>[http://www.airliners.net/photo/Untitled/Vought-Sikorsky-OS2U-3-Kingfisher/0464660 "OS2U-3 Kingfisher/5985 in Australia."] ''airliners.net.'' Retrieved: 12 January 2011.</ref>

===Chile===
;OS2U-3
*5925 - Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio de Chile, Santiago.<ref>[http://www.museoaeronautico.cl/espanol/pop-ficha.php?id=29 "OS2U-3 Kingfisher/5925 in Chile" (in Spanish language).] ''museoaeronautico.cl.'' Retrieved: 12 January 2011.</ref>

===Cuba===
;OS2U-3
*bureau number unknown (marked #50) - [[Museum of the Revolution (Cuba)|Museum of the Revolution]] (Museo de la Revolución), Havana, Cuba. It is fitted with fixed landing gear rather than a float.<ref>[http://www.airliners.net/photo/Cuba---Navy/Vought-Sikorsky-OS2U-3-Kingfisher/1388352/&sid=6b70a9175282f6f3eebf9e08e4ccc491 "OS2U-3 Kingfisher/Unknown in Cuba."] ''airliners.net.'' Retrieved: 12 January 2011.</ref>

===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 [[USS Alabama (BB-60)|USS Alabama]] (BB-60) and is now displayed inside the aircraft pavilion adjacent to the battleship in Mobile, Alabama. Unfortunately, the building and the aircraft sustained some damage from Hurricane Ivan in 2004.<ref>[http://www.ussalabama.com/aircraft.php "OS2U-3 Kingfisher/1368."] ''USS Alabama Museum.'' Retrieved: 13 June 2012.</ref>
*5909 - Boeing Aviation Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, National Air and Space Museum at Dulles International Airport outside of Washington, DC.<ref>[http://www.nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19610106000 "OS2U-3 Kingfisher/5909."] ''NASM.'' Retrieved: 12 January 2011.</ref>
*5926 - [[National Naval Aviation Museum]] at [[NAS Pensacola]], Florida. It was one of six OS2U-3 Kingfishers that were transferred by Lend-Lease to the Uruguayan Navy during World War II. This aircraft operated as a seaplane until 1958 and was obtained in 1971.<ref>[http://www.navalaviationmuseum.org/explore/exhibits-and-collections/aircraft-on-display "OS2U-3 Kingfisher/5926."] ''National Museum of Naval Aviation.'' Retrieved: 12 January 2011.</ref>
*bureau number unknown, (marked #55) - on board the battleship [[USS North Carolina (BB-55)|USS North Carolina]] (BB-55) in Wilmington, NC. With the assistance of a Royal Canadian Air Force [[Piasecki Helicopter|Piasecki helicopter]], [[Lynn Garrison]] salvaged this Kingfisher from [[Calvert Island (British Columbia)]], during the winter of 1963. It crashed there on a ferry flight to Alaska during World War II. Garrison then donated it to the North Carolina Battleship Commission. It was restored for display by volunteers at [[Vought|Vought Aeronautics]] in Grand Prairie, TX.<ref>[http://www.battleshipnc.com/AbouttheShip/History.aspx "OS2U-3 Kingfisher/Unknown at USS North Carolina."] ''USS North Carolina.'' Retrieved: 12 January 2011.</ref>
;In storage
;;OS2U-3
*bureau number unknown - in storage at the [[Yanks Air Museum]], Chino, California.<ref>[https://yanksair.com/ "OS2U-3 Kingfisher/Unknown at Yanks Air."] ''Yanks Air Museum.'' Retrieved: 12 January 2011.</ref>

==Specifications (OS2U-3)==
[[File:Vought-Sikorsky OS2U-3 Kingfisher.jpg|thumb|OS2U Kingfisher at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.]]
{{aircraft specifications
|plane or copter?=plane
|jet or prop?=prop
<!-- Now, fill out the specs. Please include units where appropriate (main comes first, alt in parentheses). If an item doesn't apply, like capacity, leave it blank. For instructions on using |ref=, |more general=, |more performance=, |power original=, and |thrust original= see [[Template talk:Airtemp]]. -->
|crew=Two, pilot and observer
|ref=''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''<ref>Eden and Moeng 2002, p. 1128.</ref>
|length main= 33 ft 10 in
|length alt= 10.31 m
|span main= 35 ft 11 in
|span alt= 10.95 m
|height main= 15 ft 1.5 in
|height alt= 4.61 m
|area main= 262 ft²
|area alt= 24 m²
|empty weight main= 4,123 lb
|empty weight alt= 1,870 kg
|loaded weight main=
|loaded weight alt= 
|max takeoff weight main= 6,000 lb
|max takeoff weight alt= 2,721 kg
|more general=
|engine (prop)=[[Pratt & Whitney R-985]]-AN-2
|type of prop=radial engine
|number of props= 1
|power main= 450 hp 
|power alt= 336 kW
|max speed main= 164 mph
|max speed alt= 264 km/h
|range main= 805 mi
|range alt= 1,296 km
|ceiling main= 13,000 ft
|ceiling alt= 3,960 m
|climb rate main=
|climb rate alt=
|loading main=
|loading alt=
|power/mass main=
|power/mass alt= 
|more performance=
|guns= 2 × .30 in (7.62 mm) [[M1919 Browning machine gun]]s
|bombs= 650 lb (295 kg) of bombs
}}

==See also==
* [[Arado Ar 196]]
* [[Curtiss SO3C Seamew]]
* [[Curtiss SC Seahawk]]
* [[Mitsubishi F1M]]
* [[Edo OSE]]
* [[Stearman XOSS]]
* [[List of aircraft of World War II]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Adcock, Al. ''OS2U Kingfisher in Action (Aircraft in Action No. 119)''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1991. ISBN 0-89747-270-5.
* Bowers, Peter M. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1990, pp.&nbsp;447–448. ISBN 0-87021-792-5.
* Doll, Thomas E. and B.R. Jackson. "Vought-Sikorsky OS2U Kingfisher". ''Aircraft in Profile, Volume 14''. Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile Publications Ltd., 1974, pp.&nbsp;113–136. ISBN 0-85383-023-1.
* Eden, Paul and  Soph Moeng, eds. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.'' London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1.
* 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.
* Sturtivant, Ray and M. Burrow. ''Fleet Air Arm Aircraft: 1939 to 1945''. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd, 1995. ISBN 0-85130-232-7.
* Vincent, David. "Kangaroo Kingfishers". ''Air Enthusiast'', No. 77, September/October 1998. Stamford, UK: Key Publishing. pp.&nbsp;54–62. ISSN 0143-5450.
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons|OS2U Kingfisher}}
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3901/is_200406/ai_n9446476/pg_1 Wainwright, Marshall. "Kingfisher goes to war" Air Classics, June 2004.]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=vSYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA61&dq=popular+science+june+1941&hl=en&ei=cT2TTNqUB9Ofnwfn49ywCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=true "Slingshot Planes" Popular Science, May 1943] also [http://books.google.com/books?id=vSYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62&dq=popular+science+june+1941&hl=en&ei=cT2TTNqUB9Ofnwfn49ywCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CEAQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=true page 62] of same article
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/01/57k1.htm NavSource Online: Battleship Photo Archive Vought OS2U Kingfisher]
			

{{USN observation aircraft}}

{{Wikipedia|Vought OS2U Kingfisher}}

[[Category:Vought aircraft|OS02U]]
[[Category:Floatplanes]]
[[Category:1930s United States military reconnaissance aircraft]]
[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Monoplanes]]
[[Category:Carrier-based aircraft]]
[[Category:Naval Aircraft Factory aircraft]]
[[Category:World War II reconnaissance aircraft of the United States]]