Back Curtiss SOC Seagull Czech Curtiss SOC German Curtiss SOC Seagull Greek Curtiss SOC Seagull Spanish Curtiss SOC Seagull Finnish Curtiss SOC Seagull French Curtiss Seagull SO3C Croatian Curtiss SOC Seagull Italian SOC (航空機) Japanese Curtiss SOC Seagull Malay
| SOC Seagull | |
|---|---|
| |
| Seagull seaplane configuration in flight | |
| Role | Scout |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss-Wright |
| Designer | Alexander Solla |
| First flight | April 1934 |
| Introduction | 12 November 1935 |
| Retired | 1949 |
| Primary users | United States Navy United States Coast Guard United States Marine Corps |
| Produced | 1935-1940 |
| Number built | 322 (258 by Curtiss, 64 by the NAF) |
The Curtiss SOC Seagull was an American single-engined scout observation seaplane, designed by Alexander Solla of the Curtiss-Wright Corporation for the United States Navy. 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 or on carriers the single float was replaced by fixed wheeled landing gear.
Curtiss delivered 258 SOC aircraft, in versions SOC-1 through SOC-4, beginning in 1935. The SOC-3 design was the basis of the Naval Aircraft Factory SON-1 variant, of which the NAF delivered 64 aircraft from 1940.
The aircraft served as an important observation craft during WW2 for the U.S. Navy, although the Vought OS2U Kingfisher served in greater numbers.