OS2U Kingfisher

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1st OS2U-2 front

3-O-4 1714 enroute to NAS Alameda

Aircraft with anti-spin parachute mounted under the tail cone

Aviation Cadets 1942

Battle damaged OS2U-3 off Attu Island 17 May 1943

Battleship USS Missouri

British Kingfisher I

Catapulting OS2U USS Quincy (CA-39)

Crew taxiing back to their warship during a stateside training operation 1944

Damaged OS2U-3

Damaged Vought OS2U off Attu Island May 1943

Formation of Kingfishers during Atlantic Patrol

Formation of OS2U in flight 1942

HMS Pegasus - catapult training ship

Kingfisher "white 37" 1944, color photo

Kingfisher floatplane of the USS New Mexico (BB-40)

Kingfisher FN656 A&AEE Boscombe Down, October 1942

Kingfisher FN659 - engine maintenance

Kingfisher FN672 HMS Pegasus

Kingfisher FN672 with Donald Duck on the cowling

Kingfisher FN678

Kingfisher FN712

OS2U gunnery run on target sleeve NAS Jacksonville August 1942 4

Kingfisher gunnery run on target sleeve NAS Jacksonville August 1942 4

Kingfisher I

Kingfisher I in landplane configuration

Kingfisher in color PTO 1945

Kingfisher landed on the water in Truk Lagoon and rescued nine Navy fliers downed during the air strike on Truk. 20-20 April 1944

OS2U on catapult of the USS Iowa BB-63 1944

Kingfisher on catapult of the USS Iowa (BB-63) 1944

OS2U aboard USS Albemarle AV-5 14 May 1942 2

Kingfishers aboard USS Albemarle AV-5 14 May 1942 2

Kingfishers at Cape May NJ

Kingfishers from VO-5 undertake a formation take-off

Kingfishers in flight 1942

Kingfishers in landplane configuration

Kingfishers of VS-56 Andrew Lake Adak 1942/43

Kingfishers of VS-56 at Casco Cove, Attu Island November 1943

Kingfishers prior to a flight 1942

OS2U-3 on patrol over Caribbean during 1942

Marine OS2U-3 fitted with fixed landing gear on patrol over Caribbean during 1942

Marine tractor pulls OS2U on Funafuti Beach 1943

Marine tractor pulls OS2U Kingfisher on Funafuti Beach 1943

Mexican Kingfishers

Missouri recovers its OS2U-3 August 1945

Missouri recovers its OS2U-3 "white 2" August 1945

OS2N-1 VS-1D5 with depth charges

OS2U makes a water landing at NAS Jacksonville in 1943

OS2U "white 43" makes a water landing at NAS Jacksonville in 1943

OS2U taxiing at NAS Jacksonville in March 1943

OS2U "white 43" taxiing at NAS Jacksonville in March 1943

OS2U #18 of the VS-49 at Dutch Harbor November 1942

OS2U #2 being hoisted on board

OS2U on the beach at NAS Pensacola awaiting the crew

OS2U #51 on the beach at NAS Pensacola awaiting the crew

OS2U 5D4-S-3 NAS Cape May

OS2U aboard USS Albemarle AV-5 14 May 1942

OS2U aboard USS Albemarle AV-5 14 May 1942 3

OS2U aboard USS Albemarle AV-5 14 May 1942 4

OS2U aboard USS Missouri 2

OS2U Alaska

OS2U at Noumea ,New Caledonia in early 1943

OS2U August 31. 1943

OS2U being launched from a stateside training catapult on January 21, 1944

OS2U being recovered by USS Arizona September 1941

OS2U Corpus Christi Texas August 1942

OS2U December 1942

OS2U Ellyson Field Pensacola

OS2U flies low over the water of Iwo Jima 19 February 1945

OS2U formation

OS2U Gets Shower after Flight

OS2U gunnery run on target sleeve NAS Jacksonville August 1942 1

OS2U gunnery run on target sleeve NAS Jacksonville August 1942 3

OS2U hoisted aboard battleship USS Missouri

OS2U in flight

OS2U Kingfisher "white 50" on water 1943

OS2U Kingfisher The Bug September 1943

OS2U Life-Raft

OS2U of the FAW 4 in Aleutians 1943

OS2U of the FAW 4 unit at Adak Island April 1943

OS2U of the VS-49 at Andrew Lagoon Adak 1943

OS2U Okinawa

OS2U on the sled USS Iowa 1945

OS2U secured aboard the USS West Virginia

OS2U secured aboard the battleship USS West Virginia with the USS Foote DD-511 visible astern on July, 22 1944

OS2U sitting on its catapult

OS2U taxis during recovery operations by the USS South Dakota, 1943

OS2U taxis during recovery operations by the USS South Dakota during operations at sea on April 29, 1943

OS2U trainers 1942

OS2U USS South Dakota

OS2U-1 "4-O-7" of the VO-4 from USS Maryland in flight

OS2U-1 1714

OS2U-1 1714 1940

OS2U-1 of VO-1 from USS Pennsylvania BB-38 off San Pedro 11 August 1940

OS2U-1 code "1-O-7" of VO-1 from USS Pennsylvania BB-38 off San Pedro 11 August 1940

OS2U-1 Kingfisher at NAS Alameda June 1942

OS2U-2

OS2U-2 2189

OS2U-2 2190 Cape May, New Jersey

OS2U-2 22

OS2U-2 3102

OS2U-2 from USS Missouri

OS2U-2 from USS Missouri 1944

OS2U-2 from USS North Carolina

OS2U-2 Kingfisher on the ground on May 6, 1943

OS2U-2 on the ground on May 6, 1943

OS2U-3

OS2U-3 "black 16" is pulled ashore on a beach at Attu 3 June 1943

OS2U-3 #55 BuNo 5390 at NAS Corpus Christi Texas 1941

OS2U-3 1941

OS2U-3 1944

OS2U-3 1944 Banana River

OS2U-3 assigned to the USS Miami CL-89 10 February 1945

OS2U-3 black 4

OS2U-3 East Coast base

OS2U-3 on catapult aboard USS New Mexico off Guam 1944

OS2U-3 Kingfishers on catapult aboard USS New Mexico (BB-40) off Guam 1944

OS2U-3 NAS Norfolk May

OS2U-3 over Padre Island 1942

OS2U-3 VS-1D5

OS2U-3 VS-33 1944

OS2U-3 VS-33 Banana River

OS2U-3 VS-39 NAS Banana River

Overall grey BuNo. 3102 being launched at NAS Pensacola

Personnel signal an approaching OS2U from an unidentified ship

Kingfisher piloted by Lt Fred Hunter of VCS-1, Aleutians

Piloted by Lt Fred Hunter OS2U-3 of VCS-1 catapults off USS Detroit during operations in the Aleutians 1943

Prototype on the trolley used to move the floatplane around

Seaplane tender USS Pocomoke

Sunday services on board the USS Mobile

Tractor pulls OS2U FAW 4 onto Alaskian shore 8jan43

Tractor pulls OS2U of the FAW-4 onto Alaskian shore 8jan43

U.S. Coast Guard OS2U

U.S. Coast Guard pilot training in OS2U 1942

USN Pilot and OS2U at NAS Corpus Christi 1943

U.S. Navy pilot and OS2U at NAS Corpus Christi 1943

U.S. Sailors with OS2U in South Pacific 1942

U.S. Sailors with floatplane Vought OS2U in South Pacific 1942

Underwing load for the aircraft: a pair of 350 lb depth charges

USS Indianapolis Seagull flying in formation with an OS2U

USS Mobile enroute to Marcus Island

USS South Dakota catapult

Vought Kingfisher Mk.l FN678

Vought OS2U code C74 fitted with fixed landing gear in flight

Vought OS2U floatplane on patrol 1944 - color photo

Vought OS2U hoisted aboard USS Charger ACV-30 in 1942

Vought OS2U Kingfisher being armed, 1941

Vought OS2U PBM

OS2U-1 floatplane moments for making a water landing

Vought OS2U-1 moments for making a water landing, 1942

Vought OS2U-2 floatplane in flight

Wounded Airman helped from OS2U after rescue from Pacific 44

Wounded Airman helped from OS2U after rescue from Pacific 1944

Wreckage of OS2U at Ford Island Station Pearl Harbor December 1941

XOS2U-1 1939

Kingfisher was an U.S. observation floatplane. It was a compact mid-wing monoplane, with a big central float and small stabilizing floats. Alternatively, a tailwheel undercarriage could be fitted.

Technical description

Mid-wing cantilever monoplane. Centre-section integral with fuselage. Two tapering outer panels. Structure comprises a single-spar with a D-shaped torque-resisting metal leading- edge. Aft of spar wing is covered with fabric. The trailing-edge includes deflector-plate type flaps and drooping ailerons. Spoilers are built into the upper wing surfaces to provide lateral control when the ailerons are drooped. All-metal monocoque fuselage of riveted and spot-welded construction. The skin panels, reinforced by spot-welded stiffeners or channels, are riveted to two upper longerons and one keel member. Cantilever monoplane tail type. Fixed surfaces are all-metal. Movable surfaces have fabric-covered metal frames. The movable surfaces are equipped with trimming-tabs controllable in flight by the pilot. Split type landing gear. Each oleo shock-absorbing strut forms one leg of a tripod bolted to fuselage fittings. Duo-servo hydraulic brakes and high pressure tyres. Free swivelling lock- able tail-wheel equipped with smooth-contour pneumatic tyre. The tail-wheel shock-strut is of the oleo-air cushion typo. As a seaplane, a single main float is attached to the fuselage by two centre-line struts and bracing wires. Wing-tip floats are connected to the wing by five aluminium-alloy streamline struts. Powered by Pratt & Whitney Wasp-Junior R-985-AN-2 radial air-cooled engine rated at 400 hp at 1,524m (5,000 ft) and at 450 hp for take-off. NACA cowling, adjustable trailing- edge gills, Hamilton-Standard constant-speed airscrew. Cartridge starter. The fuel tank is built integral with the centre-section of the wing and has a capacity of 545 litres (144 US gallons). The oil tank is of welded aluminium-alloy construction mounted in the engine compartment and has an oil capacity of 37.8 litres (10 US gallons). An oil-cooler, and automatic oil-temperature control-unit are included in the lubricating system.

Serial numbers:

XOS2U-l: 0951; OS2U-1: 1681-1734; OS2U-2: 2189-2288 and 3073-3130; OS2U-3: 5284-5989 and 09393-09692; OS2N-1: 01216-01515

Source:

Michael J. H Taylor: Jane's American Fighting Aircraft of the 20th Century