Looking for Photos of Vought OS2U Kingfisher in Battle of Midway

[GrauGeist]

Yorktown and Tangier were both in Pearl Harbor through February 1942.

There's a very good chance that the Ford Super Deluxe was transferred aboard the Yorktown at that time and may have belonged to Admiral Fletcher.

 

[NorthAmericanModeler]

Even if not Pacific war related, you can add to the panel the US roundel surronded in yellow used from October 1942 for operation Torch.

Avengers, Wildcats and Dauntless with the Operation Torch roundel are a favorite topic of mine. I love the "pop" of yellow around the roundel. One of my favorites ... a small Wildcat with a photo of the real deal on the deck of the USS Ranger.

 

[NorthAmericanModeler]

Firstly a minor correction. AV-8 was the USS Tangier not "Tangiers".

She was sent to New Caledonia in the South Pacific, with her aircraft, in Feb 1942 and did not leave to return to San Francisco until 20 June, weeks after Midway. After a refit it was back to the South Pacific. Ship's history can be found here.

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/tangier-ii.html

At the beginning of June 1942 there were PBY Catalinas based at Midway. These were detachments from the Patrol Wing 2 squadrons based at PH. But no seaplane tenders to support them.

There were two converted "four stackers" (WW1 destroyers) acting as seaplane tenders supporting Midway search operations. USS Thornton (AV-11) and Ballard (AV-10) stationed at French Frigate Shoals.

Spelling has been updated. Thank you!

I'll look it up, but any idea whether the USS Thornton or Ballard "tendered" Kingfishers.

I appreciate everyone's patience with my ignorance. I am learning a whole new area of Naval aviation. Up to now it's been all fighters and dive bombers!

 

[T308]

Spelling has been updated. Thank you!

I'll look it up, but any idea whether the USS Thornton or Ballard "tendered" Kingfishers.

I appreciate everyone's patience with my ignorance. I am learning a whole new area of Naval aviation. Up to now it's been all fighters and dive bombers!

According to the War Diaries for the period, I'm seeing no mention of either ship tending to Kingfishers. The only a/c mentioned are PBYs. The Ballard also shepherded PT Boats from FFS to Midway the last week of May 1942. Both were also out looking for survivors after the battle. Ballard picked up 30+ Japanese sailors. Thornton refueled and provisioned a PBY that was adrift.

 

[GrauGeist]

I've been looking at several sources for OS2U aircraft activity at Midway and haven't seen any real evidence.

The several Cruisers, like USS Astoria (CA-34) were still equipped with Curtiss SOC-3 aircraft.

Here's a photo of the Astoria during exercises off Hawaii in July 1942 (a.month after the Battle) and you can see an SOC secured amidship on the port side.

 

[EwenS]

I've also been giving it further thought and come to the conclusion you won't find any OS2U Kingfishers in the Pacific in June 1942 other than
1. At PH as previously discussed or
2. On the Seaplane Tenders sent to the South Pacific or
3. On the battleships of TF 1 which didn't participate in the Battle of Midway.

Pre-war the standard scout / observation aircraft for the USN battleships and cruisers was the biplane Curtiss SOC Seagull. Production of this ended in 1938. The USN had two replacement aircraft lined up from a 1937 competition:-

Curtiss SO3C Seamew - entered service in July 1942 with first aircraft allocated to the new cruiser Cleveland. However it turned out to have "an unsatisfactory operational record" and production was terminated in Jan 1944. As a result all the remaining SOC Seagull aircraft were restored to operational standard and returned to the fleet. Some of the older cruisers were still using the SOC in Sept 1945. This is San Francisco on 28 Sept 1945 off Korea.

https://www.navsource.net/archives/04/038/0403802.jpg

Vought OS2U Kingfisher - entered service August 1940. 53 OS2U-1 built 1940. 158 OS2U-2 built in first half of 1941 followed by another 366 OS2U-3 in the second half of the year and another 938 OS2U-3 / OS2N-1 before production ended in Nov 1942. (OS2N-1 was a version of the OS2U-3 built by the Naval Aircraft Factory). But many of the early aircraft went to training units at Pensacola with 53 going to equip the Inshore Patrol squadrons at Jacksonville NAS, Florida. Most of the 300 OS2N-1 built in 1942 went to equip another 9 Inshore Patrol squadrons.

Kingfishers began to replace the SOC on battleships with 6 going to the Pacific Fleet in 1940. By the time of PH most, if not all, the Pacific Fleet battleships had traded their SOC for OS2U. But the cruisers still retained their SOC until much later in the war, especially the older 8" ships (see reference to San Francisco above) and Brooklyns.

The battleships of Task Force 1 were deployed between the uS West Coast and Hawaii for much of 1942. The principal reason for this was that the US Pacific Fleet had insufficient oilers available to supply them and the fast carrier Task Groups. Their slow speed also counted against them. Finally until after Midway the US believed that an IJN attack on the West Coast was a possibility albeit one much hyped by the press at the time.

Battle of Los Angeles - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[T308]

USS Casco had a Kingfisher in the Aleutian Islands during the battle (Cold Bay). If your definition of the "Battle of Midway" includes the Aleutian Operation that might be the only one.

 

[John D. Voss]

I hope that I am posting this in the right (most productive) place. I am working on a commission for a client who is collecting all the aircraft flown during the Battle of Midway. There were two left from his collection that he has asked me to fill in. SB2U Vindicator and the OS2U Kingfisher.

I am having a real hard time finding any pictures or references of any kind providing painting details for a Kingfisher that was definitively flow during The Battle of Midway. I understand that the USS Tangier was outfitted with Kingfishers but have not been able to verify that the USS Tangier was actually at Midway nor have I any photographs or other verifiable references of the Kingfishers it carried. I would welcome any input, direction or assistance in finding reliable references!

Thanks!

I discovered a photo of a OS2U-2 Kingfisher (in landplane configuration) with the expression "USS Tangier" painted on the aft fuselage. The photo footnote states that there were THREE A/C assigned to the USS Tangier. The aircraft appears to be finished in an O/A color ...possibly light gray. The photo is dated 1941.

The subject photo can be found the following book: "U.S. Navy Aircraft 1921-1941" by Bill Larkins pg 283. Its BuNo is 2216..

 

[GrauGeist]

I discovered a photo of a OS2U-2 Kingfisher (in landplane configuration) with the expression "USS Tangier" painted on the aft fuselage. The photo footnote states that there were THREE A/C assigned to the USS Tangier. The aircraft appears to be finished in an O/A color ...possibly light gray. The photo is dated 1941.

The subject photo can be found the following book: "U.S. Navy Aircraft 1921-1941" by Bill Larkins pg 283. Its BuNo is 2216..

As it happens, USS Tangier was conducting extended rescue operations after the Battle of Coral Sea and returned to Pearl Harbor after the Battle of Midway.

So her PBYs and few OS2U aircraft aboard never saw saw action at Midway.