An early SOC-1 with 1936 markings. The tail band colour for S-9s was white. Remaining colours were: VS-5B blue, VS-6B red, VS-10S yellow, VS-11S willow green, and VS-12S black. (Photo: the author)


SOC-1 9866 showing th letter "C" for Cruiser added to the squadron designation in July 1937 and thereafter painted as CS in the section leaders stripe on the.fuselage, Cowl and stripe
are black. (Photo: the author)
The SON-1 was the SOC-3 model built by the Naval Aircraft Factory at Philadelphia to increase production of the SOC and at the same time release the Curtiss facilities for the manufacture of other types.

The overall picture of numbers used from the time of initial delivery until the plane was officially classified as Obsolete may be seen in Table 2. 


TABLE 2: NUMBERS IN SERVICE, 1935-1943



                          Date


Model
     11/35 6/36 6/37 6/38 6/39 6/40 9/41 11/42 8/43


XSOC-1      1      1    1    1    1    1

SOC-1      18    133  124  123  120  115  107   75   52

SOC-IA                                      1    9    6

SOC-2                  40   38   38   31   37   24   17

SOC-2A                                           3    2

SOC-3                       82   79   79   65   34   26

SOC-3A                                      9   21   18

SON-1                            33   44   39   29   23

SON-IA                                           3    3

SOC-4                        3    3    3    3    3


Total
      19    134  165  247  274  279  261  201  147
Each Heavy Cruiser carried four SOC's and the cowling of the fourth plane in each section was marked with a vertical band in the proper colour: -4 red, -8 white, -12 blue, -16 black and -20 green.(Photo: John C. Mitchell)

MISSION OF THE SOC

The SOC was designed as a replacement for the Vought 02U and 03U "Corsair" floatplanes being used at the time. Each battleship carried three SOC's for the primary purpose of spotting long range gunfire-thus extending the accurate range of its 14-inch guns. All cruisers carried four plane units (except for CL4 to CL13 of the Omaha class which carried only two) and these were primarily for scouting-extending the "eyes of the fleet" far beyond visual shipboard range.

Those ships that were designated as Flagships of some unit of the Fleet, such as the Battle Force or Scouting Force, carried an additional airplane as the Flagplane or flying "Admiral's barge" for the use of the force commander.

All models of the SOC were convertible from floatplanes to landplanes and operated on wheels from naval air stations ashore when their parent ship was in port for any length of time or undergoing overhaul.

The mission performed by the SOC's is repeatedly shown in the squadron insignias of the battleship and cruiser scouting squadrons. VO-1 (Observation Squadron One) shows a gun turret and radio waves;
VO-3 has "Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" riding a projectile and directing it with binoculars and a pair of reins; VO-4 shows a battleship belching smoke and flame in a broadside salvo. The cruiser scouting squadron insignias, on the other hand, do not show any guns but instead utilize binoculars, a flying sea horse, a flying fish and four dolphins.

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