The 64 SON-1s built by the Naval Aircraft Factory were essentially Curtiss SOC-3 Seagulls. The 3-O-3 code indicates the third aircraft of the first section (red lower half of nose) of VO-3 (blue tailfin), thus assigned to the first ship in the 3rd Battleship Division, USS Idaho. See photo 422633 for more on this and note that VO-3 was converting to the OS2U Kingfisher around this time. Idaho sent to Atlantic in 1941 but returned to Pacific after Pearl Harbor. Photo by: Carl Mydans / Life

Amazing detail and colours. A black and white image taken by Mydans in flight shows 6-T-16 was BuNo 0318. BuNo 1512 is behind. Photo by: Carl Mydans / Life

The aircraft code cannot be read, but the red chevron on the top wing indicates the first three-aircraft section of VS-6 and the colouring of the lower half of the cowling should indicate the leader's second wingman, 6-S-3. The blue tail surfaces indicate the USS Enterprise air wing. Photo by: Carl Mydans / Life

BuNo 0517 was lost a month later when its flotation bags inflated during a flight, causing the crew to bail out off Oahu on 31 October 1940. The unit badge confirms the unit to be VS-6, as does the blue tail which identified the USS Enterprise carrier air wing from 1937. Ship 18 has the bottom half of its cowling painted yellow, being the second wingman in the sixth section of a squadron. Photo by: Carl Mydans / Life

Despite its shortcomings, the Northrop BT-1 dive-bomber did see carrier service. The type was retired from the fleet by April 1941. BuNo 0631 lasted as a trainer until 1944. Photo by: Carl Mydans / Life