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

Passed to the USN in 1943 along with its two sister ships. V172 became BuAer serial 48244 Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

The 40 SOC-2 Seagulls were delivered with wheeled undercarriages only. Several were subsequently lost during ship catapult operations indicating they were modified to accept floats like other variants of the Seagull. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

At the time of the photo attached to the Anacostia naval air station. This aircraft saw war service as a catapult-launched floatplane. Lost off Rennell Island in South Pacific Feb 8, 1943 when operating off the USS Louisville. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

Photo by Gordon Williams.

BuNos 9864 and 9954 on the light cruiser USS Cincinnati, moored in central Vancouver. Photo by: James Crookall / City of Vancouver Archives

'The first SOC-1 parked on the seaplane apron at a Naval Air Station.' Embarked on US battleships and cruisers as an observation and reconnaissance aircraft, the humble Seagull served throughout WWII. Photo from: Naval History and Heritage Command

Seagulls from the USS Louisville in formation over Sydney during a goodwill visit. The ship's full complement was four aircraft. 0408 was lost at sea on June 4, 1943 when operating from the USS Savannah. Cruiser scout squadrons had detachments of aircraft on several ships at the same time. Photo from: State Library of Victoria

The Curtiss SOC-3 built by the Naval Aircraft Factory for use on battleships and cruisers. This plane was assigned to Observation Squadron Three on the battleship Mississippi.