Flagship Corsairs

Perched on their catapult atop the No. 3 turret of the USS Pennsylvania, a pair of Vought O3U-3s of Observation Squadron Two (VO-2) stand by to carry out another assignment. The O2U/O3U Corsair was the standard observation aircraft for the USN for about ten years (1927-1937) – a most notable achievement in an era when the life expectancy of almost every design type was measured in only a few years. Pennsylvania was the flagship of the U.S. Fleet during the interwar years, reflected in the immaculate condition of the ship and its aircraft.