An aircraft that, in my humble opinion, looked better on floats than landing gear. Still, having the ability to swap floats for wheels was a darn good idea.

Drifting in over USS Langley in 1922. Note the number of fore and aft wires. The aircraft of the time would/should be guided by those wires to a traverse wire which would/should stop the plane. Also of note is that Langley is not underway.

One of the squadron’s JRS’s is still in existence. A survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor, it is awaiting restoration at the National Air & Space Museum(NASM). Today, there are several other former military aircraft that were in Hawaii that fateful morning, but the JRS-1 of the NASM is believed to be the most extant of those that were physically present at the scene of the attack; even the airplane’s squadron insignia – though faded – is still visible.

 

 

 

 

Great photo of an O3U-3 being readied for flight. This could also be a post-flight recovery, but the running engine, tending lines, and the lack of dripping water tell me this aircraft is going over the side for takeoff and not the other way around.  Photo taken at NAS North Island. Aircraft carriers that also carried float planes were part of a remarkable era in aviation.

Note the sailing ship in the background.