Kingfisher In The Net

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:21 pm

OS2U being dragged by the recovery net about to be hoisted aboard the USS Boston 1944.

richkolasa · **Posted:** Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:01 am

I think one of the biggest wishes I'd have as an aviation enthusiast would be to see a restored Kingfisher land at the Oshkosh seaplane base! That would be awesome. Even a "data-plate" OS2U would be fine with me!

John Dupre · **Posted:** Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:27 pm

I read years ago that a pretty battered wreck of a Kingfisher was going to be rebuilt in CA and I read just last year that in Australia there is a Kingfisher intact for restoration and the company is talking about building up three of them.....

Holedigger · **Posted:** Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:44 pm

Landing a small seaplane like the Kingfisher in open seas, even in the moderated lea of a large ship has got to be a risky proposition at best. Just wondering what the average service life of a Kingfisher was. Can't have been too long.

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Sat Jan 03, 2009 2:49 pm

I had a friend here that was a crew in the Kingfisher Det on the Indy and
he said landings were relatively easy has the ship turn made a large calm area.
The hard part was balancing on the wing trying to make the hook up.

Pogo · **Posted:** Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:17 pm

richkolasa wrote:

I think one of the biggest wishes I'd have as an aviation enthusiast would be to see a restored Kingfisher land at the Oshkosh seaplane base! That would be awesome. Even a "data-plate" OS2U would be fine with me!

Oh man, count me in on that one! Thanks, Jack, for the foto ... there's one of yer basic unsung heros.

Canso42 · **Posted:** Sun Jan 04, 2009 9:31 pm

A couple of decades ago I covered the restoration of the Battleship Texas for a local newspaper and while interviewing the ship's veterans, I kept running across the same story of a botched OS2U recovery.
It was printed in the spring 1991 issue, vol 5, #1 of Naval History magazine.
Basically the boat crane op failed to get his big hook out of the way and the Kingfisher whacked it, knocking off a wing float. It started to tip over and the quick thinking back seater jumped out and the other wing to balance it. At this point, a motor launch was sent after it. After hookup the boat's engine vapor locked, stalled and wouldn't restart. This was in convoy in mid Atlantic and it was getting dark. Capt. Baker had his battlewagon turned around in a circle, in mid convoy and made another pass at the OS2U and motor launch, snagging both on the second pass.
This was described as "an excellent piece of ship handling by Capt Baker." Crane operator Jim "Sully" Sullivan said his opposite side counterpart was reduced in rank one grade for his careless handling of his boat tackle.
No OS2U on the Mighty T nowadays though.

Doug Ratchford

gilt · **Posted:** Mon Jan 05, 2009 8:34 pm

Holedigger wrote:

Landing a small seaplane like the Kingfisher in open seas, even in the moderated lea of a large ship has got to be a risky proposition at best. Just wondering what the average service life of a Kingfisher was. Can't have been too long.

There are many stories of the radioman getting injured or knocked overboard by the hook during recovery. In rough seas the ship would make a circle to calm the waters, in extreme conditions they would dump oil also..............imagine the treehuggers howling over that.

Tom-

Canso42 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 05, 2009 8:42 pm

And how'd you like to service an aircraft with 'Navy black' all over it? UGH!

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