Off Block Island – November 14, 1941
Curtiss Seagull
U.S. Navy Photo
On November 14, 1941, the U.S. navy cruiser USS Augusta, (CA-31), was off the Rhode Island shore in the vicinity of Block Island. Attached to the Augusta was a Curtiss SOC-3 Seagull aircraft used for observation purposes.
The navy report of this incident is brief, and does not state why the aircraft was airborne. It only mentions that the aircraft made a landing in choppy seas near an oil slick. Upon landing the left wing float was damaged and developed a leak which caused the aircraft to capsize. Fortunately the pilot and his observer were rescued unharmed.
No further details were given.
Source: U. S. Navy accident report #3488, dated November 14, 1941
