Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

Hello,


I am looking for details on a Vought OS2U King floatplane catapulted by an american cruiser (USS Quincy or USS Tuscaloosa) before Cherbourg on june 25 1944.
He was apparently shot down by Flak.


Any help would be welcome


Thanks in advance

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

Not sure the US Navy was using OS2Us at this stage of the game over Europe

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

On 20 June "Quincy" ( CruDiv 10) had 2 OS2U-3s and "Tuscaloosa" (CruDiv 7) had 3 SOC-1s. I think George will have some details.


Regards
Nick
A very nice shot of "Missouri"s OS2U in 1944....

https://navsource.org/archives/01/057/016328.jpg

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

War Diary mention spotting plane hit by flak at 1302

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/78619977?objectPage=36

1302 - SPOTTING PLANE REPORTED HIT BY FLAK; RETURNING TO BASE.

I'm interpreting that as an aircraft not based off the warship itself, but perhaps a shore based spotter? They were using Spitfires for spotting at the time?

VCS-7 They stood down from their mission on Jun 26th it seems.
https://midwaycurrents.org/Fall-2024...over-normandy/

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

No mention in the daily entry for Quincy either,
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/78513181

To search for more of the Task force ships search for this search string:

"USS Quincy" 6/1-30/44


report from VCS-7 but I dont think it mentions anything

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/139772920

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

https://www.history.navy.mil/researc...r-ii/1944.html

the number of aircraft on those two ships didn't change between 20th and 27th June but then they would likely have been replenished.

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

Apparently, USS Quincy still have 2 OS2U aboard in august and one was shot down before Toulon.
I wonder if the reference found for a seaplane shot down on June 25 in front of Cherbourg is a confusion with the aircraft shot down in August in front of Toulon.


Thanks for your help


Claude

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

I have not been able to find any SOC/OS2U losses for late-June 1944 in that part of the world, but surely this is because their pilots were flying spotting missions in Spitfires with VCS-7?

The August 1944 loss off Toulon, on the 21st, involved an SOC-3, BuNo 1083, from USS Philadelphia. It was seen to crash in flames, believed hit by AA.

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

George. from my notes 16? Navy pilots were collected in May from Quincy, Tuscaloosa, Augusta, Nevada, Texas and Arkansas, their SOCs and SO2Us flown ashore to Ipswich in temporary storage; the Sqn., VCS-7 to Lee-on-Solent ( 3rd Naval Wing) with Spitfires, commander Lt. Cdr. W. Denton Jr. from Quincy. They flew between D-Day and June 26 when Cherbourg was captured and they returned to Navy control. The 16 pilots flew a total of 191 sorties.


Regards
Nick

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

The question may have come from the USS Tuscaloosa War Diary for 25 June 1944, the naval bombardment of Cherbourg. See entry at 1145 here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/78619977?objectPage=34

More details about a/the spotter plane in trouble here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/78515139?objectPage=14 . Item (g).

Regards, Leendert

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

RAF No. 63 Squadron with Spitfires was also engaged in spotting missions over Cherbourg on 25 June 1944. F/Lt B.F. Cleeton (RCAF) was shot down by Flak and got killed in Spitfire AD469.
Of same squadron BL987 also shot down during Cherbourg spotting mission, pilot F/O Duff safe.

Unfortunately, no times mentioned in Summary.

Regards, Leendert

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

Nick,

What I have is 17 pilots from the six ships parking their aircraft at Lee, then training on Spitfires at Middle Wallop and returning to Lee for operations?

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

From B F Cleeton's service file:



REPORT ON CASUALTY : E/0. B.F.CLEETON (CAN.J.12234)

r/o. B.F.Cleeton is missing from air operations under the following circumstances.

At 10.55 hours on 25th June 1944, F/Lt. Gorton and F/o.
B.F.Cleeton took off from Lee-on-Solent in Spitfire aircraft
to carry out spotting for naval craft bombarding the Cherbourg
Peninsular.

Weather was clear and the French coast was crossed 15
miles West of Cherbourg at about 3800 feet.

Two miles inland F/0 Cleeton rolled over on his back and
dived towards the ground ending up in the direction pair were
travelling. F/Lt. Gorton saw some flak coming up and did not
see F/0 Cleeton again. He immediately started calling him and
searching but was unable to locate him. Returning to place he
had last seen him F/Lt. Gorton noticed a fire on ground which
he could not identify as burning aircraft. F/Lt. Gorton continued
to search and call F/o. Cleeton until instructed to return to
base.

Sgd: M.Savage,

Squadron Leader, Commanding,
No.63 Squadron, Lee-on-Solent.

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

Thanks George. They were trained by the 67thTRG (Ninth AF) at Middle Wallop which was designated Station 449, as they had flown Recon. Spitfires previously; c/o was Col. G W Peck. They moved to Lee (not far away still in Hampshire) on 28 May 44 to the "Pool" of 5 RAF, 4 FAA and VCS-7 squadrons. I believe pilots flew what was available at the time.
These are their ex-cruiser SOCs and OS2Us (National Archives photo) parked temporarily, don't know the airfield but there's a big Type "J" hangar in back; somewhere in the south I imagine.


Regards
Nick


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1107a842_o.jpgvcs7 by Nicholas King, on Flickr

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

They would have needed an airfield with a seaplane ramp so Lee seems the most likely?

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

On 25 june, the Air Spotting Pool flew 142 missions over Cherbourg.
36 for 63 Squadron
30 for 26 Squadron
17 for VCS-7
59 for Squadrons of Fleet Air Arm (12 for 808 Squadron, 18 for 885 Squadron, 18 for 886 Squadron and 11 for 897 Squadron)
Seafire NF511 crashed at Godlington near Swanage on return flight (bad meteo conditions). Pilot sub-lt A. Horstead (886 Squadron) died from injuries a few days later.
Claude

Re: Vought OS2U floatplane shot down june 25 1944
 

IMHO the whole (mis?)interpretation of a USN shipboard spotting plane loss stems from the USS Tuscaloosa report of the Cherbourg bombardment.

See item (k) here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/78556548?objectPage=4

Again IMHO the 'Tuscaloosa's spotting plane' was not an OS2U or SOC (which were parked at Lee-on-Solent), but an a/c of one of the FAA/RAF/VCS squadrons that took part for artillery spotting, and working for that USN ship.

Report speaks of "weaver", or wingman, more pointing to a fighter effort.

Also see 1145 on this page, with location of crash: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/78556548?objectPage=8

Location "9828" = vicinity La Hague, somewhat west of Cherbourg (French Lambert Zone 1, vN9828 on the Echodelta.net coordinates translator).

Ship's report also does not mention any loss of 'own' aviators.

Regards, Leendert