Autogyro - first ship landing/take-off - conflicting texts

[Leendert]

For my little autogyro research, I read conflicting texts when the first deck landing on and take-off from a ship has taken place with such a aircraft.

Sources say on 23 Sep 1931 on one hand (USN Pitcairn XOP-1 on the USS Langley) while others claim a (civil) Cierva C.30 on the Spanish seaplane tender Dédalo on 7 March 1934.
Not to disparage one above the other, which one bears more of the truth?

Thanks for info, Leendert

[twocee]

Attached is a note on the Langley landing from the US Naval Institute Proceedings.

Lt. A.M. Pride comments on autogyro landing on USS Langley 23 September 1931
Autogyro XOP-1, BuNo A-8850

We did some work on an autogiro, too. It had been under development, and someone suggested that we ought to test it on board ship. So one day when the Langley was off Hampton Roads, I flew out to the ship and landed. We had to be careful because the deck was narrow, and there was also a problem when landing into a breeze. Unless we turned left immediately, the rotor would fly up and break a blade. So, as soon as the autogiro landed, I swung hard left and had to stop before going over the side.
In a helicopter, there is power to the rotor, which was not true in the autogiro. Sometimes when the main engine goes out in a helicopter, it will autogyro to the ground. The autogiro could make a vertical landing onto a carrier's deck, but it took off like a conventional plane. The autogiro never caught on because it became obvious that a helicopter would be more capable.

[R Leonard]

As George noted -

From United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995

1931
22 January The Navy ordered its first rotary winged aircraft, the XOP-1 autogiro, from Pitcairn Aircraft, Incorporated. (Page 79)

1931
23 September Lieutenant Alfred M. Pride piloted the Navy’s first rotary wing aircraft, an XOP-1 autogiro, in landings and takeoffs aboard Langley while underway. (Page 81)

1935
12 March The Navy issued a contract to Pitcairn Autogiro Company to remove the fixed wings from the XOP-1, thereby converting it to the XOP-2 which thus became the Navy’s first heavier-than-air aircraft without fixed wings. (Page 89)

According to bureau numbers listed in the appendix, the XOP-1 was Bureau Number A-8850. Two additional XOP-1s were A-8976 and A-8977.

[Leendert]

Thanks all. That's what I came to figure out as well, notwithstanding quite some articles and texts on the www that tell of such first for the Cierva.
Gives evidence to give it all a double check...

Leendert