A description of the Chance-Vought SBU-1 in “The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet” by James C. Fahey, Associate, United States Naval Institute, War Edition. Published by Ships And Aircraft, 1265 Broadway, New York City. Murray Hill 3-9181. Copyright, 1942 by James C. Fahey.
What follows are a series of pictures my dad took while on the U.S.S. Ranger in 1936-1937. He mentions the incidents in a letter to his sister in a letter dated September 9, 1937.
“We had three planes crack up coming down. One of them fell in the ocean but [as] it had flotation gear, which is two big rubber bags under the wings which are automatically inflated if the pilot or radioman presses a button.”
“They got them inflated before hitting the water.
The plane went over the side while landing.
They picked the plane up after a couple of hours.”
“No one [was] killed. The destroyers picked up the pilot and his radioman. After they got the plane back aboard ship it was the worst looking wreck that I have seen on our ship except one of our planes that crashed in Honolulu.”
September 17, 1937, – George W. Palmer.
Obviously the last photo of the plane (with no wings) isn’t the same plane as in the previous photos. (42-S-9 instead of 42-S-11). Multiple planes, you see.