The Battleship North Carolina's Kingfisher is a One of a Kind Aircraft Rarity
By S. Mark Rhodes
The handsome grandson of the author, Jackson Perkins surveys the deck of the Battleship North Carolina. (Papa Rhodes)In the early 1960’s, the people of North Carolina raised $330,000 (much of it from lunch money from NC school children) to buy the decommissioned USS Battleship North Carolina. The result? The birth of one of North Carolina’s most striking and iconic attractions and a great artifact of US military history. One memorable day in 1961, it chugged up the Cape Fear River and tucked into a conspicuous area across the way from downtown Wilmington, North Carolina where it’s mass and gravity dominates the landscape of this port city.
With nine16-inch 45-caliber guns and 20 five-inch 38-caliber guns in ten twin mounts, the Battleship North Carolina was widely considered the world’s most potent sea weapon upon its commission in 1941.
Not surprisingly, the USS North Carolina distinguished herself in World War II by participating in every major offensive action in the Pacific theater. The ship helped establish speedy and powerful battleships as the guardian of aircraft carriers (the USS North Carolina famously helped defend the carrier Enterprise during the Battle of the Solomon Islands). It was the most decorated battleship of the Second World War.
The Kingfisher’s perch on the Battleship North Carolina Memorial. (S. Mark Rhodes)The ship also had one of the really fascinating aircraft of the war: The Vought-Sikorsky X0S2U-1 monoplane. This unusual aircraft became one of the crucial specialty planes of the war by providing a speedy and dexterous plane to scout out enemy aircraft, subs. The ship would also need to be rugged enough to manage the wear and tear of ocean travel and tricky catapult launches. Since “Vought-Sikorsky XOs2U-1” didn’t exactly trip off the tongue, the aircraft also got a catchy nickname: The Kingfisher.
The North Carolina was equipped with as many of three of the Kingfishers at once during World War II. The battleship’s aviation detachment consisted of a staff or 23 men consisting of three pilots, as well as three crewmen who acted as radio operators/gunners. The remainder of the aviation detachment acted as support crew dealing with repair, maintenance and ammunition detail.
The launching of the Kingfisher while the Battleship North Carolina was at sea was a complicated process involving, among other things, a crane and a black powder charge and catapult apparatus which helped propel the Kingfisher to a speed of 70 miles per hour which was satisfactory for safe flight. The launching apparatus also allowed for recovery of the Kingfisher when it returned to the craft. The Battleship North Carolina had two 68-foot catapults located on the fantail of the craft (today, the catapults are gone but the two catapult turntables remain as evidence of this hazardous process).
The Battleship North Carolina has one Kingfisher left as part of the present day memorial. This craft’s history is an interesting, and, in some ways, charmed one. The aircraft crashed in Canada during World War II and was eventually restored (as a result of efforts by the Battleship North Carolina) through volunteer efforts by retired Vought-Sikorsky workers and engineers. The plane was installed as part of the Battleship’s Memorial in 1971 and has since been a distinctive part of the visual profile of the USS North Carolina ever since.
The Kingfisher is of course only one aspect of the Battleship NC Memorial; the ship is a fascinating look at life on one of these “floating cities.” Visitors can inspect areas where the crew could get a hair cut, eat, mail letters, visit a doctor and even have surgery, have dental work performed, as well as screen movies. There are artifacts such as log books, laundry, letters and the like artfully arranged in many of the ship’s chambers and areas to give a sense of day to day life and work on this grand vessel.
For aviation buffs, however, the Kingfisher will likely generate the most interest as it is only one of seven in existence and it is a unique aircraft with an interesting connection to one of World War II’s most enduring monuments. (For more info about the Battleship North Carolina and visitor information see www.battleshipnc.com).
