On 15 December 1936 the Secretary of the Navy, Virginian Claude A. Swanson, approved acceptance of a new observation/scouting plane, the Curtiss XO3C-1, later designated the SOC (Scout Observation Curtiss) and nicknamed "Seagull." It would operate from battleships and cruisers from late 1935 through the World War II years. The aircraft was used for search, gunfire spotting, and rescue missions during World War II. It was launched from its parent ship with a black powder catapult. The standing joke among pilots was that the Seagull took off at 70 knots, maneuvered at the high-speed of 70 knots and conducted its landings at 70 knots.
Here's another great color You Tube video on the Curtiss SOC Seagull!