The Curtiss SC Seahawk was a scout seaplane designed by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the United States Navy. The existing Curtiss SO3C Seamew and the Vought OS2U Kingfisher were 1937 designs that, by 1942, needed to be replaced.
Design and development
Work began in June 1942, following a US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics request for scout seaplane proposals. Curtiss submitted the Seahawk design on 1 August 1942, with a contract for two prototypes and five service test aircraft awarded on 25 August. A production order for 500 SC-1s followed in June 1943, prior to the first flight of the prototypes.

While only intended to seat the pilot, a bunk was provided in the aft fuselage for rescue or personnel transfer. Two 0.5 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns were fitted in the wings, and two underwing hardpoints allowed carriage of 250 lb (113 kg) bombs or, on the right wing, surface-scan radar. The wings were foldable. The main float, designed to incorporate a bomb bay, suffered substantial leaks when used in that fashion, and was modified to carry an auxiliary fuel tank.

The first flight of a prototype XSC-1 took place 16 February 1944 at the Columbus, Ohio Curtiss plant. Flight testing continued through 28 April, when the last of the seven pre-production aircraft took to the air. Nine further prototypes were later built, with a second seat and modified cockpit, designated SC-2; series production was not undertaken.
Operational history
The first serial production Seahawks were delivered on 22 October 1944, to USS Guam. All 577 aircraft eventually produced for the Navy were delivered on conventional landing gear and flown to the appropriate Naval Air Station, where floats were fitted for service as needed.

Capable of being fitted with either float or wheeled landing gear, the Seahawk was arguably America's best floatplane scout of World War II. However, its protracted development time meant it entered service too late to see significant action in the war. It was not until June 1945, during the pre-invasion bombardment of Borneo, that the Seahawk was involved in military action. By the end of the war, seaplanes were becoming less desirable, with the Seahawk being replaced soon afterward by helicopters.

































Specifications (SC-1, float-equipped)
General characteristics
Crew: One pilot
Capacity: Facility for single stretcher patient
Length: 36 ft ?4 1?2 in (11.08 m)
Wingspan: 41 ft 0 in (12.49 m)
Height: 16 ft 0 in (4.87 m)
Wing area: 280 ft? (26.01 m?)
Empty weight: 6,320 lb (2,867 kg)
Loaded weight: 9,000 lb (4,082 kg)
Powerplant: 1 ? Wright R-1820-62 Cyclone supercharged 9-cylinder radial engine, 1,350 hp (1,007 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 313 mph (272 knots, 504 km/h) at 28,600 ft (8,700 m)
Cruise speed: 125 mph (113 knots, 210 km/h)
Range: 625 mi (543 nmi, 1,006 km)
Service ceiling: 37,300 ft (11,370 m)
Rate of climb: 2,500 ft/min (12.7 m/s)
Armament
Guns: 2 ? .50 M2 Browning machine guns
Bombs: 2 ? 325 lb (150 kg) bombs