Taking a tip from the British, who have given their planes such lively names as Hurricane and Spitfire, the Navy last week gave names to its planes. Abandoned (except for official correspondence) was the Navy’s peculiar code of airplane designations: SO3C (for Scout Observation plane, type 3, made by Curtiss), PB2Y (for Patrol Bomber, type 2, made by Consolidated), etc. The new lexicon:
Buffalo for the Brewster F2A, Catalina for the Consolidated PBY. (These two names were taken over from the British.)
Corsair for the Vought F4U.
Kingfisher for the observation scouts Vought O52U and Naval Aircraft Factory’s O52N.
Seagull for the Curtiss SO3C.
Buccaneer for the Brewster SB2A scout bomber.
Helldiver (long in unofficial use) for the Curtiss SB2C.
Dauntless for the Douglas SBD.
Vindicator for the Vought SB2U.
Sea Ranger for the Boeing patrol bomber PBB.
Mariner for the Martin PBM.
Coronado for the Consolidated PB2Y.
Devastator for the Douglas TBD, torpedo bombers.
Avenger for the Grumman TBF torpedo bombers.
Only trace of the old lettering system was a tendency for some types of ships to be given names beginning with initial of their maker.
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