USS Portland's SOC-1 Scout
By John Greaves

On 7 June 1942, near Midway, the newly promoted LT(jg) Ralph "Kaiser" Wilhelm and ARM1c Fred Dyer were assigned the task of searching for downed Navy flyers lost during the Battle of Midway.

"About 0600, just at sunrise, quite a number of people sighted a yellow very star a couple of miles behind us. The MORRIS was sent back and I was also catapulted to try and locate its source. I searched for an hour and a half but couldn't see a thing. I was hoping I might see a lost pilot in a life raft but I believe it must have been a submarine because the emergency recognition for subs this morning was a yellow star. When I returned we had joined the other ships and the tanker was along side us. Two ASTORIA planes were up for the inner air patrol so I was recovered."

Flying in Curtiss SOC-1 Seagull, Number 10 (BuNo 9891), this piece depicts the scout and its crew returning to Portland (CA-33). They have started their approach for a portside "dog" recovery, crossing over Portland's bow to join a downwind portside circuit. Portland carried four Seagulls at Midway.

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