So, by 1941 most battleships had transitioned towards it and cruisers were expected to replace their Seagulls with the newly arrived Curtiss SOC Seamew.
However the Seamew suffered from a weak engine and plans to adopt it as a replacement were scrapped. Therefore, the SOC Seagull continued to be employed in observation and artillery spotting missions, despite belonging to an earlier generation.
Through the first six months of service, it was known as XO3C-1, but its designation changed when it was decided to merge its scouting and observation roles. It wasn't until 1941 that it received the Seagull nickname, when the US Navy began adopting popular names for aircraft in addition to the alpha-numeric designations. The name Seagull was also previously given to two civil Curtiss aircraft, Model 18 and Model 25 both of them converted from Curtiss MF flying boats.
When it operated from cruisers, as a seaplane, the returning ones landed on the smooth ocean surface created on the sheltered side of the vessel, as it made a wide turn, after which the aircraft would be winched back onto the deck.
When it was replaced by the OS2U Kingfisher, most aircrafts were converted into trainers and remained in service until 1945. When the SOC3 Seamew failed, many SOC Seagulls that had been relegated to second line duties, were returned to frontline units from late 1943 onwards and saw service aboard warships in combat zones for the remaining of World War II. It has been one of the cases where an older aircraft type, that was retired or pushed back to a secondary role, replaced the new aircraft that was intended to replace it.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_SOC_Seagull
2. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=832
3. http://www.pacificwar.org.au/Midway/RalphWilhelm/SeagullIndex.html
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