In 1933, the United States Navy had a requirement to replace its Vought O3U Corsair as the standard aircraft catapult launched observation aircraft aboard US Navy ships, and in June of that year it placed an order for a single example of a design from Douglas Aircraft Company, the XO2D-1, together with aircraft from Curtiss (the XO3C-1) and Vought (the XO5U-1). Douglas's design was a single engined biplane with single-bay wings of sesquiplane configuration that folded for shipboard storage. It was of all-metal construction, and housed the crew of two in tandem under an enclosed canopy. It was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine, and to allow easy operation from land, was fitted with a tailwheel undercarriage whose twin mainwheels retracted into the single main float.[1]
It was first flown in March 1934,[2] being tested at Anacostia and Naval Air Station Norfolk. It was rejected in favour of the Curtiss design, which was ordered into production as the SOC Seagull in March 1935.[2] After further testing it was withdrawn from use on 13 September 1935.[3]