The Coast Guard obtained six Chance-Vought O2U-2 Corsairs from the Navy Department’s inventory; three in 1934 and three more in 1935. They were modified at Eastern Air Service, Miami. The overhaul included removal of til hooks, installation of dual controls for the aft cockpit, installation of Coast Guard radios, and engine overhauls. They were numbered V117 through V122 and stayed in service through 1937 with one surviving through January 1940. Several of these Corsairs were stationed with the Coast Guard Air Detachments that patrolled the U.S.-Mexican border in an effort to suppress the smuggling of illegal alcoholic beverages. The two gentlemen in the picture are the Commandant of the Coast Guard Hamlet and the Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau. The aircraft were armed.
