The one above looks more like a boat than an airplane. The information from Tom shows that it could be folded up and stowed on a submarine. I wonder if we used these in WW2?
I know the Japanese used submarine-carried airplanes to harass the west coast, particularly Oregon. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submarine_aircraft_carrier#Japan_2 where it says, “… I-25 conducted the only aerial bombings ever on the continental United States in September 1942, when an aircraft launched from it dropped two incendiary bombs on a forest near the town of Brookings, Oregon."
The planes on this page have been identified by Tom Singfield in the UK. The one below is a Bellanca 77. I still have no idea why a barge with a crane was being used.
This next, previously unknown (by me) airplane was identified by Tom as a Loening XSL-2. The “2” designator indicating the 6-cylinder engine. Here’s what Tom sent:
SL 1931 = Submarine-based scout. 110hp Warner Scarab; span: 31'0" length: 27'2" v: 100/88/x ceiling: 14,000'. Gross wt: 1500#. Could be folded up and stowed in an 8' space in 3 minutes. Modified with 160hp Menasco B-6 as XSL-2 in 1932 (v: 116 ceiling: 15,200').
It looks like they’re using the crane to pick up the plane and put it on a dock.
Some additional information has come to light about this airplane. Check it out here.