Intended to replace the Curtiss SOC Seagull in service aboard battleships, it proved inferior to the Vought OS2U Kingfisher in a fly-off, and did not enter production.

The Stearman Model 85, given the designation XOSS-1, was a conventional two-seat biplane, with the pilot and observer seated in tandem in a fully enclosed cockpit.

The aircraft could be operated with either float or wheeled landing gear, with the former being of the single center-float type, and the latter being a conventional taildragger undercarriage.

The XOSS-1 had the unusual feature of being fitted with full-span flaps on the upper wing to reduce stalling speed.

Both the XOSS-1 and the XOSN-1, despite not possessing any significant faults, were considered to be insufficiently advanced, being inferior in performance and potential to the Vought machine.