| SB2C Helldiver A-25 Shrike | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Curtiss SB2C Helldiver | |
| Role | Dive bomber |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Curtiss Fairchild (Canada) (SBF) Canadian Car & Foundry (SBW) |
| First flight | 18 December 1940 |
| Introduced | 11 November 1943 |
| Retired | 1959 (Italian Air Force) |
| Primary users | United States Navy United States Army Air Force French Air Force Royal Thai Air Force |
| Produced | 1943–1945 |
| Number built | 7,140 |
The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber aircraft produced for the United States Navy during World War II. It replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless in US Navy service. Despite its size, the SB2C was much faster than the SBD it replaced. Crew nicknames for the aircraft included the Big-Tailed Beast (or just the derogatory Beast),[1] Two-Cee and Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class (after its designation and partly because of its reputation for having difficult handling characteristics).[2]
Although production problems persisted throughout its combat service, pilots soon changed their minds about the potency of the Helldiver.[3]
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[edit] Design and development
The Helldiver was developed to replace the Douglas SBD Dauntless; it was a much larger aircraft able to operate from the latest aircraft carriers of the time and carry a considerable array of armament and featured an internal bomb bay that reduced drag when carrying heavy ordnance. Saddled with demanding requirements set forth by both the U.S. Marines and United States Army Air Forces, the manufacturer incorporated features of a "multi-role" aircraft into the design.[4]
The Model XB2C-1 prototype initially suffered teething problems connected to its R-2600 engine and 3-bladed propeller; further concerns included structural weaknesses, poor handling, directional instability and bad stall characteristics. The first prototype flew in December 1940. After the prototype crashed in February 1941, Curtiss was asked to rebuild it with revised structures and shapes. This second prototype version was also lost when in December 1941 the Helldiver pulled out of a dive and the starboard wing and tailplane failed catastrophically.
Large-scale production had already been ordered on 29 November 1940, but a large number of modifications were specified for the production model. The size of the fin and rudder was enlarged, fuel capacity was increased, self-sealing fuel tanks added and the fixed armament was doubled to four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns in the wings, compared with the prototype's two cowling guns. The SB2C-2 was built with larger fuel tanks, improving its range considerably.
The program suffered so many delays that the Grumman TBF Avenger entered service before the Helldiver, even though the Avenger had begun its development two years later. Nevertheless, production tempo accelerated with production at Columbus, Ohio and two Canadian factories: Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) which produced a total of 300, designated XSBF-l, SBF-l, SBF-3 and SBF-4E, while Canadian Car and Foundry built 894 examples designated SBW-l, SBW-3, SBW-4, SBW-4E and SBW-5, these models being respectively equivalent to their Curtiss-built counterparts. A total of 7140 SB2Cs were produced in World War II.[5]
[edit] Operational history
The large number (literally thousands) of modifications and changes on the production line meant that the Curtiss Helldiver did not enter combat until 11 November 1943 with VB-17 on the USS Bunker Hill, when they attacked the Japanese-held port of Rabaul on the island of New Britain, north of Papua New Guinea. Even though the Helldiver entered U.S. Naval service, it still had such structural problems that the aircraft crews were forbidden to dive bomb (one of its main tasks) in clean configuration. The SB2C-1 could deploy slats mechanically linked with undercarriage actuation extended from the outer third of the wing leading edge to aid lateral control at low speeds. The early prognosis of the "Beast" was unfavourable as it was strongly disliked by aircrews because it was much bigger and heavier than the SBD it replaced.[6]
The litany of faults that the Helldiver bore included the fact that it was underpowered, had a shorter range than the SBD, was equipped with an unreliable electrical system and was often poorly manufactured. The Curtis-Electric propeller and the complex hydraulic system had frequent maintenance problems.[7]
The problems were largely solved by the time SB2C-4 made its appearance. The aircrew eventually began to appreciate the aircraft's ability to keep up with escort fighters, to easily carry a heavier bomb load, and to sortie over a longer distance. The Helldivers would participate in battles over Marianas, Leyte (partly responsible for sinking the Musashi), Taiwan, and Okinawa (in the sinking of the Yamato).
An oddity of the SB2Cs with 1942 to 1943-style tricolor camouflage was that the undersides of the outer wing panels carried dark topside camouflage because the undersurfaces were visible from above when the wings were folded.
Postwar, surplus aircraft were sold to the navies of France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Thailand.
[edit] Non-naval service
Built at Curtiss' St. Louis plant, 900 aircraft were ordered by the USAAF under the designation A-25A Shrike.[8] The first 10 aircraft had folding wings, while the remainder of the production order deleted this feature. Many other changes distinguished the A-25A including larger main wheels, a pneumatic tail wheel, ring and bead gunsight, longer exhaust stubs and other Army specified radio equipment. By later 1943 when the A-25A was being introduced, the USAAF no longer had a role for the dive bomber. After offering the Shrike to Australia, only 10 were accepted before the Royal Australian Air Force rejected the remainder of the order, forcing the USAAF to send 410 to U.S. Marines. The A-25As were converted to SB2C-1 standard but the Marine SB2C-1 variant never saw combat, being utilized primarily as trainers. The remaining A-25As were similarly employed as trainers and target tugs.[8]
A comparable scenario accompanied the Helldiver's service with the British. A total of 26 aircraft (out of 450 ordered) were delivered to the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, where they were known as the Helldiver I. After unsatisfactory tests that pinpointed "appalling handling", none of the British Helldivers were used operationally.[9]
[edit] Variants
- XSB2C-1
- Prototype powered by a 1,700 hp (1,268 kW) R-2600-8 engine
- SB2C-1
- Production version for United States Navy with four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) wing guns and one 0.30 in (7.62 mm) dorsal gun, 200 built.
- SB2C-1A
- Original designation for United States Army Air Corps version which became A-25A later used for 410 A-25As transferred to the United States Marine Corps.
- SB2C-1C
- SB2C-1 with four 20 mm (0.79 in) wing cannons and hydraulically operated flaps, 778 built.
- XSB2C-2
- One SB2C-1 fitted with twin floats in 1942.
- SB2C-2
- Production float plane version, 287 cancelled and not built.
- XSB2C-3
- One SB2C-1 re-engined with a 1,900 hp (1,417 kW) R-2600-20.
- SB2C-3
- As SB2C-1 re-engined with a 1,900 hp (1,417 kW) R-2600-20 and four-bladed propeller, 1,112 built.
- S2BC-3E
- SB2C-3s fitted with APS-4 radar.
- SB2C-4
- SB2C-1 but fitted with wing racks for eight 5 in (127 mm) rockets or 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs, 2,045 built.
- SB2C-4E
- SB2C-4s fitted with APS-4 radar.
- XSB2C-5
- Two SB2C-4s converted as prototypes for -5 variant.
- SB2C-5
- SB2C-4 with increased fuel capacity, 970 built (2,500 cancelled)
- XSB2C-6
- Two SB2C-1Cs fitted with 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) R-2600-22 engine and increased fuel capacity.
- SBF-1
- Canadian built version of the SB2C-1, 50 built by Fairchild-Canada
- SBF-3
- Canadian built version of the SB2C-3, 150 built by Fairchild-Canada.
- SBF-4E
- Canadian built version of the SB2C-4E, 100 built by Fairchild-Canada.
- SBW-1
- Canadian built version of the SB2C-1, 38 built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
- SBW-1B
- Canadian built version for lend-lease to the Royal Navy as the Helldiver I, 28 aircraft built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
- SBW-3
- Canadian built version of the SB2C-3, 413 built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
- SBW-4E
- Canadian built version of the SB2C-4E, 270 built by Canadian Car & Foundry company.
- SBW-5
- Canadian-built version of the SB2C-5, 85 built (165 cancelled) by the Canadian Car & Foundry company.
- A-25A Shrike
- United States Army Air Corps version without arrester gear or folding wings and equipment changed, 900 built
- Helldiver I
- Royal Navy designation for 28 Canadian-built SBW-1Bs
[edit] Operators
- Portuguese Navy (until 1952)
- Portuguese Air Force (after 1952)
[edit] Survivors
- One SB2C Helldiver is still flying. Owned by the Commemorative Air Force, this late-production SB2C-5 (BuNo. 83589) built in 1945 is based in Graham, Texas and makes frequent air show appearances. In 1982, it experienced engine failure and a hard emergency landing that caused extensive damage; volunteers of the CAF put in thousands of man-hours and spent in excess of $200,000 to restore the aircraft to flying condition once more.
Other surviving airframes include
- A-25A "Shrike" (s/n 42-80449) is located at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
- SB2C-5, BuNo. 83479 from the National Air and Space Museum, displayed at Naval Air Station Pensacola
- SB2C-3, BuNo. 19075 at the Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California
- SB2C-5, BuNo. 83321 at the Hellenic Air Force Museum, Tatoi Air Base, Greece
- SB2C-5, BuNo. 83410 at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum, Don Muang AB, Bangkok
[edit] Specifications (SB2C Helldiver)
General characteristics
- Crew: Two, pilot and radio operator/gunner
- Length: 36 ft 9 in (11.2 m)
- Wingspan: 49 ft 9 in (15.2 m)
- Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.5 m)
- Wing area: 422 ft² (39.2 m²)
- Empty weight: 10,114 lb (4,588 kg)
- Loaded weight: 13,674 lb (6,202 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 16,800 lb (7,600 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Wright R-2600 Cyclone radial engine, 1,900 hp (1,400 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 294 mph (473 km/h)
- Range: 1,200 miles (1,900 km)
- Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,600 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,750 ft/min (8.9 m/s)
Armament
- 2 × 20 mm (.79 in) cannon in the wings
- 2 × 0.30 in (7.62 mm) M1919 Browning machine guns in the rear cockpit
- Internal bay: 2,000 lb (900 kg) of bombs or 1 × Mark 13-2 torpedo
- Underwing hardpoints: 500 lb (225 kg) of bombs each
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