Vought SB2U
| Vought SB2U Vindicator | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Dive fighter |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
January 4, 1936 |
| Commissioning: |
December 1937 |
| Production time: |
1937 to 1940 |
| Number of pieces: |
260 |
The Vought SB2U Vindicator was a carrier-based dive bomber, the US Navy's first monoplane in this role.
development
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In 1934 the US Navy wrote out the specification for a new carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft / dive bomber. Six aircraft manufacturers were invited to take part in the evaluation. The tender demanded two designs from the manufacturers, each for a monoplane and a biplane. Vought offered the US Navy the designs for the XSB2U-1 and XSB3U-1. Vought received the construction contracts for the prototypes on October 11, 1934, both of which were delivered in April 1936. Tests showed the clear superiority of the monoplane, which was ordered on October 26, 1936 as the first monoplane for the role of the aircraft carrier-based reconnaissance / dive bomber.
Around the same time, the Brewster F2A was ordered as the first monoplane fighter and the Douglas TBD as the first monoplane torpedo bomber. All three types of aircraft saw their last front-line deployment in the Battle of Midway , where the squadrons equipped with it suffered heavy losses.
The US Navy ordered 54 SB2U-1s, which were delivered with an 825 hp 14-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-1535-96 radial engine. The 58 SB2U-2 only differed in a few pieces of equipment. The machines were delivered at the end of 1938. The last version for the US Navy was the SB2U-3, which was equipped with an R-1535-02. In addition, the internal fuel load had been increased, additional tanks could be carried under the wings and the armament now consisted of a 12.7 mm MG. The SB2U-3 were delivered in late 1940. An SB2U-1 was converted into a seaplane in 1939 (XSB2U-3).
description
The SB2U was a conventional low-wing aircraft with a tail wheel landing gear. The crew consisted of a pilot and rear gunner who sat in a glass house-like cockpit. The only technical innovation was the Vindicator's controllable pitch propeller, which made it possible to use the propeller as a brake when diving.
variants
- XSB2U-1
- first prototype;
- SB2U-1
- 54 machines built;
- SB2U-2
- 58 machines built;
- XSB2U-3
- Seaplane prototype for the US Marine Corps (converted SB2U-1);
- SB2U-3
- 57 machines built;
- V-156F
- Export version for the French Navy, 40 machines built;
- V-156B-1
- Export version for the Royal Navy. Here the machines were called Chesapeake Mk I , 50 machines were built.
user
Mission history
France
The French Navy equipped squadrons AB 1 and AB 3 with the V-156F. Although they trained on the aircraft carrier Béarn , which was classified as too slow. Both squadrons were deployed from land. AB 1 suffered heavy losses during the western campaign , AB 3 was used briefly against the Italians. The few remaining machines were retired after the armistice.
Great Britain
The Royal Navy received 50 more ordered is of France V-156 and V-156B Chesapeake Mk I . In July 1941 the No. 811 Naval Air Squadron equipped with the V-156B. However, it was found to be too heavy for use by escort aircraft carriers and the squadron was converted to the Fairey Swordfish three months later . The aircraft, which the British pilots called "Cheesecake", was used in various support squadrons until 1943.
United States
The Vindicators served on four US Navy carriers between December 1937 and February 1943:
- USS Lexington (CV-2) in the VB-2 bomber squadron,
- USS Saratoga (CV-3) in VB-3,
- USS Ranger (CV-4) in VB-4, reconnaissance squadron VS-41 and VS-42,
- USS Wasp (CV-7) in the VS-71 and VS-72.
The VB-9 and VS-9 squadrons were converted to the Douglas SBD prior to their deployment on the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9) in February 1943 .
The SB2U-3 was used by the US Marine Corps from 1941 to 1943 in the following squadrons:
- VMF-1 and VMS-1 (later VMSB-131), MCAS Quantico (Virginia);
- VMS-2 (later VMSB-231), MCAS Ewa (Hawaii);
- VMSB-142, VMSB-143, VMSB-144, NAS San Diego (California).
The Navy's squadrons essentially flew submarine patrols before being converted to the SBD Dauntless . Only the US Marine Corps VMSB-231 squadron was used in combat operations. On December 7, 1941 , the squadron was on board the aircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2) en route to Midway . However, the seven replacement machines were in Ewa on Oahu and were destroyed by the Japanese. VMSB-231 returned to Oahu with the Lexington and was transferred from Oahu to Midway on December 17, 1941. The 9:45 h long and 1830 km flight of the 17 SB2U-3 was the longest surface flight of single-engine aircraft in the US Navy to date. VMSB-231 was only accompanied by a Consolidated PBY of the VP-21 squadron. In April 1942, VMSB-231 was renamed VMSB-241.
Until the Battle of Midway , the squadron received SBD-2 Dauntless retired from the Navy , so that actually two VMSB-241s were used on June 4, 16 SBD-2 (of 19) and 11 SB2U-3 (of 17). The squadron leader of the SB2U-3 assumed that the Vindicator , which the pilots also called "Vibrator" or "Wind Indicator", was too slow to attack the Japanese aircraft carriers. He therefore attacked the battleship Haruna . Three SB2U-3s were lost. The SBD lost eight aircraft, including the squadron commander Major Henderson, in the (unsuccessful) attack on the aircraft carrier Hiryu . The following night six SBD and five SB2U searched for the burning Japanese vehicles. They did not find it, but lost two Vindicators , including the new squadron captain, Major Norris. On June 6, the remaining operational six SBD and six SB2U of VMSB-241 were still involved in the sinking of the heavy cruiser Mikuma . Major Fleming's SB2U-3 was shot down. For the attack he was posthumously awarded the US Congress Medal of Honor .
After that, the SB2U were only used for training tasks; the last ones were retired in October 1943.
An SB2U-2 (BuNo 1383) was retained. It crashed on June 21, 1943 while approaching the auxiliary aircraft carrier USS Wolverine (IX-64) in Lake Michigan . In 1990 it was recovered. It was restored until 1999 and is located in the National Museum of Naval Aviation , in Pensacola (Florida) , USA.
Technical data (SB2U-2)
General
- Crew: two (pilot and gunner)
- Length: 10.36 m
- Span: 12.80 m
- Height: 3.12 m
- Wing area: 28 m²
- Empty weight: 2,138 kg
- All-up weight: 2,893 kg
- Maximum take-off weight: 3,326 kg
- Powerplant: A radial engine Pratt & Whitney R-1535-96 Twin Wasp Jr. with 825 PS (616 kW)
Performance data
- Top speed: 404 km / h
- Range: 1,014 km
- Service ceiling: 8,382 m
- Climb rate: 408 m / min
- Wing loading: 103 kg / m²
- Power-to-weight ratio : 0.21 kW / kg
Armament
- A 7.62 mm forward-firing machine gun in the starboard wing
- A movable 7.62 mm machine gun for the gunner
- One 454 kg bomb or two 227 kg bombs
literature
- Ken Wixey: Flying Fuel Cans - Vought's SB2U Vindicator . In: AIR Enthusiast Issue 86, March / April 2000, pp. 62–69
- Peter M. Bowers : United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 , Naval Institute Press, Annapolis (Maryland) 1990. pp. 445f. ISBN 0-87021-792-5
- Robert J. Cressmann (Ed.): A Glorious Page in Our History. The Battle of Midway, June 4-6, 1942 , Pictoral Histories Publishing, Missoula / Montana 1990. ISBN 0-929521-40-4
- Vindicator . In: US Naval Aviation News , March 1976, pp. 20f. ( PDF )
- Vought Chesapeake. In: March, Daniel J .: British Air Force , Vienna 2002, p. 236. ISBN 3-85492-474-7
Web links
- Preserved SB2U from the US National Museum of Naval Aviation (English)
- The Air Force of the US Marine Corps at Midway (English)
- Operation history of the SB2U (English)