SB2C Helldiver
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- For the biplane Curtiss Helldiver, please see SBC Helldiver.
The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was an American aircraft carrier-based dive bomber 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 Beast), Two-Cee and Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class (after its designation and partly because of its reputation as a troublesome design).
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[edit] Design and development
The Helldiver was meant 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. The Model XB2C-1 prototype 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 and self-sealing added and the fixed armament was doubled to four 0.50 in 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 began 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. 7140 SB2C's were produced in the Second World War.
[edit] Service
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 when they attacked the Japanese-held port of Rabaul in Papua New Guinea. Even though the Helldiver entered US Naval service, it still had such structural problems that the aircraft crews were forbidden to dive bomb in clean conditions (one of its main tasks). 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 "Beast" was initially strongly disliked by aircrews because it was much bigger and heavier than the SBD it replaced. The litany of faults that the Helldiver bore included the fact that it was underpowered, had a shorter range than the SBD, had an unreliable electrical system and was often poorly manufactured. Opinions soon changed, however, and the SB2C would go on to sink more enemy shipping in the Pacific war than any other US or Allied aircraft.
900 aircraft were acquired by the USAAF under the designation A-25. An oddity of the SB2Cs with 1942 to '43-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.
A total of 26 aircraft (out of 450 ordered) were delivered to the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, where they were known as the Curtiss Helldiver I. Postwar, surplus aircraft were sold to the navies of France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Thailand.
[edit] Today
One SB2C Helldiver is still flying. Owned by the Commemorative Air Force, this late-production SB2C-5 built in 1945 is based in Graham, Texas and makes frequent airshow 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.
[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 x 20 mm cannon in the wings
- 2 x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machineguns in the rear cockpit
- Internal bay: 2,000 lb (900 kg) of bombs or 1x Mark 13-2 torpedo
- Underwing hardpoints: 500 lb (225 kg) of bombs each
[edit] External links
- http://www.sb2chelldiver.org/ The Commemorative Air Force's flying SB2C Helldiver
- http://www.cv6.org/company/accounts/bbarnes/ ENS Bob Barnes: Helldivers of the Big E
[edit] Related content
Designation sequence
Related lists
List of military aircraft of the United States
