SB2C Helldiver

infobox Aircraft
name = SB2C Helldiver A-25 Shrike

---

caption = Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
type = 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)
produced = 1940-1945
number built = 7,140
status =
unit cost =
primary user = United States Navy
more users = United States Army Air Force French Air Force Royal Thai Air Force
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was an 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"),O'Rourke, G.G, CAPT USN. "Of Hosenoses, Stoofs, and Lefthanded Spads." "United States Naval Institute Proceedings", July 1968.] "Two-Cee" and "Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class" (after its designation and partly because of its reputation for having difficult handling characteristics). [ Shettle 2001, p. 29.]

Although production problems persisted throughout its combat service, pilots soon changed their minds about the potency of the Helldiver. [Forsyth 1991, Foreword]

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. [ Winchester 2004, p. 63.]

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 caliber 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. [ Taylor 1969, p. 480.]

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. [ Winchester 2004, p. 62.]

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.

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.

Non-naval service

Built at Curtiss' St. Louis plant, 900 aircraft were ordered by the USAAF under the designation A-25A Shrike. Stern 1982, p. 15.] 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. Stern 1982, p. 15.]

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. [ Winchester 2004, p. 62-63.]

Variants

;XSB2C-1:Prototype powered by a 1,700 hp R-2600-8 engine;SB2C-1:Production version for United States Navy with four 0.5 wing guns and one 0.3in 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 20mm 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 R-2600-20.;SB2C-3:As SB2C-1 re-engined with a 1,900 hp 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-inch rockets or 1,000 lb 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 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

Operators

;AUS
* Royal Australian Air Force;FRA
* French Navy Aviation Navale;flag|Greece|royal
* Royal Hellenic Air Force;ITA
* Aeronautica Militare;PRT
* Portuguese Navy (until 1952)
* Portuguese Air Force (after 1952);THA
* Royal Thai Air Force;UK
* Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm;flag|United States|1912
* United States Army Air Force
* United States Marine Corps
* United States Navy

urvivors

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 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 and SB2C-5, BuNo. "83410" at the Royal Thai Air Force Museum, Don Muang AB, Bangkok.

pecifications (SB2C Helldiver)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=Two, pilot and radio operator/gunner
length main=36 ft 9 in
length alt=11.2 m
span main=49 ft 9 in
span alt=15.2 m
height main=14 ft 9 in
height alt=4.5 m
area main=422 ft²
area alt=39.2 m²
empty weight main=10,114 lb
empty weight alt=4,588 kg
loaded weight main=13,674 lb
loaded weight alt=6,202 kg
max takeoff weight main=16,800 lb
max takeoff weight alt=7,600 kg

more general=
engine (prop)=Wright R-2600 Cyclone
type of prop=radial engine
number of props=1
power main=1,900 hp
power alt=1,400 kW
max speed main=294 mph
max speed alt=473 km/h
range main=1,200 miles
range alt=1,900 km
ceiling main=25,000 ft
ceiling alt=7,600 m
climb rate main=1,750 ft/min
climb rate alt=8.9 m/s
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=

more performance=
armament=
*2 x 20 mm cannon in the wings
*2 x 0.30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns 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

ee also

aircontent
related=

similar aircraft=
* Aichi D3A
* Breda Ba.65
* SBD Dauntless
* Fairey Barracuda
* Junkers Ju 87 Stuka
* SB2A Buccaneer
* A-31 Vengeance

sequence=
*"Navy:" BFC - BF2C - SBC - SB2C - SB3C - BTC - BT2C
*"Army:" A-22 - A-23 - A-24 - A-25 - A-26 - A-27 - A-28

lists=
*List of military aircraft of the United States (naval)
*List of military aircraft of the United States

see also=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Andrews, Harald. "The Curtiss SB2C-1 Helldiver, Aircraft in Profile 124". Windsor, Berkshire, UK: Profile publications Ltd., 1967, reprinted 1971 and 1982. No ISBN.
* Bowers, Peter M. "Curtiss Aircraft 1907-1947". London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1979. ISBN 0-370-10029-8.
* Brown, Eric, CBE, DCS, AFC, RN.; Green William and Swanborough, Gordon. "Curtiss Helldiver". "Wings of the Navy, Flying Allied Carrier Aircraft of World War Two". London: Jane's Publishing Company, 1980, p. 90–99. ISBN 0-7106-0002-X.
* Crosnier, Alain and Jean-Pierre Dubois. "Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless & Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver: Bombardiers en piqué de l’Aéronautique Navale" (in French). Clichy-la-Garenne, France: DTU sarl., 1998. ISBN 2-912749-01-8.
* Drendel, Lou. "U.S. Navy Carrier Bombers of World War II". Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1987. ISBN 0-89747-195-4.
* Forsyth, John F. "Helldivers, US Navy Dive-Bombers at War". St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1991. ISBN 0-87938-493-X.
* Kinzey, Bert. "SB2C Helldiver in Detail & Scale, D&S Vol.52". Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1997. ISBN 1-888974-04-4.
* Ociepka, Paweł P. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver" "Skrzydła w miniaturze 12". Gdańsk, Poland: Avia-Press, 1995. ISSN 1234-4109.
* Shettle, M.L. Jr. "United States Marine Corps Air Stations of World War II". Bowersville, Georgia: Schaertel Publishing Co., 2001. ISBN 0-964-33882-3.
* Smith, Peter C. "SB2C Helldiver". Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire: The Crowood Press Ltd., 1998. ISBN 1-86126-710-X.
* Stern, Robert. "SB2C Helldiver in Action, Aircraft Number 54". Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications inc., 1982. ISBN 0-89747-128-8.
* Taylor, John W. R. "Curtiss SB2C/A-25 Helldiver." "Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present". New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
* Tillman, Barrett. "Helldiver Units of World War 2". London: Osprey Publishing, 1997. ISBN 1-85532-689-2.
* Tillman, Barrett and Robert L. Lawson. "U.S. Navy Dive and Torpedo Bombers of WWII". St. Paul, Minnesota: Motor Books Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-7603-0959-0.
* Winchester, Jim. "Curtiss SB2C Helldiver." "Aircraft of World War II: The Aviation Factfile". Kent, UK: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-639-1.

External links

* [http://www.sb2chelldiver.org/ The Commemorative Air Force's flying SB2C Helldiver]
* [http://ww2db.com/aircraft_spec.php?aircraft_model_id=29 WW2DB: SB2C Helldiver]
* [http://www.cv6.org/company/accounts/bbarnes/ ENS Bob Barnes: Helldivers of the Big E]
* [http://www.historynet.com/air_sea/aircraft/3038036.html Historynet: "The Last Dive Bomber"]
* [http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_294.shtml "The Greek Civil War, 1944-1949"]