NationMaster - Encyclopedia: SB2U Vindicator

The Vought SB2U Vindicator (known as the Chesapeake in Royal Navy service) was a carrier-based dive bomber developed for the US Navy in the 1930s, the first monoplane in this role. Obsolescent at the outbreak of World War II, Vindicators still remained in service at the time of the Battle of Midway, but by 1943 all had been withdrawn to training units. Image File history File links SB2UVindicator. ... Image File history File links SB2UVindicator. ... Vought is the name of several related aerospace firms. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... This article is becoming very long. ... A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... A monoplane is an aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. ... Combatants Allied Powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Axis Powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz, Frank J. Fletcher, Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto, Chuichi Nagumo, Tamon Yamaguchiâ€ Strength Three carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft Four carriers, Seven battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties 1 carrier... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1943: Events January January 27 - the USAAF makes its first daylight raid on Germany January 30 - Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquitos make the first daylight air-raid on Berlin January 30-31 – the H2S radar is used by RAF...

1 Development
2 Operational history
3 Description
4 Variants
5 Specifications (SB2U-2)
6 Operators
7 External link
8 Related content

Development

In 1934, the US Navy issued a requirement for a new Scout Bomber for carrier use, and received proposals from six manufacturers. The specification was issued in two parts, one for a monoplane, and one for a biplane. Vought submitted designs in both categories, which would become the XSB2U-1 and XSB3U-1 respectively. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1934: Events January Soviet pilots Fedossenko, Wassenko and Usyskin take the stratosphere-balloon Ossoaviachim I to 22,000 m (72,160 ft). ...

The SB2U was evaluated alongside the Brewster XSBA-1, Curtiss XSBC-3, Great Lakes XB2G-1, Grumman XSBF-1, and Northrop XBT-1. All but the Great Lakes and Grumman submissions were ordered into production. Around 170 of all variants were produced, and a single example is preserved at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola. The Curtiss SBC was a two place scout bomber built by the Curtiss Wright Corporation. ... The Northrop BT was a two seat, single engine, monoplane, dive bomber built by the Northrop Corporation for the US Navy. ... The National Museum of Naval Aviation is located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. ... Naval Air Station Pensacola, The Cradle of Naval Aviation, is a United States Navy base located in Warrington, Florida, a community southwest of the Pensacola city limits. ...

Operational history

US Navy

Vindicators served on four carriers, USS Lexington, USS Saratoga, USS Ranger, and USS Wasp between December 1937 and September 1942. Air Group Nine, destined for USS Essex, trained in Vindicators aboard the auxiliary carrier USS Charger but transitioned to the SBD Dauntless before Essex joined the war. The fourth USS Lexington (CV-2), nicknamed the Gray Lady or Lady Lex, was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. ... The fifth USS Saratoga (CV-3) was the third aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. ... The sixth USS Ranger (CV-4) was the first ship of the United States Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier. ... The eighth USS Wasp (CV-7) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1937: Events March March 5 - Imperial Airways opens a new flying boat base at Hythe, Hampshire. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1942: Events January January 30 - Canadian Pacific Air Lines formed by the acquisition and merger of Arrow Airways and Canadian Airways, along with all the various subsidiaries of the latter. ... The fourth USS Essex (CV-9) (also CVA-9 and CVS-9) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier, the lead ship of her class. ... The USS Charger (CVE-30) (originally AVG-30, then later ACV-30) was launched 1 March 1941 by Sun Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. ... The Douglas SBD Dauntless was the U.S. Navys main scout bomber and dive bomber from mid-1940 until 1943, when it was replaced by the SB2C Helldiver. ...

US Marine Corps

Two USMC bomber squadrons fielded the Marine-specific SB2U-3 between March 1941 and September 1943. VMSB-241's Vindicators saw combat at Midway in June 1942.

French Marine Nationale

Based on the SB2U-2, the V-156-F incorporated specific French equipment. Briefly after the deliveries started in July 1939, one example was trialed aboard Béarn, but when the war broke out the old carrier was declared too slow for operational service. As a result V-156-F-equipped units, escadrilles AB 1 and AB 3, were based ashore when the Battle of France started. AB 1 sustained heavy losses while attacking bridges and German ground targets in Northern France, while AB 3's V-156-Fs were briefly engaged against the Italians. By the time of the Armistice, there were only a handful of remaining Voughts in French hands, and the type was phased out of service. Combatants France United Kingdom Canada Poland Belgium Netherlands Luxembourg Nazi Germany Italy Commanders Maurice Gamelin, Maxime Weygand (French) Lord Gort (British Expeditionary Force) H.G. Winkelman (Dutch) Gerd von Rundstedt (Army Group A) Fedor von Bock (Army Group B) Wilhelm von Leeb (Army Group C) H.R.H. Umberto di... The Second Armistice at CompiÃ¨gne, France was signed on June 22, 1940, between Nazi Germany and France. ...

Royal Navy

Chesapeakes were obtained by the Fleet Air Arm in July 1941, and used to equip a reformed No. 811 Squadron FAA whose crews referred to it as the 'cheesecake'. The squadron was intended to use them for anti-submarine patrols and was earmarked for the escort carrier HMS Archer. The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1941: Events Jacqueline Cochran became the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic Ocean. ... No. ... Anti-submarine warfare is a term referring to warfare directed against submarines. ... The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, was a small aircraft carrier developed by the Royal Navy in the early part of World War II to deal with the U-boat crisis of the Battle of the Atlantic. ... The HMS Archer was a US-built escort carrier. ...

By the end of October that year, it had been decided that the Chesapeakes were under-powered for the planned duties and would not be able to lift a sensible warload from the small escort carriers. Accordingly, they were withdrawn and 811 re-equipped with the Fairey Swordfish Fairey Swordfish The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during World War II. Affectionately known as the Stringbag by its crews, it was outdated by 1939, but achieved some spectacular successes during the...

Description

The SB2U was of conventional low-wing tailwheel monoplane configuration, with the pilot and tailgunner seated in tandem under a long greenhouse-style canopy. Its only remarkable design feature was a propeller with reversible pitch, allowing it to be used to brake the aircraft during a dive bombing attack.

Variants

XSB2U-1 - Single prototype.
- SB2U-1 - Initial production version. (54 built)
SB2U-2 - (58 built)
XSB2U-3 - Single prototype of the extended-range version, converted from the SB2U-1.
- SB2U-3 - (57 built)
V-156B - Export version for the French navy. (24 built)
- V-156B-1 - Export version for the British Royal Navy. Also known as the Chesapeake Mk.I. (50 built)

Specifications (SB2U-2)

General characteristics

Crew: Two, pilot and gunner
Length: 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m)
Wingspan: 42 ft in (12.80 m)
Height: 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)
Wing area: 305 ft² (28 m²)
Empty weight: 4,713 lb (2,138 kg)
Loaded weight: 6,379 lb (2,893 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 7,332 lb (3,326 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-1535-96 Twin Wasp Jr radial engine, 825 hp (616 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 251 mph (404 km/h)
Range: 630 mi (1,014 km)
Service ceiling: 27,500 ft (8,382 m)
Rate of climb: 1,340 ft/min (6.8 m/s)
Wing loading: 21 lb/ft² (103 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.13 hp/lb (0.21 kW/kg)

Armament

1x forward firing .30 cal machine gun in starboard wing (.50 cal in SB2U-3)
1x .30 cal machine gun in flexible mount for tail gunner (.50 cal in SB2U-3)
1x 1,000 lb (454 kg) or 500 lb (227 kg) bomb

The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ... The Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior was an engine used in American aircraft in the 1930s. ... Radial engine of a biplane. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing as limited by its fuel capacity. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ...

Operators

The French Navy (Marine Nationale) is the maritime arm of the French military and the largest Western European navy in terms of personnel. ... The Aviation Navale (Naval Air Force) of the French Navy includes 162 airplanes (138 of them combat-capable) and 6 800 men, both civilians and military personel. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ...

External link

SB2U page on Vought official website

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