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[1990.536.001] Aircraft - 'SB2U-2 Aircraft, Bureau Number 1383' SB2U-2 Aircraft, Bureau Number 1383
Accession Number Accession Date Creator Date Created Object Desciption 1990.536.001 03/11/1990 Creator 1939 The last SB2U-2 delivered to the Navy, the museum's Vindicator joined the fleet in 1939, and logged flights with four squadrons. These included Bombing Squadron (VB) 4 and Scouting Squadron (VS) 41 on board the carrier Ranger (CV 4) and Fighting Squadron (VF) 71 on board Wasp (CV 7). Service in the former carrier in 1941 included duty on the Neutrality Patrol, tracking hostile vessels approaching the shores of the United States. Equipping VB-9, a squadron destined for service on board Essex (CV 9), the museum's SB2U-2 served to train squadron pilots on the deck of the auxiliary carrier Charger (ACV 30). The aircraft then transferred the Carrier Qualification Training Unit (CQTU) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Glenview, Illinois in May 1943, the following month heading out over the waters of Lake Michigan with Marine Second Lieutenant A.W. Lemmons in the cockpit. Favorable flying conditions prevailed that day of 21 June 1943, when Lemmons settled into the groove astern of the training aircraft carrier Wolverine (IX-64) steaming through the waters of Lake Michigan. However, as can easily happen in the dangerous business of landing an aircraft on a ship, events quickly turned for the worse. The landing signal officer (LSO) stationed on the aft part of the flight deck whipped his arm across his chest, the signal to cut engine power and land. Lemmons for some reason did not fully respond to the LSO. The SB2U-2 continued up the deck, heading towards the barrier designed to stop aircraft that missed the arresting wires. The pilot attempted to pull his nose up to clear this obstacle, but his extended tailhook caught the top of it, breaking off. With nothing to stop it, the scout-bomber hit the deck and rolled off the starboard bow. Lemmons was rescued, but his craft sank into the depths of the lake, where it was destined to remain for the next forty-seven years. Recovered from Lake Michigan in 1990, the relic that arrived in Pensacola bore the scars of nearly a halfcentury underwater, its fabric covering all but gone, many of its steel components rusted away, and what remained encrusted in marine growth. The laborious process of restoring the Vindicator to its former glory began with stripping it down to its bare bones. Individual components were disassembled piece by piece, meticulously photographed and logged, then cleaned, treated with anti corrosion chemicals, and reconditioned. This process revealed that bringing Creator Role

Manufacturer

this SB2U-2 back to life was going to be akin to assembling a giant puzzle. Beginning with only a drawing from a scale model kit, the restoration staff began assembling as much research material as possible, including photographs, drawings, maintenance manuals, and parts catalogs. Many small components like screws carried the same part numbers as they did in the 1930s and some were still in the Navy inventory system! Original period parts were gleaned from sources throughout the country as well as the museum's own collection. When it became necessary to remanufacture a part, oftentimes there was only a photocopy of a catalog photograph as reference, prompting restorers to examine the aircraft in great detail in order to locate where the component fit and ensure proper sizing of the replica. The restored aircraft is the result of over 20,000 hours of restoration work. Wherever possible, the original parts have been treated and returned to the aircraft in their original condition, the marks of corrosion still visible in the form of holes and rough areas. Better than 90% of the aircraft, including the engine, which was restored inside and out, is original. The remainder consists of new or remanufactured parts that are as close to original specifications as is possible. The aircraft was placed on display in February 1999, and is displayed in the markings of VB-9. Notes "There is a certain unexplainable feeling that you absorb from the bombing business. You get the itch to stick the nose down, put the power on, and scream like a mammoth hawk at that seemingly defenseless little play boat bouncing along through the seas." This was how Aviation Cadet Boone Guyton described a late-1930s dive-bombing, a tactic that had assumed increased importance during the interwar years. Beginning in 1926, the Navy employed a number of aircraft as scout-bombers in an effort to find the most capable platform for delivering bombs. By the mid-1930s, the possibilities embodied in the monoplane prompted the Navy to issue a contract for the XSB2U-1, a Vought-Sikorsky design that incorporated metal construction with fabric covering on parts of the wings and fuselage, as well as the control surfaces. The true advantages of the aircraft appeared in its performance figures; its maximum speed eclipsed those of its predecessors in bombing squadrons by up to 45 M.P.H. Delivered to fleet squadrons beginning on 20 December 1937, the SB2U-1 claimed the distinction of being the Navy's first monoplane scout-bomber. "Graceful and clean, it wasa joy to fly- with no life threatening quirks," recalled one pilot. The leading edge of the wings did have a tendency to wrinkle in a prolonged dive at high speed, a characteristic remedied in one squadron by lowering the landing gear to slow the aircraft down. Improved versions of the SB2U-1, of which 54 were ordered, followed this initial delivery. The 58 SB2U-2s differed only in weight, the result of extra equipment, and were delivered beginning in late-1938. With a more powerful engine, increased fuel capacity, and more armor protection, the SB2U-3 arrived on the scene two years later and served almost exclusively in Marine Corps squadrons. It was with the delivery of this version that the aircraft was christened with the name Vindicator. By this time, the SB2U displayed its inherent flaw of being the ultimate development of the trussed fuselage and fabric concept, prompting their replacement by newer designs like the SBD Dauntless, which incorporated metal stressed skin construction techniques. The Vindicator's sole combat came in June 1942 at the Battle of Midway, nearly seven years after the aircraft first became operational. Outclassed by the SBD Dauntless, which featured dive brakes and was a more rugged design, the SB2U-3s received the uninspiring moniker "Wind Indicator" from the Marines assigned to fly them. All told, of the 12 Vindicators assigned to Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241) during the battle, six were lost, and five severely damaged

by enemy fire or exceeding operational limits of the aircraft. Of the aircraft lost, one was flown by Captain Richard E. Fleming, who during an attack against the Japanese cruiser Mikuma on 5 June 1942, pressed home his bombing run despite his aircraft being in flames. Killed in action, he received a posthumous Medal of Honor. The aircraft also served the naval air forces of France and Great Britain during World War II under the designation V-156. A number of the former nation's aircraft fell into German hands when France capitulated in 1940. Called the Chesapeake by the British, the V-156 proved unsuitable for its intended operation aboard escort carriers, and thus did not see widespread service. Their time in front-line service passed, most U.S. Vindicators were relegated to training duties, or simply scrapped. At least three were sent to the Carrier Qualification Training Unit as NAS Glenview, Illinois, for use in training fledgling carrier pilots, one of these now on display in the museum. Manufacturer: Vought-Sikorsky Division, United Aircraft Corporation Dimensions: Length: 34 ft.; Height: 10 ft., 3 in.; Wingspan: 42 ft. Weights: Empty: 4,713 lb.; Gross: 6,379 lb. Power Plant: One 825 HP Pratt & Whitney R-1535-96 engine Performance: Maximum Speed: 251 M.P.H. 9,500 ft.; Ceiling: 27,500 ft.; Range: 1,002 miles Armament: One fixed forward-firing .50-in. gun and one flexible-mounted rear .50-in. gun Crew: Pilot and observer/gunner Multimedia

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1990.536.001 jpeg 21/07/2010 Right Side View

[ Image Only ] Title: Close-Up View of SB2U-2 Side Panel

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jpeg 2007 View of side panel on starboard side of SB2U-2 Vindicator.

[ Image Only ] Title: Format: Date: Close-Up of SB2U-2 Cockpit Panel jpeg 2007

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Close-up view of open side panel leading to the cockpit of the SB2U-2 Vindicator.

[ Image Only ] Title: Format: Date: Description: Restored SB2U-2 Gunner's Cockpit jpeg 1999 View of restored gunner's cockpit in SB2U Vindicator.

[ Image Only ] Title: Format: Date: Description: Restored Cockpit of SB2U-2 jpeg 1999 View of restored cockpit of the SB2U-2 Vindicator.

[ Image Only ] Title: Format: Date: Description: SB2U-2 Following Restoration jpeg 1999 View of SB2U-2 shortly after the completion of its eight-year restoration.

[ Image Only ] Title: Format: Date: Description: Overhead of SB2U-2 On Display jpeg 2004 Overhead of SB2U-2 on Display