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Did a big article on the SBD2-P. Sections of the history.
I believe there were repair patches on the fuselage. I thought 2173 was earmarked for HI.
This Douglas Scout Bomber (SBD), construction number was issued with the Bureau Number (BuNo) 2173. It was completed in the spring of 1941 under contract 65969. It was part of a block of 87 D-2 examples in the range 628 to 714 (BuNo 2102 to 2173), This SBD 2173 was therefore the 71st example built and it was fitted with a Wright R-1820-32 9 cylinder air-cooled radial engine producing 1000hp. (Recorded engine No 5172). 2173 was also equipped with two forward firing 0.5” machine guns with a single 0.3” in the rear gunner/radioman position. 2173 was camouflaged in the all over Light Grey carried by US Navy aircraft during early 1941 with national markings consisting of a blue field (circle), white star and red central circle, better known as the ‘meatball’. These national markings were applied to both sides to the rear portion of fuselage along with the port upper wing and starboard lower wing. The bomb load consisted of a 500Ib or 1000Ib bomb under the fuselage as well as a small 100Ib bomb on each wing. The average production cost for an SBD was a very reasonable $38,300.
MOVEMENTS
On 28 March 1941, 2173 was issued to San Diego ‘Batfor’ (Battle Force aircraft pool) and was received the same day. On 1 April 2173 was assigned to VS-6 (Scouting 6), a unit on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6). She was received on 3 April 1941 and was probably one of a whole block of new SBD’s to join VS-6. Training with the new SBD’s is thought to have been away from the carrier until 30 June when 2173 was received by Enterprise. Her time on board ‘The Big E’ seems to have been short lived as on the same day whilst joining the carrier 2173 was being flown by Lt James E. Vose, Jr with gunner RM2c Joseph F. DeLuca suffered an un-level landing causing the SBD to hit the deck nose down causing an undercarriage collapse that resulted in bent flaps and damage to both wings. 2173 was then taken down to the hanger deck and stored until Enterprise reached Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
On 11 July 2173 was received by Pearl Harbor ‘Batfor’ before being assigned back to San Diego ‘Batfor’ on 12 August, arriving on 28 August. (Recorded engine number 5153). The damaged 2173 then went off to be repaired and was rebuilt as a SBD-2P (P - photoreconnaissance version) and became one of only fourteen SBD-2Ps completed. Test flown and signed off, 2173 was issued to Pearl Harbor ‘Batfor’ on 3 January 1942. Between 1 and 6 January, 2173 and eight other SBD’s, and twenty F4 Wildcats were loaded on board USS Yorktown (CV-5) in San Diego as CARGO “ urgently needed in the Pacific Theatre” and were strapped to the hanger overhead storage areas. (Recorded engine number 5149).
On 6 Feb Yorktown arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii and the stowed aircraft were offloaded. It seems 2173 was one of thirteen SBD’s that joined VS-5 (Scouting 5) on board Yorktown. It is currently unclear whether 2173 was handed to CASU -1 (Carrier Aircraft Service Unit -1) for upgrading as the repair facilities were not yet repaired and operational. It is more likely this work (self sealing fuel tanks and armour) had already been completed during the rebuild to 2P standard in San Diego. 2173 was on board the Yorktown when she left Pearl Harbor on 16 Feb 42 for the South Pacific.
The upgraded 2173 then became available for the Lae/Salamua strike on 10 March, as well as the raids on Tulagi on 4 May and the Battle of Coral Sea fought on 7 and 8 May 42. Coral Sea became the first carrier-to-carrier battle and resulted in the loss of USS Lexington (CV-2) and a small Japanese carrier (Shoho). When the battle was over Yorktown’s VS-5 (compliment of 15+2 spare SBD’s) had suffered 5 losses, 4 damaged/unserviceable and 8 damaged/repairable. Basically every SBD had either been lost or damaged. The damaged Yorktown returned to Pearl Harbor for hasty repairs and on 27 May, the damaged but repairable 2173 flew ashore. The construction card then states that on 31 May 2173 was transferred to VB-5 though 2173 was not involved in the Battle of Midway. Historically this period is confusing as VB-3 from USS Saratoga (CV-3) joined Yorktown. VB-5 already on board were re-designated ‘VS-5’ to avoid confusion. When Yorktown set sail again she was fully equipped with a full compliment of D-3 models so 2173 was not included. Who flew 2173 during Feb to May 1942 and the combat damaged she sustained cannot be verified as a substantial part of the Yorktown Air Group records were destroyed by bomb damaged on 4 June and lost when USS Yorktown was lost on the 7 June.
It seems 2173 was issued to CASU -1 on 6 June and was received on 7 June. 2173 was immediately issued to MAG-21 (Marine Aviation Training Support Group -21). (Recorded engine No 4539); 2173 was then issued to VMSB-233 (Marine Scout Bombing Sqn -233) on 1 July. VMSB-233 was formed on 1 May at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Ewa, Hawaii and 2173 was one of five SBD’s to join the unit towards the end of July. At this point a typographical error occurred as on 30 June when 2173 was stricken from the records. A note confirming that on 21 April 42, 2173 crashed at sea and sank immediately. (On this date SBD 2179 of VS-8 ditched heavily killing both crew but was incorrectly recorded). With subsequent movement orders in July confirming the survival of 2173, the SBD was reinstated on 31 July. Prior to the dispatch of the unit in December to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal with new D-4 models, 2173 served with VMSB-233. When the unit left, 2173 returned to NAS (Naval Air Station) Pearl Harbor on 14 November before being issued to 4th MABDW (4th Marine Base Air Defense Wing) at MCAS Ewa on 29 November. On 8 December, 2173 was issued to Headquarters Sqn MAG-21 before going back to NAS Pearl Harbor on 9 January 1943. One month later her service in the Pacific ended and 2173 was shipped back to NAS San Diego. On 10 March, 2173 was transferred to San Diego Batfor, arriving on 4 April. A day later 2173 was issued to NAS Jacksonville, Florida arriving on 10 April. It was a short stay as on 17 April, 2173 was issued to CQTU (Carrier Qualification Training Unit) at NAS Glenview and was received on 21 April and was marked up as White B-8. It was here on the shores of Lake Michigan that 2173 undertook numerous take off and landings. Pilots were tasked with taking off from Glenview and landing on one of two converted paddle steamers renamed USSWolverine (IX-64) and USS Sable (IX-81). During WWII these carriers operated in the safe waters of Lake Michigan and performed 116,000 carrier landings and qualified17,820 pilots.
On September 1943 new national markings were painted on 2173 and in the process the previous White B-8 was painted out and relocated in a new location.
Having served 10 months at Glenview, 2173’s luck ran out. At 16.30pm on Feb 18 1944 Lt (j.g.) John Lendo took off from NAS Glenview to undertake one of his five carrier qualification landings. The carrier he was tasked to land on was USS Sable sailing 21 miles from shore. Lt Lendo was an experienced pilot who had commenced flying in 1942. He had over 1600 accident free hours (of which 119 hours were on SBD’s) and had previously been an instructor at NAS Pensacola, Florida. This is the information as written on the accident card: -
“Pilot had turned into the downwind leg of the landing circle when his engine quit. The performance of the engine prior to coming to a dead stop, indicating ”carburetor icing” as there was a gradual loss of RPM and finally complete stopping. Board attributed 100% to pilot error of judgment. This pilot received instruction in the use of alternate air for icing conditions in the lecture by a qualified landing signal officer of the unit.”
Lt Lendo had to ditch in the freezing cold water and was picked up by a support vessel. SBD-2P 2173 had served with distinction for nearly 3 years sank into 500 feet of water.
Lt Lendo went on to qualify and serve with VF-45 on USS San Jacinto (CVL 30). On the 14 December 1944 whilst flying F6F-5 Hellcat BuNo70995 off Manila, Philippines, it is believed he was shot down; he failed to return and was classed as MIA.
_________________
'Coups De Foudre'
(511FS, 405FG watering hole), St Dizier, France 1944/45
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