Planes of Fame Air Museum
 
Planes of Fame Air Museum
 
Home »  Collection »  Flying & Static Aircraft »  Douglas SBD-5 'Dauntless'

HISTORY

  • It started its career at Pearl Harbor in October 1943. From there it went to Espiritu Santo in the South Pacific in March of '44 and was assigned to 25 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. During its brief service with the RNZAF, it flew 32 combat missions from Bougainville. In May of that year it was returned to the U.S. Navy at Russell Island and departed for San Diego in June.
  • Best known for its dive-bombing success against the Japanese during the Battle of Midway during World War II.  Armed with two forward-firing .50-caliber machine guns and flexible twin .30-caliber guns aft, the SBD was well defended while diving on a target with its typical configuration of a 500- or 1,000-pound bomb.

 

DISTINCTION

  • The Museum’s SBD-5 is a World War II Combat Veteran that was manufactured in El Segundo, California and delivered on June 18, 1943.  Following shipment to Espirito Santo in the combat zone, the aircraft was assigned to the Royal New Zealand Air Force.  It flew over 30 combat missions with Squadron 25 off of the South Pacific island of Bougainville.  In May 1944, it transferred to the U.S. Marine Corps.  For the remainder of the war the aircraft served with six different Marine and U.S. Navy squadrons.  After the war, it was sold to Warner Bros., where it appeared in several movies, including the movies Midway and War and Remembrance.  It was acquired by the Museum in 1959 and restored to flight in 1987.

 

SPECIFICATIONS

Status: Flyable
Manufacturer: Douglas Aircraft Company
Year: 1943
Model: SBD-5 Dauntless
Registration Number: N670AM
Serial Number: 28536 / RNZAF 5062
Crew: 2
Max T/O Weight: 10,700 lb.
Span: 41 ft. 6 in.
Length: 33 ft. 1 in.
Height: 13 ft. 7 in.
Maximum Speed: 255 mph
Cruise Speed: 185 mph
Rate of Climb: 1,700 ft/min
Power Plant: 1, 1,200-hp Wright R-1820-60 Cyclone 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engine
Range: 1,115 miles
Service Ceiling: 25,530 ft.
Armament: Two fixed forward firing .50-cal & two flexible .30-cal rear machine guns

 

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