Lucky13
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From my Yorktown book.....
Page 15,
"The SB2C "beasts" performed so miserably - tailhooks falling off, wheel strutts collapsing, hydraulics failing - that the Curtiss engineers could not repair them fast enough. One of the bombers even plummeted into the water, pilot and rearseat gunner rescued."
Page 19,
"Of the manifold headaches which fed the skipper's ulcers at Trinidad throughout late May and early June, however, none equaled the disastrous performance of the SB2C Helldivers. Their tailhooks pulled out of their wells so much that air maintenance officer Joe Tucker grounded half of the 36 "Beasts". So when several Congressmen came aboard to observe flight operations, Tucker refused Commander Dozier's call for a maximum launch. Enraged, Dozier ordered Tucker to have the malfunctioning Helldivers take part in the demonstration.
Sure enough, everyone of the 17 bombers lost its tailhook on grabbing the arresting cables and piled into the wire crash barrier."
Page 20,
"Jocko,seeing his old shipmate distressed, heard him out but could only reply 'Well, Joe, the SB2C is the divebomber built for the new carrier program. If it doesn't work, we're in a helluva mess.'
'We're in a helluva mess then', said Tucker, 'because it's not gonna work until there are 200 or so modifications made that are all essential. It is not ready to go out there on carriers. The best thing in the world that could be done would be to return it to Curtiss-Wright and make them prove it before we put them on the new carriers.'
Jocko eyed him, 'If you were me, what would you do?'
Tucker thought a moment and figured he'd crossed all his bridges; he was doomed. 'Well, if I was you, Captain, I would sit right down and write a letter to BuAer and tell them - I wouldn't ask them, I'd tell them - to tell Curtiss-Wright to come and get their damned airplanes. And, I'd turn this ship right around and head back into Trinidad, and I'd put those SB2C's ashore and leave them there!'
'What would you use in their place?'
'We're alot better off with SBD's that'll fly than we are with SB2C's that won't'
Clark sat there, thought a few minutes, and said firmly, 'You know, I agree with you.'
Then he yelled out the door,
'Tell commander Dozier to come up here! Andy, come in here!'
Navigator Anderson stuck his head in first, and Jocko told him, 'Set course for Trinidad '
'What?'
'Set a course for Trinidad. Cease operations!'
'Aye, aye, Sir!'
When Dozier arrived on the bridge, he was visibly shaken at the sight of Tucker with the captain. But Jocko had both men write a message informing the Bureau of Aeronautics that the Yorktown was returning to Norfolk prematurely and to request 36 brand new SBD-5 Dauntless divebombers to replace the hapless "Beasts". Then jocko rejected the entreaties of the Curtiss-Wright to keep the planes, and set course for Norfolk on June 13, escorted by three 'tin-cans', destroyers"
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Page 15,
"The SB2C "beasts" performed so miserably - tailhooks falling off, wheel strutts collapsing, hydraulics failing - that the Curtiss engineers could not repair them fast enough. One of the bombers even plummeted into the water, pilot and rearseat gunner rescued."
Page 19,
"Of the manifold headaches which fed the skipper's ulcers at Trinidad throughout late May and early June, however, none equaled the disastrous performance of the SB2C Helldivers. Their tailhooks pulled out of their wells so much that air maintenance officer Joe Tucker grounded half of the 36 "Beasts". So when several Congressmen came aboard to observe flight operations, Tucker refused Commander Dozier's call for a maximum launch. Enraged, Dozier ordered Tucker to have the malfunctioning Helldivers take part in the demonstration.
Sure enough, everyone of the 17 bombers lost its tailhook on grabbing the arresting cables and piled into the wire crash barrier."
Page 20,
"Jocko,seeing his old shipmate distressed, heard him out but could only reply 'Well, Joe, the SB2C is the divebomber built for the new carrier program. If it doesn't work, we're in a helluva mess.'
'We're in a helluva mess then', said Tucker, 'because it's not gonna work until there are 200 or so modifications made that are all essential. It is not ready to go out there on carriers. The best thing in the world that could be done would be to return it to Curtiss-Wright and make them prove it before we put them on the new carriers.'
Jocko eyed him, 'If you were me, what would you do?'
Tucker thought a moment and figured he'd crossed all his bridges; he was doomed. 'Well, if I was you, Captain, I would sit right down and write a letter to BuAer and tell them - I wouldn't ask them, I'd tell them - to tell Curtiss-Wright to come and get their damned airplanes. And, I'd turn this ship right around and head back into Trinidad, and I'd put those SB2C's ashore and leave them there!'
'What would you use in their place?'
'We're alot better off with SBD's that'll fly than we are with SB2C's that won't'
Clark sat there, thought a few minutes, and said firmly, 'You know, I agree with you.'
Then he yelled out the door,
'Tell commander Dozier to come up here! Andy, come in here!'
Navigator Anderson stuck his head in first, and Jocko told him, 'Set course for Trinidad '
'What?'
'Set a course for Trinidad. Cease operations!'
'Aye, aye, Sir!'
When Dozier arrived on the bridge, he was visibly shaken at the sight of Tucker with the captain. But Jocko had both men write a message informing the Bureau of Aeronautics that the Yorktown was returning to Norfolk prematurely and to request 36 brand new SBD-5 Dauntless divebombers to replace the hapless "Beasts". Then jocko rejected the entreaties of the Curtiss-Wright to keep the planes, and set course for Norfolk on June 13, escorted by three 'tin-cans', destroyers"
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