The Consolidated TBY Sea Wolf.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consolidated_TBY_Sea_Wolf
Seems it was much faster than the Avenger, mostly because it used the R-2800 instead of the R-2600. Unfortunately, it had protracted development and never saw combat, although 180 were built.
Entropy ain't what it used to be.
I did mention this forgotten aircraft almost 4 years ago in the thread about the TBD Devastator, link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074899/board/nest/159368615?d=209634546#209634546
I also have a book about the XTBU/TBY where there are quite a number of photos and blueprints of the aircraft. There is also included information about the aircraft and accounts by the chief test pilot and test flight engineer about flying the newly built planes to qualify them for delivery to the Navy. The main delay from being accepted by the Navy in the summer of 1942 was where to build the aircraft. Vought had no capacity due mainly to commitments to build the F4U-1 Corsair fighter. That is how Consolidated and Vultee got the project to build it. They waited until a factory in Allentown, PA was converted from making Mack trucks to build the new airplane. This took until late 1943 and the first production aircraft rolled out in late summer 1944. Production never got fully ramped up until the next summer and by then, the war was just about over.
I would love to know why an already built aircraft factory in Nashville, TN was allowed through 1942 to 1944 to build the already outdated and mostly exported, Vultee A-35 Vengeance instead of an aircraft the Navy seemed to want?
Redhooks
"You don't get something for nothing, you don't get freedom for free." Neil Peart
Thanks. I must have missed it.
It's been a long time since we had a nice, detailed thread like that.
The contrast beteen the fast a sleek TBY and the short, rotund, and slow torpedo it would have carried is almost comical.
Entropy ain't what it used to be.
I looked at the book about the XTBU/TBY today and forgot there was also a small amount of info about the first squadron to get the aircraft and start training with it. The squadron was VT-154 and then changed its designation to VT-155 shortly after being commissioned. One of the pilots in the squadron talked about how their squadron commander was, to be somewhat on topic to the movie this message board is for, George Gay. He being the sole survivor of VT-8 launched from the Hornet at Midway.
This pilot also talked about how their squadron's learning syllabus for the plane was half training and half testing the capabilities of the new aircraft. According to him, there were a number of electrical issues and less so of mechanical issues with the aircraft. He also mentioned that after the war ended, the squadron was issued TBM Avengers to replace their TBYs. You would have thought the Navy would have a least fully tested the aircraft to see if it was the improvement over the Avenger some people thought it was. If it was an improvement then it could have served the fleet until the new dual-purpose Attack aircraft (Douglas Skyraider and Martin Mauler) were deployed in 1947 and 48.
The lead test pilot made a comment that the workers in the Allentown plant were good people who knew how to make buses well, but had a steep learning curve on how airplanes were built. That is another reason it took a long time from the plant being finished converted to the first production plane being completed.
In the book, it thanks the "Sea Wolfs" of Allentown Museum for a lot of the pictures and info on the plant. The museum was still open by appointment only near the regional airport for Allentown, which was down the road from the factory and built specifically to allow the newly built planes to have an acceptance test flight before flying the planes to a Naval Air Station/Depot for assignment to a squadron. Many of the 180 TBY-2's built were flown to a depot and then never flown again before they were sent to be scrapped.
Redhooks
"You don't get something for nothing, you don't get freedom for free." Neil Peart
Thanks for a great post and for being among the very few with knowledge of this forgotten aircraft.
I was fascinated with it because I always thought the TBF should have used the R-2800.
Entropy ain't what it used to be.
Well I got all the info from the book listed on the TBY Sea Wolf's Wikipedia page that you linked in the initial post in this thread. The one from Ginter Books published in 1995.
One thing about the TBF with the R-2600, is according to one writer it initially was designed to have been as fast as the TBY, but changes made as the prototype was being built caused it to be heavier than designed and thus slower with the same powerplant.
Redhooks
"You don't get something for nothing, you don't get freedom for free." Neil Peart
One thing about the TBF with the R-2600, is according to one writer it initially was designed to have been as fast as the TBY, but changes made as the prototype was being built caused it to be heavier than designed and thus slower with the same powerplant.
What I meant was weight was added to the XTBF to correct some design problems so that the top speed of the aircraft was slower in real life than the "as designed" speed was thought to be. The R-2600 powerplant never changed, so the plane was slower with the added weight. Just the same as the F4F-4 Wildcat was slower with the same engine than the F4F-3 due to added weight.
I hope that clarified it.
Redhooks
"You don't get something for nothing, you don't get freedom for free." Neil Peart
Wasn't there a torpedo attack by B-26's as well? Only going from a faded memory here...
"He was running around like a rooster in a barnyard full of ducks."--Pat Novak
Yes there was an attack by 4 Army Air Force B-26's right after the 6 Navy TBF Avengers' (VT-8 Det.) attack was defeated. Both groups of planes were launched from Midway. Only 2 of the B-26's made it back to Midway after the other 2 were shot down.
Redhooks
"You don't get something for nothing, you don't get freedom for free." Neil Peart
As far as I know, that was the Army's first, last, and only torpedo attack in anger.
The Navy's last aerial torpedo attack was in Korea. An interesting mission, by pilots who had never carried a torpedo before.
Entropy ain't what it used to be.