The Douglas TBD Devastator is a retired American torpedo bomber of the United States Navy. Ordered in 1934, it first flew in 1935 and entered service in 1937.

Apr 9, 2021 · First line USN torpedo bomber in 1941-42, the Douglas TBD was caught before its replacement. Ordered in 1934, it entered service in 1937 and at the time, it was not only the most advanced USN aircraft, but possibly the most serious contender for the title of “world’s best carrier-borne TB”.

Nov 28, 2024 · Originating out of a requirement initiated by the U.S. Navy Bureau of Aeronautics in early 1934 for a new carrier-based torpedo plane, the Douglas XTBD-1 prevailed over entries by Great Lakes...

Douglas TBD-1 Devastator drops a Mark XIII torpedo during exercises in the Pacific, 20 October 1941. This plane is 6-T-10, from Torpedo Squadron Six (VT-6), based on USS Enterprise (CV-6). (Photo: National Archives and Records Administration)

When the United States entered World War II, the U.S. Navy’s carrier-based torpedo bomber was the Douglas TBD Devastator. Already obsolete by some standards, it was not an effective carrier weapon.

Mar 31, 2022 · In Santa Monica, Donald Douglas’ design team got to work. The result was the XTBD-1 (Experi­mental Torpedo Bomber, Douglas), a three-seat, all-metal monoplane with hydraulic folding wings and semi-retractable landing gear behind an …

First line USN torpedo bomber in 1941-42, the Douglas TBD was caught before its replacement. Ordered in 1934, it entered service in 1937 and at the time, it was not only the most advanced USN aircraft, but possibly the most serious contender for …

4 June 1942: At the Battle of Midway, beginning at 0702 hours, fifteen Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bombers were launched from the United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) along with squadrons of Douglas SBD Dauntless dive …

The Douglas TBD-1 was the Navy's first widely-used monoplane shipboard plane. Designed to carry a heavy torpedo below the fuselage, it was necessarily a large aircraft and its 900-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1830 "Twin Wasp" radial engine could drive it to a maximum speed of slightly over 200 miles per hour.

Douglas TBD-1 Devastator drops a Mark XIII torpedo during exercises in the Pacific, October 20, 1941. This plane is aircraft number 6-T-4 of Torpedo Squadron Six (VT-6), based on USS Enterprise (CV-6).