Devastator Float Plane

[seydlitz_slith]

I picked up an out of print book called "Ship Strike: The history of air-to-sea weapon systems" in a used book store yesterday. Very good reading, with lots of interesting details on the development of the torpedo plane, torpedo, and air to surface guided missile. The book had some pictures that I had never seen before that just begged to be shared with the forum.

Here is the first..... A float plane variant of the Devastator TBD.

[DuckofTindalos]

It almost looks better than the wheeled version... Like it's meant to have a fat pair of floats.

[seydlitz_slith]

Here is a picture of a Dutch Navy Fokker T IV of 1927.

[seydlitz_slith]

I just realised that I over cropped the Devastator picture.
Here is the complete picture that shows the plane launching a torpedo.

The caption states: " The Douglas TBD Devastator was tried out as a floatplane and is here seen dropping her torpedo on trials."

[Onime No Kyo]

Wow that Fokker is an *ss-ugly plane. [X(]
 
Now we need to strap a pair of floats on a Vindicator and see what happens.

[spence]

With floats and lugging a torpedo the TBD must have had a speed of about 50 kts.

[Onime No Kyo]

Excellent torp launching platform. Its so much easier to launch when your forward velocity is countearacted by a stiff headwind.

[KDonovan]

wow the TIVA is as ugly as it looks in WITP

[DuckofTindalos]

It's even uglier with that hump...

And people call the Barracuda ugly.[8|]

[Onime No Kyo]

It was ugly, but slightly less so than the Skua.

[DuckofTindalos]

The Roc was uglier than the Skua...

[Onime No Kyo]

I think the Skua's worse.
 
The next question is whether the Poles ripped the PZL-11's looks off the I-153 or if they made it ugly all by themselves.

[Yava]

Themselves... Chaika prototypes were produced in 1938... while PZL P-11 in 1931

[Onime No Kyo]

Ah. So the Russians borrowed the uglyness.

[DuckofTindalos]

The PZL-11 was actually pretty good-looking for a high-gullwing monoplane fighter.

[spence]

good-looking for a high-gullwing monoplane

Which is the epitome of ugliness.

[Onime No Kyo]

<applause> [:)]

[seydlitz_slith]

Here is a Wildebeeste II launching it's torp. I'd bet that a swift ship could turn into the wind at flank speed and make the bomber run out of fuel before it hit the release point.

[seydlitz_slith]

Here is the Martin AM-1 Mauler, developed too late to fight in the War. Imagine the jolt when you released all three torps at the same time.

[seydlitz_slith]

Here is the Consolidated TBY-2 Sea Wolf, that was developed to replace the Grumman Avenger. Less than 200 were built, and they were only used for training. None saw action.