Aviation History - July 2016

16 AH july 2016

Raised From a

Watery Grave

LOST IN LAKE MICHIGAN FOR

NEARLY HALF A CENTURY, A

MARINE CORPS SBD DAUNTLESS

HAS FINALLY COME HOME TO

QUANTICO

BY MARK CARLSON

T

he tough little Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber

remains one of the most revered and recognizable war-

birds in American history. This is the remarkable story

of how one SBD-3 recently ended up on display at the

National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va.,

after spending 48 years underwater.

<PM=;6I^aUWLQÅML\_W/ZMI\4ISM[XILLTM_PMMTMZ

steamers during World War II to act as aircraft carriers for

\ZIQVQVOÆMLOTQVOI^QI\WZ[6W\M^MZaXQTW\I\\MUX\QVO\WTIVL

on the tiny wooden decks of USS Sable and USS Wolverine

managed to do so, however. Between August 1942 and the end

WN \PM_IZUWZM\PIVÅOP\MZ[IVLJWUJMZ[MVLML]XQV

4ISM5QKPQOIV¼[KWTLOZIa_I\MZ[

SBD-3 no. 06583 rolled

W]\WN ,W]OTI[)QZKZIN\¼[

El Segundo, Calif., plant

in August 1942, the 610th

Dauntless built. After being

I[[QOVMLÅZ[\\W5IZQVM;KW]\

Bombing Squadron 132

(VMSB-132), then to VMSB-

142, it was given to VMSB-

243 and VMSB-232. For

reasons that are still unclear,

the aircraft never went over-

seas. Though it had origi-

restored

nally been a Marine plane,

the Navy claimed it for the

Training Command at NAS

/TMV^QM_1TTQV7K\WJMZ

home to roost Volunteers,

including Rick Niedner (on

wing), reattach the SBD-3’s

engine (above), before the

Dauntless is installed in the

Leatherneck Gallery (top).