The Douglas TBD Devastator was a torpedo bomber of the United States Navy, ordered in 1934, first flying in 1935 and entering service in 1937.
At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the USN and possibly for any navy in the world...
The TBD Devastator marked a large number of "firsts" for the U.S. Navy. It was the first widely-used carrier-based monoplane as well as the first all-metal aircraft, the first with a totally enclosed cockpit, the first with hydraulically folding wings; it is fair to say that the TBD was revolutionary.
A semi-retractable undercarriage was fitted, with the wheels designed to protrude ten inches (250 mm) below the wings to permit a "wheels-up" landing with only
minimal damage.
The Devastator was stationed on the USS Saratoga, USS Enterprise, USS Lexington, USS Wasp, USS Hornet, USS Yorktown and USS Ranger.
A crew of three was normally carried beneath a large "greenhouse" canopy almost half the length of the aircraft #air_plaine #aircraft #carrier #douglas #tbd_devastator #torpedo_bomber #us_navy #ww2
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