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Today in Aviation History: First Flight of the Douglas TBD Devastator
On April 15, 1935, the Douglas TBD Devastator took to the skies for the first time, marking a bold leap forward in naval aviation. Though ultimately overshadowed by its poor performance at Midway, the Devastator was a cutting-edge design in its day and played a critical role in early World War II battles like the Coral Sea.
Douglas TBD-1 Devastators in the pre-war colors and markings of Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6) of the USS Enterprise in flight off Hawaii. US NAVY photo
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On this day in aviation history—April 15, 1935—we mark the 90th anniversary of the first flight of the Douglas TBD Devastator. This aircraft originated from the Douglas XTBD-1 prototype, which emerged victorious in the U.S. Navy’s 1934 competition for a new carrier-based torpedo bomber. Following the award of the contract, Douglas refined the XTBD-1 into what would become the TBD Devastator, a cutting-edge design for its time.
Three U.S. Navy Douglas TBD-1 Devastators of Torpedo Squadron 2 (VT-2) pictured in formation. Note the squadron insignia, a Bombman astride a torpedo, on the fuselage beneath the cockpit. The three TBDs had much different careers: TBD-1, BuNo 0292, was delivered to VT-2 as “2-T-9”. The aircraft was lost on 12 January 1940 with VT-3 in a mid-air collision with TBD-1 BuNo 0373. The crew (Ens. Walter G. Barnes, Jr. P. E. Dickson, AMM2 C. W. Post, RM2) bailed out safely. TBD-1, BuNo 0292, was delivered to VT-2 as “2-T-7” (section leader). It was later lost with VT-5 (as “5-T-7″) when it crash-landed in the Jaluit Atoll lagoon, Marshall Islands, on 1 February 1942. The crew (Lt. Harlan T. Johnson (XO VT-5), Charles E. Fosha, ACMM, NAP, James W. Dalzell, RM1c) became prisoners of war. This aircraft was rediscovered, circa 1997 (location: N 5 58′ 39″ E 169 27′ 6”). TBD-1, BuNo 0293, was delivered to VT-2 as “2-T-8”. It was later lost with VT-8 (as “T-6”) during the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. The crew (Ens. William W. Creamer, Francis S. Polston, SEA2c) was killed. U.S. Navy – U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 1996.253.887
In the early years of World War II, the Devastator saw some success, most notably during the Battle of the Coral Sea, where it played a key role in striking Japanese naval forces. However, as the war progressed, rapid advancements in aircraft design quickly rendered the TBD obsolete. Its vulnerabilities in combat led to its gradual withdrawal from frontline service, replaced by more capable aircraft such as the Douglas SBD Dauntless and the Grumman TBF Avenger.
The U.S. Navy Douglas XTBD-1 Devastator (BuNo 9720) pictured in flight over the Virginia countryside. This particular aircraft made its maiden flight on 15 April 1935, and underwent performance trials at NAS Anacostia, NAS Norfolk, and NPG Dahlgren, Virginia (USA) until November 1935. After completing carrier trials on board USS Lexington (CV-2) off the coast of California, the aircraft returned to the Douglas plant in 1936 for overhaul and minor modifications, including a redesigned canopy. Returned to the U.S. Navy in December 1936, it was employed in flight testing until scrapped at NAS Norman, Oklahoma, on 10 September 1943. U.S. Navy – U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo
The Devastator’s reputation suffered greatly following its performance at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Of the 41 TBDs launched in torpedo attacks against the Japanese fleet, none scored a hit, and only six returned to their carriers. However, in the years since, historians and aviation experts have re-evaluated the circumstances. Much of the blame has shifted toward the unreliable Mark 13 torpedo, rather than the aircraft itself.
The first production U.S. Navy Douglas TBD-1 Devastator (BuNo 0268) pictured during flight testing at Naval Air Station Anacostia, Washington D.C. (USA), in 1937. Anacostia was the location of the Navy’s flight testing during the period in which this photograph was taken. U.S. Navy – U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo
The TBD Devastator carried a crew of three: a pilot, a torpedo officer/navigator, and a rear gunner/radioman. It was powered by a 900-horsepower Pratt & Whitney R-1830-64 Twin Wasp 14-cylinder radial engine. While its top speed was only 206 mph, it was armed with forward- and rear-facing 0.30-inch Browning machine guns and could deliver a single Mark 13 torpedo or a variety of bomb loads, including one 1,000-pound bomb, three 500-pound bombs, or twelve 100-pound bombs.
A U.S. Navy Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo plane assigned to Torpedo Squadron 6 (VT-6) from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) flies over Wake Island during Wake Island Raid, 24 February 1942. Note fires burning in the lower center. The view looks about WNW, with Wilkes Island in the center and the western end of Wake Island in bottom center. Peale Island is at right. The aircraft (“6-T-5”) is probalby BuNo 0326, one of the few aircraft of VT-6 to survive the Battle of Midway. It flew the last combat sortie of a TBD on 6 June 1942 against the Japanese heavy cruisers Mogami and Mikuma. It was later stricken on 12 October 1943. U.S. Navy – U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo
Today, no complete Douglas TBD Devastators survive in museums or private collections. However, the wreckage of eleven airframes still rests where they were lost during the war, mostly on the seafloor in the Pacific. The only full-scale representation of the aircraft is a 1:1 replica built for the 2019 film Midway, now displayed at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego. It serves as a rare and poignant tribute to an aircraft that, while flawed, played a vital role in the early years of carrier warfare and deserves a place in the broader story of American naval aviation. On March 4, 2018, the team aboard Paul G. Allen’s research vessel R/V Petrel discovered the wreck of the USS Lexington resting 3,000 meters (approximately two miles) beneath the surface of the Coral Sea, over 500 miles off Australia’s eastern coast. Nearby, they found the remains of seven Douglas TBD Devastators and an F4F-3 Wildcat. As of January 2023, A and T Recovery is actively working to recover at least four of these aircraft, including one of the Devastators.
A pair of Devastators, one lying on its back atop the other. The expedition located seven examples of this missing breed in the Lexington’s debris field. (image credit Paul G. Allen)*
Commercial Pilot, CFI, and Museum Entrepreneur, with a subject focus on WWII Aviation. I am dedicated to building flight experience so I can fly WWII Fighters, such as the P-51 Mustang, for museums and airshows, and in the USAF Heritage Flight. I lead and run the Pennington Flight Memorial, to honor local MIA Tuskegee Airman F/O Leland “Sticky” Pennington.
