The Chance-Vought XTBU-1 Sea Wolf was a torpedo bomber designed as a rival to the Grumman Avenger, and that entered production as the Consolidated TBY-2 Sea Wolf.

In October 1939 the US Navy issued a request for proposals for a new torpedo bomber to the US aircraft industry. The new aircraft was to carry a crew of three, have a top speed of 300mph, be able to carry one torpedo or three 500lb bombs internally, have self-sealing fuel tanks and armour and a powered dorsal gun turret.

A number of companies submitted designs to satisfy this specification, but only Grumman and Chance-Vought received orders to build prototypes. The Chance-Vought design resembled a less 'chunky' version of the Avenger, with a longer greenhouse canopy, although it took up more space with its wings folded than the Grumman design. The prototype was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-6 engine for its first flight, then by an R-2800-2. One unusual feature was a single control that lowered undercarriage and flaps and set propeller pitch and fuel mixture ready for landing.

Chance-Vought received their order on 22 April 1940, and the prototype made its first flight on 22 December 1941. By this time it was already almost too late. Grumman had received a production order for the Avenger in December 1940, and the first prototype made its maiden flight in August 1941. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the resulting US entry into the Second World War meant that the need for a new torpedo bomber was suddenly very urgent. The XYBU-1 reached NAS Anacostia for trials in March 1942, but despite proving to be 30 mph faster than the Avenger it was not put into production until the following year.

The XTBU-1 was armed with one fixed forward firing 0.50in gun in the engine cowling, one 0.50in gun in the power operated dorsal turret and one 0.30in gun mounted in the 'stinger' or ventral tunnel position (the same defensive layout as the original Avenger).

By 1942 Chance Vought was building fighter aircraft, most famously the F4U Corsair. When the Navy finally decided to put their torpedo-bomber into production in 1943 they had to find an alternative manufacturer, and so in September 1943 Consolidated Vultee received an order to produce 1,100 aircraft with the new designation TBY-2 Sea Wolf.













The Consolidated TBY-2 Sea Wolf was the production version of the XTBU-1 torpedo bomber developed by Vought at the same time as the Grumman Avenger.

The XTBU-1 was very similar to the Avenger, although with a less 'chunky' appearance. The first prototype flew on 22 December 1941, and was delivered to NAS Anacostia in March 1942. This placed it several months behind the Avenger, which had made its maiden flight in August 1941, and a first production order had been placed as early as December 1940.

Although the XTBU-1 was 30mph faster than the Grumman design it suffered from several disadvantages. The first was that the Avenger was already in production by the time the prototype XTBU-1 reached Anacostia. With their wings folded the XTBU-1 took up more space than the Avenger, reducing the number that could be carried on each carrier. Finally Vought's own production facilities were fully occupied building F4U Corsairs.

The Navy sat on the XTBU-1 for well over a year, before deciding to put it into production after all. In September 1943 Consolidated Vultee received an order to built 1,100 of the redesignated TBY-2 Sea Wolf at their new factory at Allentwon, Pennsylvania.

The TBY-2 carried more guns than the XTBU-1, gaining two more fixed 0.50in guns for a total of three, to go with the 0.30in ventral gun and the 0.50in gun in the powered dorsal turret. It could carry bombs or a torpedo in its internal bomb bay, and was equipped with four zero-length stubs for 5-inch rockets under each wing. Search radar was carried, with the antenna housed in a radome on the leading edge of the right wing.

Production of the new aircraft was slow. The first Sea Wolf didn't make its maiden flight until 20 August 1944, eleven months after the contract was placed, while the first delivery to the navy didn't come until 7 November 1944. After only 180 aircraft had been completed production was cancelled. None of the existing aircraft were used in combat, instead being allocated to training units based in the United States.

Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-22
Power: 2,100hp
Crew: 3
Wing span: 56ft 11in
Length: 39ft 2in
Height: 15ft 6in
Empty Weight: 11,336lb
Gross Weight: 16,247lb
Maximum Weight: 18,940lb
Max Speed: 316mph
Cruising Speed:
Service Ceiling:
Armament: Four .50in guns, one .30in guns.
Bomb-load: One torpedo or three bombs in internal bomb bay, up to eight 5in rockets under the wings









Regards Duggy

That cockpit had to be a sauna with all that glass.