Dauntless SBD Restoration

Douglas SBD Dauntless

The American Heritage Museum is proud to announce the upcoming addition of one of the most impactful aircraft types used in battle: the Douglas SBD Dauntless. Douglas SBD-5 BuNo 36177 will be on display in Stow, MA this winter.

The SBD (Scout Bomber Douglas) Dauntless was the primary carrier-based dive bomber used by the U.S. Navy throughout the war. It was known for its long range, great maneuverability, potent bomb load, and fantastic diving characteristics that allowed it to deliver a crushing blow on the target. Though slower than other attack aircraft used later in the war, crews popularized the name “Slow But Deadly” as an alternate meaning of the SBD acronym.

The American Heritage Museum has been working closely with the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL on an opportunity to bring this pivotal aircraft type to our museum in Stow, MA. In May, representatives from the U.S. Navy notified AHM President Rob Collings that we were approved to receive the SBD-5 BuNo 36177 currently on display at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The SBD-5 BuNo 36177 was accepted by the U.S. Navy on October 7, 1943 at Naval Air Station Alameda and shortly after was transferred to NAS Glenview in the Chicago area for use in aircraft carrier landing qualification training on the USS Sable and USS Wolverine on Lake Michigan.

On January 19, 1944, while attempting to land on the USS Wolverine, Ensign Ronald Kelly experienced a loss of power on approach and soft landed in the water prior to reaching the carrier. The aircraft lay on the floor of Lake Michigan for over five decades. It was recovered in nearly original condition and has been on display at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum with the very same paint since 1944.