The Douglas T2D was an American twin-engined torpedo bomber contracted by the military, and required to be usable on wheels or floats, and operating from

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s. It was the first twin-engined aircraft to be operated from an aircraft carrier.

Development and design

In 1925, the United States Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics designed a twin-engined torpedo bomber aircraft, intended to have greater performance than contemporary single-engined aircraft. A single prototype was built by the Naval Aircraft Factory as the XTN-1, which was quickly followed by three identical aircraft built by Douglas, the T2D-1. The XTN/T2D was a large two bay

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

, capable of easy conversion between floats and wheels, and carrying a crew of four.

Operational history

The first three T2D-1's were delivered to the torpedo bomber squadron

VT-2 Vermont's 2nd congressional district is an obsolete district. It was created upon Vermont's admission as the 14th State in 1791. It was eliminated after the 1930 Census. Its last Congressman was Ernest W. Gibson, who was redistricted Red ...

on 25 May 1927, being used for successful trials aboard the aircraft carrier . A further nine T2D-1's were ordered in 1927, these normally being operated as floatplanes, partly owing to criticism from the Army of the Navy operating large land-based bombers, and partly as its large size prevented ''Langley'' from embarking a full airwing. A further 18 aircraft were ordered in June 1930 as patrol

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

s, being designated P2D-1. These were operated by Patrol Squadron VP-3 in the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

until they were replaced by Consolidated PBYs in 1937.

Variants

;XTN-1 :Original prototype built by Naval Aircraft Factory. One built. ;T2D-1 :Production aircraft, convertible torpedo bomber/patrol floatplane, powered by

Wright R-1750 Cyclone Wright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled Radial engine, radial piston engines designed by the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and used in numerous United States, American aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. Background The Wright ...

s. 12 built. ;P2D-1 :Dedicated patrol floatplane. Fitted with twin tail for improved engine out performance and powered by two Wright R-1820 Cyclones. 18 built.

Operators

; * United States Navy

Specifications (T2D-1 landplane / floatplane)

References

External links

Boeing page for Douglas T2D
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas T2d T2D 1920s United States bomber aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1927 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft