Vought TBU / Consolidated TBY Sea Wolf

To Vander: My father, Theodore Berger, and his friend Sam Becker of Fleetwood, PA, also worked on the Sea Wolf and suffered continual sly digs from my mother and Mrs. Becker for the slow progress of the Sea Wolf. Long ago days growing up during WWII. Lots of Lehigh Valley people were employed on that project.

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I understand that the Seawolf had radar capabilities that the Avenger did not have. I remember the Seawolf very well since they were built at the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Co. in Allentown, PA where I lived for 70 years before moving away. I knew many friends and neighbors who worked there together with others who worked at the Mack Truck plant where they built Army trucks 24 /7. Allentown was well known for its contribution to the war effort through manufacturing.

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It happens when you press enter after confirming the designated number code, instead of Leave a Comment. Since pressing enter is kind of natural, it's an easy mistake to make. Watch what happens.

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It happens when you press enter after confirming the designated number code, instead of Leave a Comment. Since pressing enter is kind of natural, it's an easy mistake to make. Watch what happens

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Good grief! My apologies, I don't think I posted the same thing twice. What happened?

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Most delays that kept the SeaWolf from reaching production until 1944 were also political. With the Avenger already in production and support fully concentrated on that, Vought considered the development of the type secondary to other aircraft. Had any branch of the military been more interested in it during original presentations of company aircraft vying for the role the Avenger won, it is safe to say production models would have rolled off the assembly line much sooner. Funding was also limited for an aircraft of its caliber, which might also explain part of the delay. Despite the fact that the Sea Wolf was a "much better aircraft" in performance and weapon delivery for the prescribed role of torpedo bomber, the Avenger could and did perform numerous roles outside of torpedo craft, something the SeaWolf was not intended for (outside of level bombing with light payloads).

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Most delays that kept the SeaWolf from reaching production until 1944 were also political. With the Avenger already in production and support fully concentrated on that, Vought considered the development of the type secondary to other aircraft. Had any branch of the military been more interested in it during original presentations of company aircraft vying for the role the Avenger won, it is safe to say production models would have rolled off the assembly line much sooner. Funding was also limited for an aircraft of its caliber, which might also explain part of the delay. Despite the fact that the Sea Wolf was a "much better aircraft" in performance and weapon delivery for the prescribed role of torpedo bomber, the Avenger could and did perform numerous roles outside of torpedo craft, something the SeaWolf was not intended for (outside of level bombing with light payloads).

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"Pity those poor politicians who supported Grumman failed to see the superiority of the Sea Wolf, it really was a much better aircraft."

It's just as well the Navy didn't wait for the Seawolf. By the time the first production airplane rolled out of the factory, in August 1944, the excellent Grumman Avenger had already been in combat for well over two years. There is no way to justify expecting the Navy's torpedo-bomber crews to have waited that long for a replacement for the obsolete Douglas TBD Devastator!

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They say this competed with the Avenger, but by the time the Sea Wolf was completed, the Avenger was already on the production line. Pity those poor politicians who supported Grumman failed to see the superiority of the Sea Wolf, it really was a much better aircraft.

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it looks cool

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