Name/Title
SB2C Helldivers on the FlightdeckDescription
Photograph of SB2C Helldivers on the flightdeck of the USS Yorktown (CV-10).Context
This is a still image from footage taken from the shakedown cruise of The USS Yorktown (CV-10). The footage would be used in the film "Wing and a Prayer: The Story of Carrier X".
The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver would enter service in 1942 as a replacement for the SBD Dauntless. Unfortunately, the early Helldivers would suffer from several persistent mechanical issues and quickly earn a reputation as an unreliable plane. Following the shakedown cruise Captain Joseph "Jocko" Clark would swap out the Yorktown's compliment of Helldivers for the more reliable and battletested SBD Dauntless.Collection
USS Yorktown CV-10, Joseph R. Kristufek CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2021.0011Source or Donor
Rick KristufekAcquisition Method
GiftUpdate Date
August 2, 2024