The Douglas SBD

The airplanes that Mueller found included the Douglas SBD Dauntless, which was only manufactured for four years, from 1940 to 1944. For those not in the know, the airplane was famous for delivering the fatal blows to the Japanese carriers at the Battle of Midway in June 1942 – one of the most decisive battles of World War II. Meanwhile, after the war, most of the Dauntless’ eventually vanished or broke down. So finding another is always a treat to aviator enthusiasts!

In the early 1940s, the Dauntless was replaced by the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, so it was simply left in the ocean. Meanwhile, the Helldiver was a larger and faster plane, though delays in production eventually led British and Australian troops to cancel substantial orders.