Officially named the Helldiver, after a small, greyish-brown member of the grebe family of birds, the Curtiss SB2C also had some more vivid names. Chief among these was 'The Beast', or 'Big-Tailed Beast' or even 'Son-of-a-Bitch, 2nd Class' - and these nicknames were bestowed by many who flew and maintained the machine early in its combat career.rnDesigned as a more advanced replacement for the Douglas SDB Dauntless dive-bomber, the SB2C was appreciably faster than its predecessor and could eventually carry a heavier weapons load over slightly greater distances. Unlike the Dauntless, the Helldiverrnfeatured folding wings, enabling twice as many of the bigger and heavier aircraft to be fitted in the same space needed for SBDs aboard carriers.
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