page_title: Curtiss SBC Helldiver
section_title: U.S. Marine Corps
hierarchical_section_title: Curtiss SBC Helldiver / Operational history / U.S. Marine Corps
caption_attribution_description: A Curtiss SBC-4 Helldiver of U.S. Marine Corps observation squadron VMO-151 in 1941. Later based at Samoa, VMO-151 kept their SBC-4s until June 1943.
context_page_description: The Curtiss SBC Helldiver was a two-seat scout bomber and dive bomber built by the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It was the last military biplane procured by the United States Navy. Delivered in 1937, it became obsolete even before World War II and was kept well away from combat with Axis fighters.
context_section_description: The U.S. Marines received one SBC-3 in 1938 and which was assigned to Marine Fighter Squadron Two (VMF-2, redesignated VMF-211 on 1 July 1941) at NAS San Diego, California. It was sent to the Battle Fleet Pool in June 1939.
  In January 1940, the Marine Corps had four SBC-4s. Two were based at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS), Quantico, Virginia; one was assigned to VMF-1 (redesignated VMF-111 on 1 July 1941) and the second, the XSBC-4, was assigned to Marine Utility Squadron One (VMJ-1 redesignated VMJ-152 on 7 July 1941). The other two aircraft were based at NAS, San Diego, California; one SBC-4 was assigned to VMF-2 and the second to VMJ-2 (redesignated VMJ-252 on 1 July 1941).
  On 7 December 1941, the Marine Corps had 23 SBC-4s in their inventory. Twelve of them were assigned to a Marine observation squadron (VMO):
  MCAS Quantico, Virginia: 1 XSBC-4 and 5 SBC-4s,
  NAS San Diego, California: 5 SBC-4s, and
  VMO-151, MCAS Quantico, Virginia: 12 SBC-4s
  VMO-151 transferred to Tafuna (now Pago Pago International Airport), Tutuila Island, American Samoa, on 9 May 1942 with their SBC-4s. The squadron was redesignated Marine Scout Bombing Squadron One Hundred Fifty One (VMSB-151) on 15 September 1942. A second observation squadron, VMO-155, was commissioned in American Samoa on 1 October 1942 by taking half of VMSB-151's personnel and equipment. VMO-155 received ten SBC-4s and a Grumman J2F-5 Goose however, six officers and 15 enlisted men of the squadron returned to the U.S. on 8 December 1942 as a nucleus to form a new VMO-155 and the remaining personnel were transferred to Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands.
  In December 1942, the VMSB-151 SBC-4s were being replaced by Douglas SBD Dauntlesses and by June 1943, the squadron had been fully equipped with SBD-4s and they moved to Uvea Island in the Wallis Group leaving their SBC-4s behind.
  The last SBC reported in Marine squadron service was an SBC-4 at American Samoa in service with VMSB-151 on 1 June 1943.
caption: Marine Observation Squadron 151 flew the SBC-4 at Samoa until June 1943.
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