ORIGINAL: JL1
The SBD enjoyed great success in the hands of the navy. Although consisdered nearly obsolete at the beginning of the war, it had a good record in combat
It was the key aircraft in the battle of Midway, sinking four Japanese carriers in the course of the fight.
For a bomber, it was quite agile and, in a pinch, was sometimes used on CAP missions when there wern't enough fighters to do the job.
It was very effective at Guadalcanal and numerous other battles in the Pacific.
If I am not mistaken it sank more enemy warships in WWII than any other aircraft.
In a nutshell, it was a very successful plane and there is a lot to know about it.
http://books.google.com/books?id=sot...result#PPA2,M1
The SBD was an excellent workhorse whose crews earned their place in history but the record holder for sinking shipping has to go to the Fairey Swordfish I think you'll find.