The Vought SB2U Vindicator is an American carrier-based dive bomber developed for the United States Navy in the 1930s, the first monoplane in this role.

[10] Airmen with experience in more modern aircraft spoke disparagingly of SB2Us as "vibrators" or "wind indicators" in their later combat assignments.

[11][12] Captain Richard E. Fleming piloted a SB2U-3 Vindicator in an attack on the Japanese cruiser Mikuma on 5 June 1942, for which he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

[18] In March–April 1940, AB 1's pilots carried out successful deck-landing training aboard Béarn, and were declared carrier qualified.

[20][21] AB 1 was ordered up to Northern France from Hyères as a replacement, sustaining heavy losses while attacking bridges and German ground targets in Northern France, including seven aircraft shot down by Messerschmitt Bf 109s during an attack on a bridge over the Sambre–Oise Canal on 20 May 1940, and later that month provided air cover for the Evacuation of Dunkirk.

Following the defeat of France, this order was taken over by the British government for use by the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm, who named the aircraft the Chesapeake.

[20] The British required several modifications to the Chesapeake, including the additional fuel tank fitted to the SB2U-3,[20] additional armor and heavier forward firing armament, with four rifle caliber machine guns replacing the single forward-firing Darne machine gun of the French aircraft.

[25] The squadron, whose crews referred to the aircraft as the "cheesecake", intended to use them for anti-submarine patrols, and they were earmarked for the escort carrier HMS Archer.

By the end of October that year, it had been decided that the Chesapeakes were underpowered for the planned duties and would not be able to lift a useful payload from the small escort carriers.

Only one known survivor exists today: Data from The Annals of Sugar Baker Two Uncle[30]General characteristics Performance Armament