I've always wondered this but if the F4U could carry 2 1K bombs and from the technical data I've read the SBD-5 could only carry 1K, why was the SBD even used at all? Why werent bomb laden F4s used in some of the carrier battles? Too heavy to launch from a carrier?
Several reasons.
Saftey. Real lives are at stake. The Corsair is somewhat dangerous to LAND on carriers. They only used them on carriers because of the Kamikaze threat. If there were no Kamikazes, I doubt the Corsair would have been cleared for use on carriers at all.
Range. The Dauntless loaded down can go farther than the loaded Corsair. Of all the US Navy aircraft based on carriers, the Dauntless has the longest range without drop tanks. They even kept some of them after Helldivers were introduced, not just because the Helldiver was a mediocer replacement, but also the un-loaded Dauntless is still very usefull as a search aircraft.
Dive performance. The Dauntless can dive from a higher (safer) altitude than a Corsair. It has alot better dive flaps and such, compared to the small gear door airbrakes of the Corsair.
However, the fighters on carriers were being used as strike aircraft too.
In fact I beleave the standard aircraft at the beginning of the war was a balanced 1/3 fighter, torpedo bomber, and dive bomber. In the end it was 1/2 fighter, 1/4 dive bomber, 1/4 torpedo bomber. The Kamikaze theat was just too great. More fighters were needed, including the new fast climbing F4U-4s.
Hans.
