Douglas SBD-2P 2173 Carrier Qualification Training Unit USS Wolverine IX-64

These are 1/72 scale decals for Douglas SBD-2P Dauntless 2173, assigned to the Carrier Qualification Training Unit (CQTU) aboard USS Wolverine (IX-64), wearing Non-Specular Light Gray (NS Light Gray) upper surfaces over Non-Specular Blue Gray (NS Blue Gray) with modex P-8.

The SBD-2P was a photo-reconnaissance conversion of the SBD-2, with a camera installation replacing the rear gunner's armament — one of several specialized Dauntless variants that served alongside the standard attack aircraft in fleet and training operations. By the time of the Wolverine assignment, the SBD-2P had been retired from front-line reconnaissance duties and was well suited to the carrier qualification training role, giving student aviators experience on a type that closely matched the handling characteristics of the combat Dauntlesses they would soon fly in the fleet.

USS Wolverine, the Navy's freshwater carrier on Lake Michigan, qualified over 17,000 naval aviators during World War II without ever leaving the Great Lakes. The two-tone NS Light Gray over NS Blue Gray scheme with post-Pearl Harbor national insignia and modex P-8 on the fuselage places this aircraft firmly in the busy 1942–43 training period. Includes two serial options.

A rare photo-reconnaissance variant in the Lake Michigan training fleet — a great companion to the other USS Wolverine Dauntless listings. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.