Curtiss P40 in Naval Service

US Navy Fighter-Bomber (1940-45), c13,700 built

The P-40 in brief:

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was one of the most widely used American fighter aircraft of the early years of World War II. Though often overshadowed by later designs like the North American P-51 Mustang, it played a crucial role across multiple theaters of war.

🧾 Basic Specifications

Manufacturer: Curtiss-Wright
First flight: 1938 (prototype), introduced 1941
Engine: Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V-12
Top speed: ~360 mph (580 km/h), depending on variant
Range: ~650 miles (1,050 km)
Armament:
Typically 6 × .50 caliber machine guns
Bombs (up to 2,000 lb) or rockets

🛠️ Design & Characteristics

The P-40 was based on the earlier Curtiss P-36 Hawk but upgraded with a more powerful inline engine.
Strengths: Rugged and durable — could absorb heavy damage, Stable gun platform — effective in dives and strafing, Good low-to-medium altitude performance
Weaknesses: Poor high-altitude performance (no advanced supercharger), Outclassed later in the war by newer German and Japanese fighters, Limited climb rate compared to rivals.

🌍 Combat History

China & the “Flying Tigers”: The P-40 became famous with the First American Volunteer Group, led by Claire Lee Chennault. It flew against Japanese aircraft like the Mitsubishi A6M Zero Used dive-and-zoom tactics instead of dogfighting. Iconic shark-mouth nose art.
North Africa & Europe: Operated by the Royal Air Force, where it was called the “Kittyhawk” or “Tomahawk”. Played a major role in the North African Campaign. Provided ground support and air defense
Pacific Theater: Used heavily by the United States Army Air Forces. Battles over New Guinea, Guadalcanal, and the Philippines. Effective in ground attack and escort roles.

🧬 Variants

P-40B/C (Tomahawk): Early versions used by Flying Tigers.
P-40E: Improved armament (6 guns), widely produced
P-40F/L: Used Rolls-Royce Merlin engine (better performance)
P-40N: Lightened, fastest production version

🦈 The Shark Mouth Legend

The famous shark-mouth design was inspired by British pilots and made iconic by the Flying Tigers. It became one of the most recognizable nose arts in aviation history.

⚖️ How It Compared

Feature P-40 Warhawk/Mitsubishi A6M Zero
Speed; Moderate/Good
Maneuverability: Average/Excellent
Durability; High/Low
Firepower: Strong/Moderate
The P-40 couldn’t out-turn the Zero, but it could dive faster, take more hits, use energy tactics to win.

🧠 Strategic Importance

Even though it wasn’t the best fighter overall, the P-40 was available early in the war when better fighters weren’t ready, it was reliable and easy to maintain and exported widely (UK, USSR, China, Australia). It helped buy time for more advanced aircraft to enter service.

A Navalized P36C ?

Before going into the P40, its direct ancestor, which flew (almost) for everybody but the USAAC, could have been used either by the USN, or the USMC at the time the former still fielded stocky Grumman biplanes. Though the Brewster F2A was chosen instead as its first monoplane. The P36 was a solid fighter... for 1936. The best difference between it and the 40 was of course going from a sturdy and short Whight radial to a longer but more efficient Packard inline engine. The P36C was lighter, easier to manage on a carrier deck and had room for improvements without being too heavy. It was perhaps overall better suited for carrier operations than the P40, starting with a shorter nose making for a better vision ahead and below for landing.

However, overall, the F4F seemed a better proposition. Nevertheless, P-36s were delivered to Hawaii in February 1941, loaded on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in California, a first for this USAAC model. They were stripped down for the light and flew off its deck by USAAC pilots while off the coast of Hawaii. This saved considerable time over the traditional shipping method in disassembled in cargo crates on under tarpaulins on a freighter. This became a new standard and other tets were made. The FAA was also much into this, notably since late 1940s for Malta. 5 of these put a good fight over Pearl Harbour on the 7th, downing two Zeros for one loss, and scoring the first victories on this war.

The P36C was a good candidate though, it was the morst powerful, with a additional 0.30 in machine gun in each wing, external ammunition boxes under the wings, and the R-1830-17 of 1,200 hp (890 kW) engine. 30 were completed as such. Curtiss had an office in France and marketed the H-75 its French version, to equip the future fleet carriers of the Joffre class. But they would have needed a tailhook and a much reinforced frame to take repeated landing shock, a better landing gear, as well as extra coating for the extrernal structure to deal with corrosion. In the end it's unlikely Curtiss had the capacity to do this anyway, as Curtiss-Wright was insanely busy in this period, developing the P-40, C-46, SB2C, and O-52 among others.

In addition the P36 was an interceptor and just lacked the "legs" of the F4F. However as pros, it had the same radial as the Brewster F2A and Grumman F4F. There were also discussions in 1940 about the FAA and questions about the Hawks be navalised for carrier use well before the Sea Hurricane. The FAA indeed badly needed modern carrier fighters at that stage. Neither the Fairey Fulmar, not the Skua, both 2-seat jack of all trades, nor the biplane sea Gladiator were proper, modern fighters indeed.

The "Naval Service" of the Curtiss P-40

Fantasy artists depiction of a USN P40E of VFA-103 Jolly Rogers, with victories (pinterest)

Obviously the P40 was not designed for carrier service or requested as such. Back in 1936 when the P-36, its predecessor, was barely operational, there were considerations by Curtiss to propose it to the Navy in a modified version, but Grumman by the time firmly imposed itself as a trusted provider. So the Curtiss fighter was not adopted. Although it had a powerful engine and a well protected inline engine elss susceptible to seawater spray degradation, there was no problem with its short, stout undercarriage albeit it would have needed to be lilely made a bit taller with a new telescopic arrangement, and beefed up. An arrestor hook was not an issue to install, just requiring strenghtening near the tail, and it was done on the P-40K (photo below).

P40K "navalized", USAAF 42-46205 15FG6NFS 18, USS Breton, Dec. 10, 1943.

The main technical issues were firstly:
-Nose too long and not optimized for carrier landing (better than the Corsai though)
-Lacking foding wings (never was designed for that)
-Having a long fuselage with small wings comparatively, making too fast and dangerous landings.
-Lacking the extra power to weight ratio to receive all the extra standard USN gear, like a better radio set, extra navigation gear, pilot's personal lifeboat, etc. About 100 kgs more, not counting the buffed landing gear and tail hook, degrading performances.
-The inline engine had greater maintenance requirements. Being water cooled it created issues at sea where space was at a premium.

Still, the question remains a topic for aviation enthusiasts: There are many photos of P-40 aboard carriers. At first glance, they looked like part of the air group, but at second glance, it is a well and common thing to carry USAAF aircraft these to various theaters (PTO, MTO, etc.). The "hard" truth (at least for fans of the "hawk"), is that they were never navalized for U.S. Navy service, or at least in a standrdized way. Indeed in the Pacific, due to the great distances involved, the U.S. Army Airforce relied on the U.S. Navy to transport their aircraft. So not only P40s but also P-47s, P-39s, P-38s, lacking long-distance ferry range were stacked up on decks of carriers. Not fleet carriers of the TF38/58 of course, speaheading offensives against Japan, but more modest "jeep carriers". Their deck was way too short for them to take off. They only needed to berth in a port with cranes, to have them landed. They were not only crammed on the deck, they could also be crammed the same way in the hangar, provided the lift was large enough. And so, that's the story of P40s on carrier decks in a nutshell.

Well before 1943 tests, P40 could take off without help of the deck was longer, like this test on 14 October 1940 from USS Wasp. About this episode, i was related by Bob Cressman as the following:

Now ready to join the fleet and assigned to Carrier Division 3, Patrol Force, Wasp shifted to Naval Operating Base, Norfolk (NOB Norfolk) from the Norfolk Navy Yard on 11 October. There, she loaded 24 Curtiss P-40 fighters from the Army Air Corps' 8th Pursuit Group and nine North American O-47A reconnaissance aircraft from the 2d Observation Squadron, as well as her own spares and utility unit Grumman J2F Duck flying boats on the 12th. Proceeding to sea for maneuvering room, Wasp flew off the Army planes in a test designed to compare the take-off runs of standard Navy and Army aircraft. That experiment, the first time that Army planes had flown from a Navy carrier, foreshadowed the use of the ship in the ferry role that she performed so well in World War II.

Another go was useful during Operation Torch in November 1942, the start of US participation into the "western campaign". Since August, on the other side of the planet, the Solomons campaign already started in August. Here, top, launched from USS Chenango, bottom, launched from USS Ranger.

P40Bs in the hangar of USS Chenango, an escort carrier converted from a former oiler, part of the Sangamon class. This showed if turned sideways, the P40 wings fit the carrier's lift. For Operation Torch, the idea was to have a squadron of P40Bs asap, on the first captured airfield by US troops. These P-40s were stored between the hangar and decks and launched at sea rom the USS Ranger and USS Chenango.

The "Navalized" P40K

A Curtiss P-40K serial 42 45205, White 18, 6 Night Fighter Squadron, 15 Fighter Group prepares to catapult from USS Breton (CVE-23), 10 December 1943

Still, some were also catapulted, instead of waiting to reach a port, even catapult if the deck was short, like this mass-launching from USS Breton. She was a Bogue class carrier that took part also in some hunter-killer groups as well. Indeed, "free lauching" P40s had been a hassle. A P40F needed for this to have its weight stripped down to 7,500 lbs, 360ft of deck (110 m) and with a 35kt head wind.

Here, the tactic, if not using the catapult, was to wait since the engine was at full throttle, and release the retaining cables, that would be followed by a launch. USS Breton was used to ferry them to the front, and operated with the Carrier Transport Squadron, Pacific Fleet. Her sailings carried her throughout the Pacific supplying men, materiel, and aircraft to units of the fleet engaged in making strikes on the enemy. While engaged in these duties, Breton took part in the capture and occupation of Saipan (11 June–10 August 1944); the Battle of the Philippine Sea (19–20 June); the 2nd Bonins raid (24 June); and the assault and occupation of Okinawa (6–7 April 1945).

⚙ P40E specifications
Empty Weight	5,922 lb (2,686 kg)
Gross Weight	8,515 lb (3,862 kg)
Max Takeoff weight	?
Length	31 ft 8.5 in (9.665 m)
Wingspan	37 ft 3.5 in (11.367 m)
Height	10 ft 8 in (3.25 m)
Wing Area	236 sq ft (21.9 m2)
Airfoil	root: NACA2215; tip :NACA2209
Engine	Allison V-1710-39 V-12 liquid-cooled PE: 1,240 hp (920 kW), 0.14 hp/lb (0.23 kW/kg)
Propeller	3-bladed Curtiss-Wright electric constant-speed
Top Speed	361 mph (581 km/h, 314 kn) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
Cruise Speed	308 mph (496 km/h, 268 kn)
Range	716 mi (1,152 km, 622 nmi) at 70% power
Climb Rate	15,000 ft (4,600 m) in 6 minutes 15 seconds
Ceiling	29,100 ft (8,900 m)
Wing Loading	35.1 lb/sq ft (171 kg/m2)
Armament	6× 0.5 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning MG wings, 250-1000 Ib bombs
Crew	1 Pilot

Operational History (Pacific P40s)

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was one of the most important Allied fighters in the Pacific during the first half of World War II. Before newer fighters such as the P-38, P-47, and P-51 became widely available, the P-40 carried much of the burden of air combat against Japan in the Pacific and China-Burma-India theaters. The P-40 is most famous for its use by the American Volunteer Group (AVG), the Flying Tigers, commanded by Claire Chennault. Their shark-mouth-painted P-40s became iconic. Rather than turning with Japanese fighters, they used diving attacks, speed, and firepower to defeat opponents. How it compared with Japanese fighters. Against aircraft like the Japanese A6M Zero, the P-40 was generally faster in a dive. It was tougher and could absorb more battle damage. It carried heavy armament (typically six .50-caliber machine guns). It could not match the Zero's low-speed turning ability. As a result, successful P-40 pilots avoided turning dogfights and relied on "boom-and-zoom" tactics—diving attacks followed by climbing away.

Although it was eventually replaced by more advanced fighters, the P-40 was the main USAAF fighter in the Pacific during 1941–42 and played a major role in stopping Japanese expansion. Along with the P-39 and F4F Wildcat, it helped break Japanese air superiority during the critical early years of the war.
(More to come in the next update)