02/28/2014. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "First product of Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, the two-seat XSBA-1 was designed during 1934 to meet expanding Navy requirements for scout bombers to serve aboard new carriers under construction. A single prototype (BuNo 9726) was ordered on October 15, 1934, and appeared on April 15, 1936, with a Wright R-1820-4 engine, as shown above. It was modified in 1937 with 950 hp XR-1820-22 engine and in this form demonstrated a 263 mph (423 knh) speed, aided by internal stowage for the 500 lb (227 kg) bomb. In 1939, the XSBA-1 was transferred to the NACA and used in several programs.

Thirty production examples ordered on September 29, 1938, with 950 hp R-1820-38 engines were built by the Naval Aircraft Factory as SBN-1s (BuNo 1522 to 1551), and were delivered between November 1940 and March 1942 to VB-3. They later served as trainers for VT-8 aboard USS Hornet."