When the U.S. Navy placed a contract with Douglas Aircraft Co. for the development of the TBD torpedo bomber in 1934, a new era in naval aviation began. Biplanes on carrier decks would soon be consigned to history. Although it was an aircraft of advanced design in 1934, the Devastator was obsolete by 1942. Its first six months of combat would be its last. The TBD was withdrawn from front-line service in the summer of 1942, but continued in service as an advanced trainer until the end of the war.