During the second half of 1942, a single SB2C-1 aircraft with the Bureau Number 00005 was converted into a floatplane at NAS Anacostia. The conversion process led to its redesignation as the XSB2C-2. An order for 294 units of the production SB2C-2 was placed, as per an official US Navy report. However, the derivative was never built in series due to a combination of factors. Flight trials from early 1943 revealed that the extra weight of the floatplane configuration adversely affected its performance. Moreover, the combat seaplane concept had fallen out of favor by this time, rendering the requirement for the SB2C-2 obsolete. Consequently, the aircraft that were ordered were completed as SB2C-4s instead.