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    Pb4y-2 Bow Turret

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    trojandl
    This document provides details about a PB4Y-2 bow turret that was originally designed for the Boeing XPBB-1 Sea Ranger in 1940 and was later adopted for use on the PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers. The specific turret summarized here is a model 250SH-3 that was built for the Privateer nose section, could rotate 70 degrees below to 85 above and 80 degrees side to side, and carried 1300 rounds of ammunition. It underwent a 250 hour restoration by US Navy personnel from VQ-3 Detachment Travis and is now on display.

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    Pb4y-2 Bow Turret

    Uploaded by

    trojandl
    208 views3 pages
    This document provides details about a PB4Y-2 bow turret that was originally designed for the Boeing XPBB-1 Sea Ranger in 1940 and was later adopted for use on the PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers. The specific turret summarized here is a model 250SH-3 that was built for the Privateer nose section, could rotate 70 degrees below to 85 above and 80 degrees side to side, and carried 1300 rounds of ammunition. It underwent a 250 hour restoration by US Navy personnel from VQ-3 Detachment Travis and is now on display.

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    PB4Y-2 BOW TURRET

    Original Title

    PB4Y-2 BOW TURRET

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    This document provides details about a PB4Y-2 bow turret that was originally designed for the Boeing XPBB-1 Sea Ranger in 1940 and was later adopted for use on the PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers. The specific turret summarized here is a model 250SH-3 that was built for the Privateer nose section, could rotate 70 degrees below to 85 above and 80 degrees side to side, and carried 1300 rounds of ammunition. It underwent a 250 hour restoration by US Navy personnel from VQ-3 Detachment Travis and is now on display.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
    208 views3 pages

    Pb4y-2 Bow Turret

    Uploaded by

    trojandl
    This document provides details about a PB4Y-2 bow turret that was originally designed for the Boeing XPBB-1 Sea Ranger in 1940 and was later adopted for use on the PB4Y-1 Liberator and PB4Y-2 Privateer bombers. The specific turret summarized here is a model 250SH-3 that was built for the Privateer nose section, could rotate 70 degrees below to 85 above and 80 degrees side to side, and carried 1300 rounds of ammunition. It underwent a 250 hour restoration by US Navy personnel from VQ-3 Detachment Travis and is now on display.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as doc, pdf, or txt
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    The document provides details about a PB4Y-2 bow turret, including its design history and specifications.

    The turret was originally designed by Boeing in 1940 for use on the Boeing XPBB-1 Sea Ranger.

    Indications show the turret is from serial number range 982 to 1351. It was stripped of equipment and modified with a makeshift sight at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.

    PB4Y-2 BOW TURRET

    (Model Number 250SH-3)

    This turret was originally designed by Boeing Aircraft Corporation in 1940 for use on the Boeing
    XPBB-1 Sea Ranger. It was built by the ERCO Company of Riverdale, MD and holds the
    distinction of being the first powered turret carrying twin .50-caliber guns to be specified for an
    American Naval plane. In the XPBB-1, it was carried in three positions (nose, upper fuselage,
    and tail), but due to the changing strategic situation in the Pacific during WW II the contract for
    full-scale production of the XPBB-1 in Renton, Washington
    was cancelled in favor of the B-29 Superfortress. However, the design of the 250SH turret
    proved satisfactory to the U. S. Navy and was soon adopted as a modification to the nose section
    of some PB4Y-1 Liberators. These Liberators were essentially B-24D in every respect, but the
    addition of the new bow turret carrying 600 rounds of ammunition was credited with diminishing
    combat losses of the PB4Y-1’s. Beginning in early 1944, the U. S. Navy accepted a highly
    modified and improved version of the Liberator known as the PB4Y-2 Privateer.

    This particular turret, a model 250SH-3, was built for the Privateer nose section. It carried a total
    of 1300 hundred rounds of ammunition in three cases. A total of 3000 ERCO 250SH turrets were
    manufactured. Indications from particular equipment installed in this specific example show that
    it is in the serial number range of 982 to 1351. A specific serial number cannot be determined as
    all data plates were removed after its service, probably while in the possession of the Aberdeen
    Proving Grounds where it may have been stripped of much of its equipment and modified with a
    makeshift sight.

    The turret is a self-contained unit capable of operating independent of aircraft power if


    necessary. Arc of fire was from 70 degrees below horizontal to 85 degrees above and 80 degrees
    to either side. Empty weight is 561 pounds and fully loaded weight is 1131 pounds. The turret
    diameter is 54 inches and is hydraulically driven on an internally mounted 1000 p.s.i. system. As
    the rounds were fired, spent shell casings dropped into the chute below the guns and collected in
    the front of the turret where they could be removed after flight through the access panel on the
    front. Belt clips were ejected sideways though chutes to leather bags that were also emptied after
    flight. Armor plating included (two) 1/4 inch foot plates, a ½ inch plate covering the entire
    forward
    ammo box and a 1-1/2 inch armored glass gun sight. It should be noted that, despite the
    appearance of cramped conditions, more equipment was installed in this turret than what is
    presently displayed. That equipment included a MK-9 gun sight, a turret control
    panel, belt collection bags, a hydraulic pump/motor under the seat, all hydraulic lines, arm rests
    installed on the side ammo boxes, a gun camera, the Plexiglas cover and of course, the gunner
    with his oxygen and communication gear.

    Restoration was carried out by U. S. Navy personnel from VQ-3 Detachment Travis and entailed
    over 250 man-hours. This turret is historically significant because it was installed on the PB4Y-
    2; the only 4-engine heavy bomber designed specifically for the U. S. Navy. VQ-3 now flies the
    E-6 Mercury, the only 4-engine heavy jet aircraft designed specifically for the U. S. Navy. A
    total of 736 PB4Y-2 Privateers were produced with 61 being lost to all causes during WW II. A
    Privateer crew is also credited with being the first casualty of the Cold War having been shot
    down on a reconnaissance mission over Russia in 1948.
    Turret was restored and placed on display in March 2001 by Navy volunteer Restoration Crew:
    AMH1(AW) VOIGHT, AT1 SAPP, AD2 KIRKPATRICK, AT2 HUGHES
    AE2 HUNTER, AT3 BARRON, AMS3 VALLEJO, IS3 LOEWENSTEIN
    AME3 DWORSCHAK, AT3 POPOWSKI, AMEAN CAMPBELL, AMSAN WHITE

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