A few new PB4Y-2 pics

[Kdmoo]

I have a lot of Shackleton reference material lying about. Might as well put it to use.

In the first pic, the tail is a MR.1, "VP289" which was stationed at Ballykelly AB Northern Ireland from 1952-55. Maybe that was the timeframe of the photo?

[Pat Carry]

Nice photos. How many PB4Y's were made?

[ACarey]

Another view of an XPB4Y-2

[YAF340]

Nice photos. How many PB4Y's were made?

The reported build of PB4Y2's is 736. Stop by if you make it to THUNDER and get a free tour. JOE

[camshaw]

great pictures.....I have a great idea,lets go locate the fully armed pb4y in the bottom of lake washington with its original paint and all its goodies,and then let it rot until nothings left....sound like a great idea? then we'll call it national preservation....

[billtate]

This is a poor-quality photo of a VPB-118 PB4Y-2 on Tinian 1945. This squadron was the first Navy unit to deploy the Privateer to the Pacific Theater. One of the units pilots told me that they took all fifteen aircraft to Tinian and they all had Consolidated turrets in the bow and tail position. The ERCO mode team was slow in catching up with the San Diego production line as the first PB4Y-2s were delivered.

[Obergrafeter]

Did the PB4Y outperform the B-24 or were they just twins in every respect? Just looks like the 4Y woul be hands and feet above the 24, and if so why didn't Consolidated (Ford etc.) switch over to only 4Ys?

[ACarey]

great pictures.....I have a great idea,lets go locate the fully armed pb4y in the bottom of lake washington with its original paint and all its goodies,and then let it rot until nothings left....sound like a great idea? then we'll call it national preservation....

I have underwater video of that aircraft taken by some divers.

[gregv]

This is a poor-quality photo of a VPB-118 PB4Y-2 on Tinian 1945. This squadron was the first Navy unit to deploy the Privateer to the Pacific Theater. One of the units pilots told me that they took all fifteen aircraft to Tinian and they all had Consolidated turrets in the bow and tail position. The ERCO mode team was slow in catching up with the San Diego production line as the first PB4Y-2s were delivered.

If I'm not mistaken this example has the Emerson nose turret and a Consolidated unit in the tail, so I guess before the Erco's came on line the Privateers basically got whatever the B-24's got, which makes sense.

Thanks for posting the pic!

greg v.

[ACarey]

This is a poor-quality photo of a VPB-118 PB4Y-2 on Tinian 1945. This squadron was the first Navy unit to deploy the Privateer to the Pacific Theater. One of the units pilots told me that they took all fifteen aircraft to Tinian and they all had Consolidated turrets in the bow and tail position. The ERCO mode team was slow in catching up with the San Diego production line as the first PB4Y-2s were delivered.

If I'm not mistaken this example has the Emerson nose turret and a Consolidated unit in the tail, so I guess before the Erco's came on line the Privateers basically got whatever the B-24's got, which makes sense.

Thanks for posting the pic!

greg v.

The nose art was named "Miss Natch," I do believe.

[Django]

Great pics so far!

I understand that the original protoype PB4Y-2 (known at the time as the "Sea Liberator") was fitted with the standard B-24 twin tail. Do any photos exist of this early model ? Apparently due to aerodynamic problems it was re-fitted with the characteristic vertical.

Wouldn't that just be a PB4Y-1?

Someone may have to correct me, but I think the B-24 was slated for a single tail had production continued.

Anyone have any more shots from the PTO?

Isn't it amazing that with 18,000 B-24s produced, there were only a realative handful of the PB4Y-2s?

[billtate]

I am no expert on the Privateer but my Navy friends said that the PB4Y-2’s engine were not supercharged because they operated at 10K and below. No need for O2 either and the Navy had no high altitude requirements for patrol aircraft unlike today’s P-3C Orion. Most of the patrols took place at 1,000 feet and below because you were constantly dropping down to check out surface contacts. No need for a high altitude transit to the patrol area or cross-country flights.
However, many navy pilots I think would agree that the PB4Y-1 Liberator (B-24D-55 through B-24J) was a little better handling aircraft and might have had the speed advantage over the -2. The PB4Y-1’s Empty weight was 36,950 pounds and its Gross was 60,000 pounds. While, the-2’s Empty weight was 37,765 pounds and its Gross weight was 65,000 pounds. The PB4Y-1 maximum speed was 279 mph, while the PB4Y-2’s maximum speed was 247 mph. So you can see the PB4Y-1 Liberator had a slight performance advantage. Needles to say all of the U.S. Navy “patrol plane aces” of WW2 flew the PB4Y-1 Liberator series aircraft.

I would agree with both greg v and Acarey. The first Privateers came off the production line with what ever the B-24s had. And the aircraft in the picture is BuNo 59405 “Miss Natch“. VPB-118’s C.O. had objected to the name “Mark’s Farts” so the PPC changed the name. That pleased Crew Five as well.
Cheers, Bill

[Second Air Force]

There was a PB4Y-1 of VPB-104 named Mark's Farts, also.

The photo of the VPB-118 PB4Y-2 that billtate posted has the late-style Consolidated A-6B nose turret I think. The Emerson has a small semicircular cutout in the fuselage-to-turret fairing to accomodate the gun pivot fairing bulge when rotated to the sides.

The single tailed B-24N was going to be the ship of choice for the AAF in the MTO if the war had continued into 1946. I met a gunnery school instructor who remembered that Las Vegas had two N models and they were starting to train gunners with those airplanes when the war ended. He remembered the nose and tail turrets being a big improvement over the H and J.

Neat photo of the Shack, Kdmoo!

Scott

[billtate]

Took a trip to the NMofNA in June, 2010 and shot a few pics of the Privateer restoration. Note they have an ERCO turret in the nose, a Martin turret, and two ERCO side turrets, and what appears to be a Liberator turret for the tail on the floor to install. Cheers

[Lightning]

Howdy Billtate

Wow, that is great to see this forgotten Bomber being brought back to life (Static in this case)
The Naval Aviation Museum are doing a great job !

Thankyou for updating us with the pics of this airplane

Lightning