PB2Y Coronado
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| PB2Y Coronado | |
|---|---|
 An early PB2Y-2 in flight. |
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| Type | Maritime patrol bomber |
| Manufacturer | Consolidated Aircraft |
| Maiden flight | 17 December 1937 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | United States Navy Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 217 |
The PB2Y Coronado was a large flying boat patrol bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft. One Coronado remains, as of 2005, at the Pensacola, Florida National Museum of Naval Aviation.
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[edit] Development
After deliveries of the PBY Catalina, also a Consolidated aircraft, began in 1935, the United States Navy began planning for the next generation of patrol bombers. Orders for two prototypes, the XPB2Y-1 and the Sikorsky XPBS-1, were placed in 1936; the prototype Coronado first flew in December of 1937.[1]
After trials with the XPB2Y-1 prototype revealed some stability issues, the design was finalized as the PB2Y-2, with a large cantilever wing, twin tail, and four Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines. The two inner engines were fitted with four-bladed reversible pitch propellers; the outer engines had standard three-bladed feathering props.[2] Like the PBY Catalina before it, the PB2Y’s wingtip floats retracted to reduce drag and increase range.
Development continued throughout the war. The PB2Y-3, featuring self-sealing fuel tanks and additional armor, entered service just after the attack on Pearl Harbor and formed most of the early-war Coronado fleet. The prototype XPB2Y-4 was powered by four Wright R-2600 radials and offered improved performance, but the increases were not enough to justify a full fleet update. However, most PB2Y-3 models were converted to the PB2Y-5 standard, with the R-1830 engines replaced with single-stage R-1830-92 models. As most existing PB2Y-3s were used as transports, flying low to avoid combat, removing the excess weight of unneeded superchargers allowed an increased payload without harming low-altitude performance.
[edit] Operational use
Coronados served in combat in the Pacific, in both bombing and anti-submarine roles, but transport and hospital aircraft were the most common. The British Royal Air Force Coastal Command had hoped to use the Coronado as a maritime patrol bomber, as it already used the PBY Catalina. However, the range of the Coronado (1,070 miles) compared poorly with the Catalina (2,520 mi), and the Short Sunderland (1,780 mi). Consequently, the Coronados supplied to the RAF under Lend-Lease were outfitted purely as transports, serving with RAF Transport Command. The aircraft were used for trans-Atlantic flights, staging through the RAF base at Darrell's Island, and Puerto Rico, though the aircraft were used to deliver vital cargo and equipment in a transportation network that stretched down both sides of the Atlantic, from Newfoundland, to Brazil, and to Nigeria, and other parts of Africa.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications (PB2Y-5)
Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 10
- Length: 79 ft 3 in (24.2 m)
- Wingspan: 115 ft 0 in (35 m)
- Height: 27 ft 6 in (8.4 m)
- Wing area: 1,780 ft² (165 m²)
- Empty weight: 40,850 lb (18,530 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 66,000 lb (30,000 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 radial engines, 1,200 hp (900 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 194 mph (168 knots, 310 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 170 mph (148 knots, 272 km/h)
- Range: 1,070 mi (930 NM, 1,720 km) at 131 mph (210 km/h)
- Service ceiling 20,500 ft (6,250 m)
Armament
- Guns:
- 6× .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in three powered turrets
- 2× .50 in M2 Browning machine guns in waist mounts
- Bombs:
- 2× Mark 13 torpedoes or
- Up to 12,000 lb (5,400 kg) of bombs, housed in the wings
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
[edit] References
- ^ Andrews, Hal (November-December 1989). "PB2Y Coronado". Naval Aviation News 72 (No. 1): 22–23. ISSN 0028-1417.
- ^ a b Bridgeman, Leonard. “The Consolidated Vultee Model 29 Coronado.” Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. p. 218-219. ISBN 1 85170 493 0.
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