Consolidated PB2Y Coronado

The PB2Y Coronado is a large flying boat patrol bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft, and used by the US Navy during World War II in bombing, antisubmarine, medical/hospital plane, and transport roles. Obsolete by the end of the war, Coronados were quickly taken out of service. Only one known example remains, at the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Before WW2 large flying boats were important for long distance international routes, as the ability to land on water without a land-based airstrip was useful. It proved to be good supporting aircraft in the Pacific War, which often required transport across long distance of oceans in harm's way, to places with no prepared airstrips.

There were two main configurations, one with several turrets including a prominent ball turret in the nose with two 50-cal machine guns, and one unarmed, with a clean nose.

The aircraft had a unique place in history, bringing Admiral Nimitz to Tokyo Bay for the signing of the Japanese surrender for WW2. Also, after the war, one was used by Hughes Aviation.

Design and development

thumb|left|The XPB2Y-1 prototype with a single tail in 1938

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 1937.

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 with very marked dihedral, 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. Like the PBY Catalina before it, the PB2Y's wingtip floats retracted to reduce drag and increase range, with the floats' buoyant hulls acting as the wingtips when retracted. The price of the PB2Y-2 was US$300,000, or approximately three times that of the PBY Catalina.

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.

A prototype of the Consolidated XPB3Y variant was ordered, which would be a long range version of the Coronado, but this was cancelled.

Operational history

thumb|right|British Coronados and Catalinas at [[Darrell's Island, Bermuda|RAF Darrell's Island, Bermuda.]]

thumb|left|PB2Y taking off in 1942; the Coronado was the largest aircraft in service with the USN at the time

Coronados served in combat in the Pacific with the United States Navy, in both bombing and antisubmarine roles. PB2Y-5 Coronados carried out four bombing raids on Wake Island between

30 January and 9 February 1944.

thumb|A PB2Y Coronado shoots down G4M "Betty" in 1944.

In combat missions PB2Y claimed five enemy aircraft shot down over the course of WW2. Likewise, an example of one lost to combat is at Kerema Rhetto, Okinawa, 5 May 1945. An example of a search and rescue mission is that a PB2Y landed hard on water of Kagoshima Bay to rescue a downed pilot. Unable to takeoff again, a PBM Mariner picked up the crew and pilot, then scuttled the aircraft with a strafe.

Coronados served as a major component in the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) during World War II in the Pacific theater. Most had originally been acquired as combat patrol aircraft, but the limitations noted above quickly relegated them to transport service in the American naval air fleet also. By the end of World War II, the Coronado was outmoded as both a bomber and a transport, and virtually all of them were quickly scrapped by the summer of 1946, being melted down to aluminum ingots and sold as metal scrap, or used as targets for fighter gunnery practice.

Variants

thumb|PB2Y-2 in 1941

thumb|PB2Y-3R unloading at a dock, 1943

thumb|PB2Y in 1944 in the Pacific

The bulk of the production was the PB2Y-3, with 210 produced it featured turrets. Significant numbers of unarmed transport version were also produced or converted from existing versions.

;Coronado I

:RAF Designation for PB2Y-3

;XPB2Y-1

:Prototype with four Pratt & Whitney XR-1830-72 Twin Wasps, engines, one built.

;PB2Y-2

:Evaluation variant with four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-78 Twin Wasp engines, modified hull and six guns, six built.

;XPB2Y-3

:One PB2Y-2 converted as prototype for PB2Y-3.

;PB2Y-3

:Production variant with four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-88 Twin Wasp engines and eight guns, 210 built.

;PB2Y-3B

:Lend-lease designation for Royal Air Force aircraft.

;PB2Y-3R

:PB2Y-3s converted by Rohr Aircraft Corp as freighters with faired-over turrets, side loading hatch, and seating for 44 passengers, 31 built.

;XPB2Y-4

:One PB2Y-2 re-engined with four Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 engines.

;XPB2Y-5

:The XP2BY-3 converted as PB2Y-5 prototype.

;PB2Y-5

:PB2Y-3s converted with four Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp engines, increased fuel capacity and provision for RATOG (rocket-assisted take-off gear).

;PB2Y-5R

:PB2Y-5s converted as unarmed transports, some fitted for medical evacuation role. The medical evacuation version could hold up to 25 stretchers.

Operators

thumb|Coronado GR.I at RAE Helensburgh in 1944

thumb|PB2Y-3 of VPB-1 at [[Galápagos Islands|Galapagos naval air station in 1945]]

thumb|Nimitz arrives in Tokyo to conclude WW2The main operator was the United States Navy, and some served with the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force. 5 served with United States Coast Guard. After the war there was some civilian use also.

;

Royal Air Force
No. 231 Squadron RAF

;

United States Navy
FAW-2
FAW-3
FAW-5
FAW-14
VPB-1
VPB-4
VPB-13
VPB-15
VPB-100
VP-102
VR-2
VR-6
VR-8
VE-1
VH-1
United States Coast Guard

Wrecks

thumb|This PB2Y-5R crashed 6 December 1944 at Kanton Island in Phoenix Islands (modern day Kiribati)

There were many accidents with the PB2Y incidents of different types.

After the capture of Ebeye from the Japanese, it was used as seaplane stopover for flying boats transiting the Pacific. At least three Coronados crashed near Naval Air Base Ebeye Island, at Kwajalein Atoll.

14 September 1944, a PB2Y-3 broke apart during practice landings, killing one person.

Specifications (PB2Y-5)

thumb|3-view line drawing of the Consolidated PB2Y-5R Coronado