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U.S. Navy. Via Wikimedia Commons
Consolidated PB2Y-3 Coronado
| Crew | 7 to 10 |
| Dimensions | 115' by 79'3" by 27'6" 35.05m by 24.16m by 8.38m |
| Wing area | 1780 square feet 165.4 square meters |
| Weight | 40,935-68,000 lbs 18,568-31,000 kg |
| Maximum speed | 213 mph (343 km/h) at 19,500 feet (5900 meters) 199 mph (320 km/h) at sea level |
| Cruise speed | 140 mph 225 km/h |
| Landing speed | 76 mph 122 km/h |
| Climb rate | 9 feet per second 2.7 meters per second |
| Service ceiling | 20,100 feet 6130 meters |
| Power plant | 4 1200 hp (895 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-88 Twin Wasp two-row 14-cylinder radial engines driving three-bladed propellers |
| Armament | 1 twin 0.50
nose turret 1 twin 0.50 dorsal turret 1 twin 0.50 tail turret 2 0.50 flexible waist machine guns |
| Bomb load |
up to 8000 lbs (3600 kg) internal plus 4000 lbs (1800 kg) external, including torpedoes |
| Range | 2310 miles (3720 km) with 4 325lb (147 kg) depth charges 1380 miles (2220 km) with 8000 lbs (3600 kg) bombs 3107 miles (5000 km) ferry |
| Fuel |
1580 gallons (5980 liters) normal |
| Production | 210 PB2Y-3 at
Consolidated Aircraft, San
Diego from 12/40 to 10/43. |
| Sensors |
Most units had ASV radar. |
| Variants |
Few
aircraft have
been as extensively modified. The PB2Y-2 was faster at 255
mph but only a few
were produced. The –3R was demilitarized and used to
transport 44 passengers or
16,000 pounds (7000 kilograms) cargo.
The –5 had
60% more fuel. The –5H was an unarmed air ambulance capable of accommodating 25 stretchers. |
The prototype Coronado was the winner of a 1935 Navy design contest,
defeating a Consolidated
rival. Significant design changes, particularly to the hull form and
the tail surfaces, were made to the production model, which was not
ordered until March 1939 due to the priority put on the PBY Catalina. By then a supercharged Twin
Wasp engine with superior high altitude performance was available.
Though the Coronado was ordered as a
patrol flying boat,
its range was unremarkable, and most of the production was converted to
transport and flying
ambulance
service. Nimitz
had a personal Coronado that proved invaluable for allowing him to work
with
his staff while en route to various headquarters around the
Pacific. The
plane was rather sluggish, and pioneered the use of rocket takeoff
assistance.
Most of the –3s and –5s that were not demilitarized
carried ASV
radar above the
flight deck.
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References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2007, 2009, 2015 by Kent G. Budge. Index
