Turret id

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Member for

17 years 7 months

Posts: 318

Hi all , picked up this today can anyone id turret type and what a/c.

cheers dave

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Member for

18 years 8 months

Posts: 103

Neptune Mid Upper?

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 1,910

Looks very much like a FN64 mid-under to me!

There were three Stores Refs. for various versions of the FN64, 50A/85 being for the Lancaster (and I assume also Manchester).

A very nice find, tell us all about it! :)

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Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

Wow. How on earth did that end up in Aus?

Or did you 'pick it up' from the UK?

Does anyone know of any (other) surviving examples?

Member for

17 years 7 months

Posts: 318

turret

Hi all was picked up locally in Victoria was sold off as scrap postwar as for why and how it got here ????

Would be interesting to find out if there are any more ' survivors ' anywhere else.

cheers dave

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

Very odd item to end up out here...

Do you have British aircraft Armament Vol1 with the details? If not PM me and I'll send you a copy of the relevant bits.

Member for

19 years 6 months

Posts: 562

Very nice find!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 10,168

Now that is one seriously rare bit of kit there, well done!

Member for

19 years 6 months

Posts: 562

You are a very lucky fellow to find this turret and even luckier that it still has a number of the very hard to find typical FN turret parts...the rotation motor, elevation rams, valve box, fire control valve, rear sear release lines and it appears to still have the gun mounts.

Any chance of posting a few more pictures?

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 1,910

perhaps it was stripped out during these conversions or similar ones??

I think Ron Wallace Clarke's book on gun turrets shows one mounted on a rig for ground training of air gunners. Perhaps some of these ended up out in Australia for similar purposes?

Member for

17 years 7 months

Posts: 318

turret pics

Hi will put some pics up over the weekend.

cheers dave

Member for

17 years 10 months

Posts: 2,605

Hi all , picked up this today can anyone id turret type and what a/c.

To quote the Young Ones...
"You lucky,lucky B@st@rd!!"

Member for

14 years 4 months

Posts: 386

To quote the Young Ones...
"You lucky,lucky B@st@rd!!"

Er wan't that a Python quote? Think of prisoner hanging upside down.........................

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

More usefully, can anyone tell me if there are any other surviving examples of an FN-64?

Good find jeepman, I'd under-estimated the number of Lancasters that reached Australia!

But the FN-64 was never very widely used, according to the Clarke book. The chances of a Lancaster fitted with one getting to Australia is very unlikely. Most likely Lancs would be the Lancs that made it to Australia early on - Q Queenie or G George. I'm pretty sure George didn't have one, Queenie was new, IIRC, and unlikely to be given a non standard and minimal use turret.

The odd nature of the turret (it was periscope sighted, and the gunner was supposed to be assisted by the other gunners in locating the e/a!) also mitigates against it being sent to Australia as a training aid, as it was not a methodology used for any other service turret.

My guess, no more likely than the others I admit, is that it could have been sent as a technical sample. Perhaps - and less likely again for use in developing something like the CAC Woomera's remotely controlled turrets.

Regards,

Member for

20 years 6 months

Posts: 8,195

http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemLarge.aspx?itemID=393825

perhaps it was stripped out during these conversions or similar ones??


Lancasterians weren't created in Australia, this isn't a picture of them being converted. 'FGCT' is actually 'Thor', PB873, an ex-UK based RAAF machine but here in RAF use passing through Australia. Fitted with a radar gun laying tail turret and H2S, so no FN-64.

See image at link below.

P01817.047
Object type Black & white
Physical description Black & white
Collection Photograph
Description Probably Sale, Vic. c. 1946-05. Avro Lancaster PB873 "Thor" of the RAF Air Armament School on the tarmac during an armament liaison visit to Australia. This aircraft had originally served with No. 460 Squadron RAAF on wartime operations in the European theatre. (Donor R. Johnson)

http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/P01817.047

Good find though!

Member for

17 years 7 months

Posts: 318

turret pics

Hi all as promised here are some detail pics of turret.

cheers dave

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Member for

17 years 10 months

Posts: 2,605

Hows your panel beating skills mate,looks like she had a rough life...

Member for

17 years 7 months

Posts: 318

FN 64 TURRET

Hi all still looking for any info regarding my FN 64 turret a AP would be great plus any info off any other surviving turrets if there are any . Tried emailing air gunners museum , did not get a response.

Any help would be great.

cheers dave

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 2,835

Hi Battle

Why don't you try the RAFM?

Member for

17 years 7 months

Posts: 318

Hi Elliot i have tried emailing them on other matters and not recieved a reply.

cheers dave