PBM Mariner

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

PBM Mariner

An Australian Mariner in 1944
Type	flying boat
Manufacturer	Martin
Maiden flight	February 18, 1939
Primary users	US Navy Royal Australian Air Force

The Martin PBM Mariner was a United States Navy patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War period. It was designed to complement the PBY Catalina in service. 1,285 were built, with the first example flying on February 18 1939 and the type entering service in September 1940.

The aircraft was fitted with five gun turrets and bomb bays that were in the engine nacelles. The gull wing was of cantilever design, and featured clean aerodynamics with an unbraced twin tail. The PBM-1 was equipped with retractable wing landing floats that were hinged inboard while the PBM-3 had fixed floats. Also the fuselage of the PBM-3 was three feet longer than the PBM-1.

The British Royal Air Force acquired 32 Mariners. They were not used operationally and some were returned to the United States Navy and twelve were transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force for transporting troops and cargo.

[edit] Operators

[edit] Specifications (PBM-1)

Data from Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II^[1]

General characteristics

Crew: seven
Length: 77 ft 2 in (23.50 m)
Wingspan: 118 ft 0 in (36 m)
Height: 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m)
Wing area: 1,408 ft² (131 m²)
Empty weight: 33,175 lb (15,048 kg)
Loaded weight: 56,000 lb (25,425 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Wright R-2600-12 14-cylinder radial engines, 1,700 hp (1,300 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 178 knots (205 mph, 330 km/h)
Range: 2,600 nm (3,000 mi, 4,800 km)
Service ceiling: 19,800 ft (6,040 m)
Rate of climb: 800 ft/min (4.1 m/s)
Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
Power/mass: hp/lb (W/kg)

Armament

4× .50 in machine guns (one each in: nose and dorsal turrets, blisters amidships )
4,000 lb (1,800 kg) of bombs or depth charges, or
2× Mark 13 torpedoes