Ball Turret
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sperry Ball Turret | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Service history | |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | WW2 |
A ball turret was a special mounting on an aircraft during WW2, The most popular one was manufactured by the Sperry Corporation.
Contents |
[edit] Variants
[edit] Sperry Ball Turret
The Sperry ball turret was used on both the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator as well as the Navy's PB4Y Liberator. The B-17's Sperry was not retractable. The Liberator's ground clearance was minimal and so a hoist was required to lift the turret into the airframe. The Sperry ball turret could spin 360 degrees, making it impractical to store much ammunition outside the turret. Small ammo boxes rested on the top of the turret and the remaining ammo belts were stowed in the already cramped turret by means of an elaborate feed chute system.
[edit] Erco Ball Turret
The Erco Ball Turret is the bow installation in the Navy PB4Y-1 and PB4Y-2 airplanes. It serves a double purpose in taking care of any bow attacks on the Liberator besides being used for strafing in anti-submarine warfare. Inasmuch as this turret is of the ball type, the gunner moves with his guns and sight in elevation and azimuth as he moves his control handles. It is a relative of the Martin 250SH Bow Turret of the PBM-3 airplane and has many points of similarity in design and action.
[edit] External Links
[edit] Popular Culture
The Sperry ball turret can be seen in the 1990 movie Memphis Belle (film).
