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Fairey Barracuda bomb racks question


JackG

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Going by some photos, it seems the trio of racks on either wing were not present when not utilized?   The rack location was just blanked off or capped with a cover of sorts?

 

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regards,

Jack

 

 

 

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The store was attached to the rack off aircraft then the rack and store were winched up by cable through the wing and retained by latches inside the wing structure, each rack resting on four fixed pads beneath the wing. The internal latch mechanism was accessible via small rectangular panels on top of and below the wing surface, the winch resting on the top surface of the wing when in use.

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Yes, the method of arming with the winch above the wing is clearly demonstrated in a film clip, which is where the first photo posted was taken from.  See at about the 7:35 mark for about 40 seconds or so:

 

 

Another great image here, clearly showing the openings underneath:

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The Special Hobby kit in 72nd has no detail underneath, just smooth plastic.  I imagine the apertures underneath lines up with the trio of access hatches on the top wing.  The holes though are narrower, and can see a  pair of  sunken locating points fore and aft for each rack.  Still wondering how those holes are closed up and to replicate it on a model...

 

regards,

Jack

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In actual fact you are all wrong.

UK aircraft don't have "Bomb racks" at all. only American aircraft have "Bomb Racks, which I understand remain attached to the aircraft."

The UK did, and still do use  "Bomb Carriers." although the two discriptions have merged over the years. But  And as was common on most British aircraft of that time the Universal carriers shown here were attached to the bomb first and then the carriers were attached to the aircraft mounting points.

 

Selwyn

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Having just posted about a Hurricane, it should be added that on Hurricanes and Typhoons, the carriers were built into the wing and the bombs had to be lifted up to them, thus being exceptions to the common rule.  There are other exceptions but fairly rare - Mosquitos carrying bombs outboard perhaps - unless I've missed something?  Perhaps the special carriers for the 4000lb bomb, torpedoes, and other very heavy weapons, where the Universal carrier just wasn't up to the job?

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Thanks for the terminology clarification.   Other than that, everyone (including myself) was on board from the get go with the sequence of bombing up, as witnessed from the first photo and the initial response posted.

 

At the ww2aircraft forums, there was a trio of pdf's  posted from bomb manuals.  Screen grabs from one:

 

Screenshot-2021-08-31-at-10-26-30-RAAF-b

 

Screenshot-2021-08-31-at-10-23-07-RAAF-b

 

So there had to be some kind of other carrier or rack for ordnance heavier than 500lbs ....

 

 

regards,

Jack

 

 

 

 

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38 minutes ago, Dervish said:

Although the Barracuda could only carry one 500lb bomb or two 250lb bombs under each wing. It could a 1000lb or 2000 lb bomb under the fuselage but no other load.

Matthew Willis’ “The Fairey Barracuda” lists the bomb loads as:-

 

Mk.I 6x250lb or 4x500lb 

Mk.II 6x250lb or 3x500lb (or 2x500lb and 2x250lb)

Mk.III 6x250lb or 2x500lb

Mk.V 6x250lb or 4x500lb

 

Each wing had 3 mounting points for 250lb or 500lb bombs. Trials took place in 1943 with 1500lb and high capacity (2000lb) bombs but I don’t believe these were ever carried operationally. But these trials led to the use of the 1600lb bomb of US origin against the Tirpitz in 1944.

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Was just reading another publication on the Barracuda by David Brown, and it mentions in home waters that three 500lb were carried, with two under the port wing and one on the starboard side.   This caused problems of asymmetrical take-off load, so at least one squadron (810) adopted a symmetrical payload of one each 250lb and 500lb under each wing,  for a grand total of 1500lbs.  Six 250lb are also mentioned, but a limit of four were preferred as the the drag reduced operation radius.

 

So in the film I had linked, what weight class are those bombs being winched into place?  

 

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regards,

Jack

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My father flew in Barras with 810, and his logbook seems to confirm the 750lb under each wing

 

[Edit in view of Tony’s post below: Dad only ever flew Barras in the European theatre.  810 embarked in HMS Queen in Summer 45 to sail out to the Far East, but the war was over before they got very far.  Dad always used to claim it was nothing to do with atomic bombs; they just heard 810 were on their way…]

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In the Far East,... due to the drop in performance of the Merlin and weight saving measures,.... the Barra often flew with assymetric bomb loads. ... two bombs under one wing and a single bomb under the other.

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From a technical point, when utilizing three 500 pounders under the wings (two port and one starboard),  which location would be the ideal for the single bomb:  inner, mid, our outer station?

 

regards,

Jack

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I wondered about that but feel the reverse is true: to help reduce the lateral trim it would be better to have the single bomb on the outer carrier, as far from the fuselage as possible.  the need is to balance the moment of two bombs on one side with one bomb on the other, so as large a moment arm as possible would be better.  For anyone finding this too technical, think a see-saw with two people on one side and one on the other.

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On 07/09/2021 at 09:50, Graham Boak said:

I wondered about that but feel the reverse is true: to help reduce the lateral trim it would be better to have the single bomb on the outer carrier, as far from the fuselage as possible.  the need is to balance the moment of two bombs on one side with one bomb on the other, so as large a moment arm as possible would be better.  For anyone finding this too technical, think a see-saw with two people on one side and one on the other.

 

Graham

Looks like you were right. This from Indomitable during Operation Banquet to Padang in Aug 1944. Aircraft is from 815 or 817 squadrons.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205157263

 

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