lancaster gun turret?

Looks like it is for sale now – this ad on Barnstormers:

WWII LANCASTER GUN TURRET • ACCEPTING OFFERS • Very rare FN-4 or FN-20 Fraser & Nash 4 gun turret either from Lancaster or Sunderand missing cupola • PHOTOS HERE • Contact Tristan Masterson, Owner – located Bolwarra, NS Australia • Telephone: 0481308223 . • Posted April 24, 2016

or trade

thanks walter i will look

Looks like it is for sale now – this ad on Barnstormers:

WWII LANCASTER GUN TURRET • ACCEPTING OFFERS • Very rare FN-4 or FN-20 Fraser & Nash 4 gun turret either from Lancaster or Sunderand missing cupola • PHOTOS HERE • Contact Tristan Masterson, Owner – located Bolwarra, NS Australia • Telephone: 0481308223 . • Posted April 24, 2016

I’ve studied the FN4 in detail and that is definitely a Nash & Thompson FN4 you have there Tomahawk – great find and please do bring it under cover as suggested by others.

The FN4A was used on Whitley V, Stirling and Manchester aircraft whereas the FN4B was used on the Saro Lerwick and the Short Sunderland, superceding the FN13 on the latter.

Of note is that the FN4 had a specific cupola design for every aircraft type so if you have a “complete” survivor it’s easy to determine which bomber type it was used on. Unfortunately yours is missing quite a few bits 🙁 .

The difference between the FN4A and FN4B is that the latter did not have any provision for oxygen supply. The oxygen supply socket in the FN4A was mounted on a small triangular panel to the air gunner’s left, as seen in below photo from the FN4A in the Brussels Royal Army Museum before its restoration (this is a Whitley turret) :
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Obviously the structure this panel was mounted on is missing from your turret. It might be worth having a look under the turret drum to see if the rotating service joint is still present as on the FN4B this will only have hydraulic fluid inlet and outlet openings whereas on the FN4A one would also find an oxygen supply connection tube.

I hope the above is of help and thank you for sharing the photos!

Cheers,

Walter

Pm’d

This turret is an FN4 not an FN20. There is an awful lot of black paint on it to be Sunderland. I really think this turret was destined for bomber command. Also, if you look carefully at the mod plate in the first picture it is unmarked. This strongly suggests it was never actually issued and was probably used as a training aid. This may explain how this FN4 ended up in Oz.

Can I ask what the colour should be off a Sunderland?

And when you say the mod plate is unmarked, is it with no mods no.s or FN type no.?

i was just told that two lancs were actually scrapped here and a whitley as well, so it could be off those

This turret is an FN4 not an FN20. There is an awful lot of black paint on it to be Sunderland. I really think this turret was destined for bomber command. Also, if you look carefully at the mod plate in the first picture it is unmarked. This strongly suggests it was never actually issued and was probably used as a training aid. This may explain how this FN4 ended up in Oz.

Although not of a Sunderland FN4, a few more pics for comparison out interest between the two turrets.
The first 2 from Whitely and Stirling has lot of similarities to the found turret in question but neither served here, only Sunderlands and Wellingtons?

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If it was from a Lancaster, it would probably be an FN20 rather than an FN4. I’m afraid that I can’t tell the difference from your photos, although the FN20 was slightly wider. The Sunderland did have a four-gun tail turret but this was an FN13.

Mk1 Sunderlands had the FN13 tail turret I believe, but MK2,3’s had the FN4 as shown in first pic on one of the six MK3 Aussie Sunderlands ML732 to serve here.
Although from my research on the front turrets there was a mixture of FN11 single Vickers GO (which we have an surviving example of ) and FN5b twin Browning turrets fitted, so this may have applied to the tail turrets as well?
From what I can see from my comparison pics, the turret framing members in question looks like a FN4 rather than Lanc FN20/120 ?

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but no Whitley’s exist?

But one will – thanks to “Whitley Project’s” dogged determination and single-mindedness – it is a case of “when” and not “if”

If it was from a Lancaster, it would probably be an FN20 rather than an FN4. I’m afraid that I can’t tell the difference from your photos, although the FN20 was slightly wider. The Sunderland did have a four-gun tail turret but this was an FN13.

but no Whitley’s exist? a person contacted me and thinks it might be from a Sunderland, but i have only seen them with 2 guns. i really think it is a lanc, from Queenie VI / “Queenie” ED930 the only lanc scrapped in aus.

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That turret certainly would look nice on a Whitley.
Cees

PM sent

Pm sent

Get the turret inside and restored.. they are so rare now.

For Lancaster bomb door jacks, you’re looking for Dowty Types A7125A and/or A7125B. The extended length of one is between 45 – 46″. Yours do look a bit short.

Is there any markings on them?

on the main part is:
“acc 13(9?)/59R 4749 101069001-1ss41” then a stamped circle with a capital T in it
on the other end is engraved by hand “s/assy 0004 . y5 drg6,755 set 30”

For Lancaster bomb door jacks, you’re looking for Dowty Types A7125A and/or A7125B. The extended length of one is between 45 – 46″. Yours do look a bit short.

Is there any markings on them?

Nice turret! That’s quite the find!! 🙂

will trade it for P-39 or P-40 parts if you want it 😀