On a crisp morning in April 1950,
the engines of the PB4Y-2 Privateer, nicknamed the Turbulent Turtle, roared
to life on a runway of Wiesbaden, West Germany. This aircraft, a veteran of World
War 2's Pacific theater, prepared for a journey deep into the Baltic Sea's tension-filled skies.
The Privateer, with its advanced modifications, was a shadow in the sky, a ghostly presence tasked
with a mission as dangerous as it was crucial. It would pierce the Iron Curtain and gather
critical electronic and signals intelligence. The Turbulent Turtle, born from the legacy
of the B-24 Liberator and adapted for the Navy's demanding requirements, was no
ordinary aircraft. Its fuselage had been stretched to accommodate state-of-the-art
electronic countermeasures and radar antennas, transforming it into a flying fortress
bristling with a dozen .50 caliber machine guns. But as the Turbulent Turtle neared
the coast of Liepāja, Latvia, the quiet hum of its engines was soon drowned
out by the ominous roar of Soviet La-11 fighters. As Soviet fighters closed in, the crew of the
Turbulent Turtle faced a dire situation; their mission of intelligence gathering suddenly became
secondary to the immediate challenge of survival… The B-24 Liberator was a four-engine heavy
bomber aircraft used extensively by the United States Army Air Forces throughout World
War 2. It was produced in more numbers than any other American military aircraft
of its era, with over 18,000 units built. The B-24 featured a distinctive twin-tail
design and a high-mounted Davis wing, providing long-range and high speed. Its large
bomb bay could carry around 8,000 pounds, making it well-suited for strategic bombing operations.
Powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines, the B-24 had a maximum speed of over
300 miles per hour and a range of more than 2,000 miles. It carried a crew of 10, including
pilots, bombardiers, gunners, and navigators. The B-24 bomber played an essential role in
bombing campaigns against Axis targets in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific theater. Its
popularity resided in its wide range of mission compatibility, which included long-range
strategic bombing, anti-submarine patrols, and airborne supply operations.
Nevertheless, despite its versatility and effectiveness, the B-24 was known for its
challenging handling characteristics, earning it the nickname "The Flying Coffin" among some crews.
Still, the bomber’s popularity convinced the United States Navy to employ it with a modified
airframe for its naval operations. The first bombers delivered to the Navy were dubbed PB4Y-1
Liberators and featured minor naval modifications. Other conversions included using a tail belonging
to a Douglas B-23 Dragon, a vertical fin from a C-54 transport, and even the experimentation of a
ball turret instead of the standard nose turret. Even after all these iterations, the Navy was
unsatisfied and asked Consolidated Aircraft for a fully-fledged nasalized design.
The result was the PB4Y-2 Privateer, first delivered in 1943 to the Navy for dedicated
long-range patrols and bombing operations. The Privateer was relatively similar
to the Liberator, but it was tailored specifically for naval operations. First and
foremost, the fuselage was lengthened to house a vigilant flight engineer station where the
operator managed the central aircraft systems. Another change included the position
of the navigator’s Astrodome, which was moved from the upper nose to a
location behind the first dorsal gun turret. The radar antennas and electronic
countermeasure communication equipment were also spread out through the
fuselage, protruding from several sides, as was the case with the innovative AN/APS-2
radome that was retractable behind the nose wheel. Secondly, the Privateer stood out from its
big brother with a unique vertical stabilizer, a departure from its predecessor's
standard twin-tail configuration. Forged from the remnants
of another USAAF prototype, the B-24N, the Privateer's single tail bolstered
stability and enhanced maneuverability at medium altitudes generally used for naval operations.
Armed to the teeth with twelve .50-caliber M2 Browning machine guns, the Privateer was
armed with a defensive arsenal that boasted power and precision, omitting the Liberator's
ventral turret for weight-saving measures. The M2 machine guns were strategically
placed along the Privateer to protect it from all zones and shoot down any
enemy threat that sought to flank it. Freed from the encumbrance of turbochargers as
the aircraft was not required to fly at high altitudes, the Privateer ascended
the skies with lethal agility. Crafted for the arduous demands of
maritime missions, this adaptation aimed to combat pilot fatigue, a
persistent foe on prolonged patrols, which included an additional seat
for a flight engineer crewmember. The first units of the Privateer entered service
in late 1943 but did not begin to make an impact until the last months of 1944. Patrol Bomber
Squadrons 118 and 119 were the first Fleet squadrons to be equipped with the new aircraft.
The majority of the 739 Privateers were delivered to the US Navy after the conclusion of the
global conflict in Europe. Nevertheless, several squadrons managed to see service in
the Pacific theater, commencing on January 6, 1945, and delivered outstanding
performances according to their crews. These units excelled in various
roles, including surveillance, search and rescue, electronic countermeasures,
and communication relays in the Marianas. The Privateers also ravaged the Pacific with
offensive operations beginning in March 1945. The Chinese coasts and the northern portion of
Okinawa were subjected to offensive missions conducted by Patrol Bomber Squadron 119
out of Clark Field in the Philippines. Privateers also conducted military operations
in the Gulf of Tonkin and the skies above French Indochina before the Japanese surrender. During
the invasion of the volcanic island of Iwo Jima, Navy Privateers conducted 16-hour-long
operations, which ranged from searching for enemy radar, radio/navigational stations,
troop ships, land objectives, and sea targets. They also reported on weather
conditions, enemy positions, and operations, located downed airmen over the
sea, and coordinated SAR or rescue operations. As if that was not enough, the Navy Privateers
also provided cover for Army Air Forces’ B-29 bomber operations above the skies of
mainland Japan. Besides its military role, the Navy also employed the PB4Y-2
Privateers for typhoon and hurricane hunters during the last months of
the war against the Japanese Empire. Monitoring typhoons was, on occasion, more
dangerous than flying over active combat zones. Such was the tragedy of BuNos 59415 and 59716,
which were lost during hurricane hunting missions. The initial aircraft suffered a mechanical
failure and went down during an examination of a Category 1 typhoon in the vicinity of
Batan Island, near the Philippines. The second aircraft was lost during a Super Typhoon Doris
reconnaissance mission on December 16, 1953, near the small island of Agrihan north
of Guam. However, no trace of the crew or wreckage of the plane was ever found.
Despite their aging technology, the Navy employed the Privateers successfully during
the outbreak of the Korean War. Following the invasion of South Korea by the Communist forces
of the North in June 1950, the Navy deployed its PB4Y-2 Privateers for patrol missions to detect
Chinese or North Korean seaborne infiltrators. PB4Y-2s flew through the darkness on daring
Firefly missions, their engines roaring as they dropped parachute flares to illuminate
the treacherous terrain below for the United Nations troops engaging the enemy in nighttime
operations or provide them with better visibility when sieged by Communist soldiers.
With each flare cast into the night, the pilots faced enemy fire. They navigated
through the chaos to detect and thwart North Korean and Chinese seaborne infiltrators.
But the Privateers' valor extended far beyond the Korean Peninsula. Along the frigid waters of the
Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, these Navy aircraft served as the vanguards
of intelligence, their wings slicing through enemy airspace air as they conducted vital
signals intelligence or SIGINT flights. These missions were considered high-risk and
had high rewards as they required the aircraft to approach or penetrate enemy territory to
eavesdrop on enemy radar signals or radio traffic. The air-to-ground and air-to-air communication
between interceptor controllers and pilots was precious for intelligence analysts. The
easiest way to obtain this information was to provoke the enemy's air defenses
to launch an aircraft interception. On April 8, 1950, Soviet La-11 fighters
unleashed a hail of fire against a PB4Y-2 Privateer known as the Turbulent Turtle.
Assigned to Patrol Squadron 26 or VP-26, the brave crew met their fate off the coast of
Liepāja, Latvia, after enemy anti-aircraft fire tore through the fuselage of the aircraft.
The shooting down of the American aircraft by the USSR led to new tensions between both
nations, with the Soviet Union stating: (QUOTE) “The plane penetrated the territory of the Soviet
Union to a distance of 21 kilometers… a flight of Soviet fighters took off from a nearby airdrome
and demanded that the American plane follow it and land at the airdrome. The American plane
not only failed to comply with this demand but opened fire on the Soviet planes.”
“Owing to this, an advance Soviet fighter was forced to open fire in
reply, after which the American plane turned toward the sea and disappeared.”
The Privateer’s crew was never seen again. During the early years of the Cold War,
the Privateers were also considered for delivery of nuclear weapons. Some PB4Y-2s were
specially modified to deliver second-generation atomic bombs, but none were used to
conduct tests during their service. Over 40 privateers were also given to the
Nationalist Chinese Air Force led by Chiang Kai-shek to help them fight against the
Communist forces led by Mao during the Chinese Civil War. They were employed in similar
roles but were ultimately destroyed or captured by the Red Chinese People’s Army Air Force
when Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan. Other post-war combat services included the
French Air Force. Like China and Korea, French Indochina was engulfed in a civil war between
the colonial regime and the Communist insurgents led by a nationalistic leader, Ho Chi Minh.
The war between the French and the Viet Minh escalated in the early 1950s, leading the
military to request military assets from other allies. As a result, over 20 Privateers
were provided to the Aéronautique Navale for service with the French colonial army in Vietnam.
The reliable Privateers were used as strategic bombers to destroy Viet Minh troops scattered
across the countryside and the jungles of Southeast Asia. The aircraft remained operational
until the French Colonial troops were decisively defeated during the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
Only four out of 22 aircraft were lost in combat. Six were returned to US service, and
the remaining twelve were flown to North Africa, where they fought in the Algerian uprising and
later during the Suez Incident of the late 1950s. In 1961, the operational Privateers were
scrapped in favor of the new American Lockheed P2V Neptunes. As for those that remained
under American Navy control, they were retired in 1954 and transferred to the US Coast Guard.
Some were adapted as radio control target drones off Point Magu, California, in the early
1960s. The last Privateer, flying under the call sign Opposite 31 and carrying the ironic nickname
Lucky Pierre, was shot down by a Bullpup missile with an experimental proximity fuse that
turned the Bullpup into an air-to-air weapon. When the US Coast Guard no longer found a
use for its search and rescue Privateers, the aging aircraft became anti-forest fire
water bombers. These Coast Guard Privateers removed the side and nose turrets and rebuilt
the nose with a vast, glazed observation dome. Some Privateers also found their way to the
civilian market after being sold as surplus. Civilians who purchased them gave the aircraft
new life after modifying them with new Wright R-2600 engines and installing of borate/water
slurry tanks to use them as air tankers. These civilian-modified aircraft were known as
Super Privateers and remained in service until 2002, bringing the life of the aircraft to an
end almost six decades after its introduction.
