Bryan R. Swopes grew up in Southern California in the 1950s–60s, near the center of America's aerospace industry. He has had a life-long interest in aviation and space flight. Bryan is a retired commercial helicopter pilot and flight instructor.
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The last Peacemaker, Convair B-36J-10-CF 52-2827, comes to the end of the assembly line at Fort Worth, Texas, 1 July 1954. (University of North Texas Libraries)
1 July 1954: The final Convair B-36 Peacemaker, B-36J-10-CF 53-2827, a Featherweight III variant, completed assembly at Convair Division of General Dynamics plant at Fort Worth, Texas. The last B-36 built, this was also the very last of the ten-engine very long range heavy bombers in service. It was retired 12 February 1959, and is now in the collection of the Pima Air and Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona.
Convair B-36J 52-2827 is one of 14 Featherweight III high altitude variants. It was built without the six retractable defensive gun turrets of the standard B-36, retaining only the two 20 mm autocannons in the tail. This reduced the crew requirement to 13. The bomber is 162.1 feet (49.4 meters) long with a wingspan of 230.0 feet (70.1 meters) and overall height of 46.8 feet (14.3 meters). The wings had 2° dihedral, an angle of incidence of 3° and -2° twist. The wings’ leading edges were swept aft to 15° 5′. The airplane’s total wing area was 4,772 square feet (443.33 square meters). The B-36J III has an empty weight of 166,165 pounds (75,371 kilograms) and its maximum takeoff weight is 410,000 pounds (185,973 kilograms).
The B-36J has ten engines. There are six air-cooled, turbosupercharged 4,362.494 cubic-inch-displacement (71.488 liter) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major C6 (R-4360-53) four-row, 28-cylinder radial engines placed inside the wings in a pusher configuration. These had a compression ratio of 6.7:1 and required 115/145 aviation gasoline. The engines incorporated an internal single-stage supercharger, but were also each equipped with two General Electric BH-1 turbosuperchargers. The R-4360-53 had a Normal (continuous power) rating of 2,800 horsepower at 2,600 r.p.m., and Military Power rating of 3,500 horsepower at 2,800 r.p.m., with a 30 minute limit. Its maximum rating was 3,800 horsepower at 2,800 r.p.m. with water/alcohol injection for takeoff, with a 5 minute limit. The engines turned three-bladed Curtiss Electric constant-speed, reversible pitch propellers with a diameter of 19 feet, 0 inches (5.791 meters) through a 0.375:1 gear reduction. The R-4360-53 is 9 feet, 9.00 inches (2.972 meters) long, 4 feet, 7.00 inches (1.397 meters) in diameter, and weighs 4,040 pounds (1,832.5 kilograms).
Four General Electric J47-GE-19 turbojet engines are suspended under the wings outboard of the radial engines in two-engine pods. The J47 is a single-shaft axial-flow turbojet engine with a 12-stage compressor section, 8 combustion chambers, and single-stage turbine. The J47-GE-19 was modified to run on gasoline. It had a continuous power rating of 4,730 pounds of thrust (21.040 kilonewtons) at 7,630 r.p.m., and Military Power rating 5,200 pounds of thrust (23.131 kilonewtons) at 7,950 r.p.m., 30 minute limit (5 minutes for takeoff). The J47-GE 19 was 3 feet, 3 inches (0.991 meters) in diameter, 12 feet, 4 inches (3.658 meters) long, and weighed 2,495 pounds (1,132 kilograms).
Convair B-36J-10-CF 52-2827 at the Pima Air and Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona. (B-36 Peacemaker Museum)
The B-36J Featherweight III had a cruise speed of 202 knots (232 miles per hour/374 kilometers per hour) and a maximum speed of 375 knots (432 miles per hour (695 kilometers per hour) at 38,000 feet (11,582 meters). The service ceiling was 43,700 feet (13,320 meters). It had a combat radius of 3,465 nautical miles (3,987 statute miles/6,417 kilometers) with a 10,000 pound (4,536 kilogram) bomb load. The maximum ferry range was 8,200 nautical miles (9,436 statute miles/15,186 kilometers).
The B-36J III had a maximum bomb load of 72,000 pounds (32,659 kilograms), carried in four bomb bays. The bomb bay capacity was limited by the physical size of each type weapon, rather than its weight. This ranged from as many as 132 500-pound bombs, 28 2,000-pound bombs, or 4 12,000-pound bombs. It could carry a single 43,600 pound (19,777 kilogram) T-12 Cloudmaker, a conventional explosive earth-penetrating bomb, or several nuclear fission or thermonuclear fusion bombs. By combining the bomb bays, one 41,400 pound (18,779 kilogram) Mk.17 15-megaton thermonuclear bomb could be carried.
Los Alamos Scientific Laboaratory-designed Mk.17 two-stage radiation implosion thermonuclear bomb.
For defense, the B-36J Featherweight III two M24A1 20 mm autocannons in a remotely operated tail turret, with 600 rounds of ammunition per gun.
Between 1946 and 1954, 384 B-36 Peacemakers were built. They were never used in combat. Only five still exist.
Convair B-36J-10-CF Peacemaker, 52-2827, the last B-36 built. (U.S. Air Force)
The “Silverplate” Martin B-29-40-MO Superfortress, 44-27354, “Dave’s Dream,” during Operation Crossroads, 1946. (U.S. Air Force)
1 July 1946: Operation Crossroads, Test Able. At 9:00:34 a.m., local time, a Mk 3A atomic bomb, code named “Gilda,” dropped from a Martin-built B-29 Superfortress, Dave’s Dream, flying at 28,000 feet (8,534 meters),¹ detonated over an array of warships moored at the eastern end of the the Bikini Atoll lagoon in the Marshall Islands. This was the fourth explosion of an atomic weapon.
A major purpose of Test Able was to evaluate the effects of an atomic bomb used against a fleet of warships. 93 ships ² had been moored in the lagoon as test subjects. The bomber’s target was the U.S. Navy battleship, USS Nevada (BB-36). Nevada had been painted orange to aid the bombardier in identifying it. The bomb fell 980 feet (299 meters) short and 1,870 feet (570 meters) to the left of the target. It detonated at an altitude of 580 feet (177 meters). It is suspected that a damaged fin may have caused the bomb to miss its target, though an investigation of the bomber’s crew was conducted.
Gilda had been loaded aboard Dave’s Dream at Kwajalein, at about midnight. The bomber took off from the airfield there at 5:55 a.m., 1 July, and headed toward Bikini.
Ex-USS Nevada (BB-36) was the target for the bomb in Test Able.
Gilda was a 10,213-pound (4,632 kilogram) “Fat Man”-type atomic bomb, designated Mk 3A. The egg-shaped weapon contained a 6.2 kilogram (14 pound) sphere of Plutonium Pu 239, surrounded by a high-explosive charge. The explosives were formed in “lenses” that would direct the force inward in a very precise manner. The purpose was to compress—or implode— the Plutonium to a much greater density, resulting in a “critical mass.” When this critical mass is attained, a fission chain reaction results, releasing a tremendous amount of energy. The Mk 3A was the same type weapon used against Nagasaki, Japan, 9 August 1945.
“Gilda,” the Bomb, Mk 3A, that was dropped by Dave’s Dream, 1 July 1946. (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
The yield of the Test Able detonation was 23 kilotons. Five ships were sunk, and fourteen, including Nevada, suffered serious damage. Analysis of test results estimated that if the battleship had been manned, its entire crew would have suffered a lethal dose of radiation.
Fireball of Test Able, 1 July 1946. (Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ds-02945)The shock wave of the Test Able nuclear explosion can be seen on the surface of Bikini lagoon, underneath the condensation ring.Test Able mushroom cloud climbing over Bikini Atoll.Operation Crossroads, Test Able, 1 July 1946.
Dave’s Dream was a Martin-Omaha-built B-29-40-MO Superfortress, serial number 44-27354. It was a specially modified “Silverplate” B-29, given the designation Victor 90. It had been the camera ship on the mission against Nagasaki, Japan, 9 August 1945. Following that mission, its wartime crew had named it Big Stink.
The crew of Dave’s Dream preparing for a flight.
For Test Able, Dave’s Dream was flown by Major Woodrow Paul Swancutt, U.S. Army Air Forces. The co-pilot was Captain William C. Harrison, Jr. The bombardier was Major Harold H. Wood, and radar operator, Captain Paul Chenchar, Jr. 1st Lieutenant Robert M. Glenn served as flight engineer. The radio operator was Technical Sergeant Jack Cothran, and Corporals Herbert Lyons and Roland M. Medlin were scanners.
The Silverplate B-29s differed from the standard production bombers in many ways. They were approximately 6,000 pounds (2,722 kilograms) lighter. The bomber carried no armor. Additional fuel tanks were installed in the rear bomb bay. The bomb bay doors were operated by quick-acting pneumatic systems. The bomb release mechanism in the forward bomb bay was replaced by a single-point release as was used in special British Lancaster bombers. A weaponeer’s control station was added to the cockpit to monitor the special bomb systems.
The Silverplate B-29s were powered by four air-cooled, supercharged, 3,347.662-cubic-inch-displacement (54.858 liter) Wright Aeronautical Division R-3350-41 (Cyclone 18 787C18BA3) two-row 18-cylinder radial engines with direct fuel injection. The R-3350-41 had a compression ratio of 6.85:1 and required 100/130 aviation gasoline. It was rated at 2,000 horsepower at 2,400 r.p.m. at Sea Level, and 2,200 horsepower at 2,800 r.p.m, for take-off. The engines drove four-bladed Curtiss Electric reversible-pitch propellers with a diameter of 16 feet, 8 inches (5.080 meters), through a 0.35:1 gear reduction. The R-3350-41 was 6 feet, 2.26 inches (1.937 meters) long, 4 feet, 7.78 inches (1.417 meters) in diameter and weighed 2,725 pounds (1,236 kilograms).
With the exception of the tail gunner’s position, all defensive armament—four powered remotely operated gun turrets with ten .50-caliber machine guns—were deleted. Their remote sighting positions were also removed. The Silverplate B-29s carried 1,000 rounds of ammunition for each of the two remaining Browning AN-M2 .50-caliber machine guns in the tail.
With these changes, the Silverplate B-29s could fly higher and faster than a standard B-29, and the fuel-injected R-3350-41 engines were more reliable. They had a cruising speed of 220 miles per hour (354 kilometers per hour) and a maximum speed of 365 miles per hour (587 kilometers per hour). The service ceiling was 31,850 feet (9,708 meters) and its combat radius was 2,900 miles (4,667 kilometers).
¹ OPERATION CROSSROADS 1946, DNA 6032F, Final Report, Defense Nuclear Agency, Washington, D.C., Page 87
² OPERATION CROSSROADS 1946, DNA 6032F, Final Report, Defense Nuclear Agency, Washington, D.C.Page 84
Full Disclosure: TDiA’s father, Ensign Bart R. Swopes, SC, USN, was present at Bikini Atoll during Operation Crossroads, aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-la (CV-38).
Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan with Mr. Jacobs, at Lae, Territory of New Guinea. (Wichita Eagle)
1 July 1937: Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan are delayed another day at Lae, Territory of New Guniea.
“July 1st. ‘Denmark’s a prison,’ and Lae, attractive and unusual as it is, appears to two flyers just as confining, as the Electra is poised for our longest hop, the 2,556 miles to Howland Island in mid-Pacific. The monoplane is weighted with gasoline and oil to capacity. However, a wind blowing the wrong way and threatening clouds conspired to keep her on the ground today. In addition, Fred Noonan has been unable, because of radio difficulties, to set his chronometers. Any lack of knowledge of their fastness and slowness would defeat the accuracy of celestial navigation. Howland is such a small spot in the Pacific that every aid to locating it must be available. Fred and I have worked very hard in the last two days repacking the plane and eliminating everything unessential. We have even discarded as much personal property as we can decently get along without and henceforth propose to travel lighter than ever before. All Fred has is a small tin case which he picked up in Africa. I noted it still rattles, so it cannot be packed very full. Despite our restlessness and disappointment in not getting off this morning, we still retained enough enthusiasm to do some tame exploring of the near-by country.”
The prototype Douglas DC-1, X223Y, takes off from Clover Field, Santa Monica, California, 1 July 1933. (Airport Journals)
1 July 1933: 12:36 p.m., the Douglas DC-1 took off from Clover Field, Santa Monica, California, on its first flight. In the cockpit were Carl Anson Cover and Fred Herman.
Douglas DC1 X223Y. (SDA&SM)
The duration of the flight was just twelve12 minutes. during the flight both engines lost power several times. It was later determined that the engines’ carburetors had been installed backwards. This caused their floats to close when the airplane was in a climb.
Douglas DC-1 X223Y (San Diego Air & Space Museum, Michael Blaine Collection, Catalog #: Blaine_00263
The Douglas DC-1 was a prototype commercial transport, built by the Douglas Aircraft Company, Santa Monica, California. It was a twin-engine, all-metal, low-wing monoplane with conventional landing gear. It had a flight crew of two pilots, and provisions for 12 passengers.
Douglas DC-1 NC223Y. (American Aviation Historical Society, via Smithsonian Magazine)
The new airplane had been requested by Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc. It would be required to take off on a single engine from Winslow, Arizona—at 4,941 feet (1,506 meters) above Sea Level, the highest airfield in the T.W.A. route—and to climb to an altitude of 10,000 feet (3,048 meters), again on only one engine. It was required to carry more passengers than the Boeing Model 247, and to have a landing speed of 55 miles per hour (89 kilometers per hour).
The Douglas DC-1, X223Y, in flight. (Larry Westin)
The DC-1 was 60 feet, 0 inches (11.288 meters) long, with a wing span of 85 feet, 0 inches (25.908 meters), and height of 16 feet, 0 inches (4.877 meters). Its empty weight was 11,780 pounds (5,343 kilograms), and gross weight, 17,500 pounds (7,938 kilograms).
The DC-1 was powered by two supercharged, air-cooled, Wright Cyclone SGR-1820-F3 nine-cylinder radial engines, These engines had a compression ratio of 6.4:1 and required 87-octane gasoline. They were rated at 700 horsepower at 1,950 r.p.m. They turned three-bladed variable-pitch propellers throug a 16:11 gear reduction. The -F3 was 3 feet, 11-3/16 inches (1.199 meters) long, 4 feet, 5¾ inches (1.365 meters) in diameter, and weighed 1,047 pounds (475 kilograms).
Douglas DC-1 X223Y at Grand Central Air Terminal, Glendale, California.
The DC-1 had a cruise speed of 190 miles per hour (306 kilometers per hour) and maximum speed of 210 miles per hour (338 kilometers per hour). Its range was 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers), and the service ceiling was 23,000 feet (7,010 meters).
Only one DC-1 was built. It was rolled out of its hangar 22 June 1933. Registered X223Y, it made its first flight, 1 July 1933, at Clover Field, Santa Monica, California, with test pilots Carl Cover and Fred Herman in the cockpit.
NC223Y was retired from passenger service in 1936. T.W.A. loaned it to the U.S. government for high altitude research. In May 1938 NC223Y was sold to The Right Honourable Vicount Forbes at Croydon, 27 May 1938, and registered G-AFIF, 25 June 1938. It was re-sold to France, in September 1938. The DC-1 was again sold, this time to Spanish Republican government, and operated by Lineas Aéreas Postales Espanolas, also known as LAPE. The airplane made a forced landing at Malaga, Spain, in December 1940. It was damaged beyond repair.
Wreck of the Douglas DC-1, Malaga, Spain. (Weird Wings)A model of the Douglas DC-1 being tested in the Guggenheim Aeronautics Laboratory (GALCIT) 10-foot wind tunnel at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) in Pasadena, California. (California Institute of Technology)
First Lieutenant James Harold Doolittle, Air Service, United States Army. “Jimmy” Doolittle is wearing an embroidered Airplane Pilot badge and the World War I Victory Medal ribbon. (U.S. Air Force)
1 July 1920: James Harold Doolittle was commissioned as a second lieutenant, Air Service, United States Army. The commission was accepted 19 September 1920. On the same date, he was promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, Air Service. This was accepted 17 March 1921.
“Jimmy” Doolittle had enlisted as a private, 1st class, in the Aviation Section, Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps, 10 November 1917. He received a commission as a second lieutenant, Aviation Section, Signal Officers’ Reserve Corps, 11 March 1918, and was assigned to active duty the following day.
Following the passage of the National Defense Act of 1920, which established the Air Service, Doolittle’s O.R.C. commission was vacated 19 September 1920, and he was given a commission as a first lieutenant, Air Service, United States Army, retroactive to 1 July 1920.
