Avro Lancaster – FN.64 Mid Lower Gun Turret

Here, we shall look at the Avro Lancaster Bomber’s Frazer Nash FN.64 Mid Lower Gun Turret. We shall cover its construction, the hydraulic system and duties carried out by the Air Gunner. We shall refer to extracts from the wartime Air Ministry manuals, to give you a glimpse of what was involved in defending the Lancaster Bomber.

Sit back as we take you on a tour of the Lancaster’s Mid Lower Gun Turret, as we embark on a journey aimed at promoting UK Aviation Heritage.


Textual extracts from Air Ministry Air Publications are Crown Copyright and transcribed with the kind permission of the National Archives, London. All colour diagrams are based on original Air Ministry Air Publications mono illustrations and transcribed into colour by Bryan Atkinson with the permission of the National Archives, London.

Thanks must also be given to the following superb organisations for their kind support when Bryan Atkinson originally developed The Lancaster Explored PC CD-ROM back in 2004, all are listed below and are included once again in this series of videos.

Lancaster B.Mk.I, PA474. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.
Lancaster B.Mk.I, R5868. Royal Air Force Museum, London.
Lancaster B. Mk.III, DV372. Imperial War Museum.
Lancaster B.Mk.X, KB889. Imperial War Museum, Duxford.
Lancaster B.Mk.VII, NX611. Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre.
The Norman Groom & Jeremy Hall Lancaster Nose Sections.

The Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust.
The National Archives, London.


The material contained in this video is intended for historical, reference and entertainment value only, and is not to be construed as usable for aircraft or component restoration, maintenance, or use.


Consort for Brass - Classical Rousing by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Lancaster B Mk.II Image: San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Royal Air Force official photographer, Breeze (Mr), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Crouch F W (Fg Off), Royal Air Force official photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Table of Contents:

00:00 - Introduction
00:35 - Overview of FN.64 Gun Turret
00:43 - Fuselage Mounting Details
00:59 - The Turret Mounting Ring
01:23 - Hydraulic Supply
02:06 - The FN.64 Field of Fire
02:24 - The Air Gunner
02:35 - The FN64 Turret Construction
03:03 - The Periscopic Gun Sight Type B, Mk.II
03:24 - Browning Gun Cradle
03:45 - Hydraulic Engine Driven Pump
03:57 - The Hydraulic System
04:21 - The Recuperator
04:52 - The Gun Controls
05:03 - Turret Movement
05:22 - The Periscopic Gun Sight in Use
05:33 - Layout of Lens and Prism
05:56 - The Palmer Gun Firing Mechanism
06:11 - The Ammunition Boxes
06:46 - Gun Firing interrupter Mechanism
07:01 - Electrical Supply to the Turret
07:18 - Oxygen Supply to the Turret
07:32 - Quick Release of the Turret

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