WW2 Airplane Submarine: Can it Really Run Underwater?

In summary: The S-2E Tracker used Wright Cyclone R-1820 engines (9 cylinders each), the same engines used to power B-17 bombers.This is why the intake is positioned behind the engine in the air pocket created by the wave. The air pocket created by the wave provides a higher pressure than the surrounding air, which helps keep the engine running.
  • #1
mrspeedybob
869
65
This question may be impossible to answer without specific knowledge of vintage aircraft engines but maybe not.

How does this airplane...


come out of the wave running? It seems like running a piston engine underwater would result in ingestion of water and hydro-lock.

I'm not an engineer but I am professional automotive mechanic so I have a good understanding of reciprocating piston engine operating principals, at least as they are applied to cars.
 
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  • #2
I don't think it was underwater, more like it went through a splash. There wasn't necessarily much water there, probably mostly foam.
 
  • #3
mrspeedybob said:
This question may be impossible to answer without specific knowledge of vintage aircraft engines but maybe not.

How does this airplane...


come out of the wave running? It seems like running a piston engine underwater would result in ingestion of water and hydro-lock.

I'm not an engineer but I am professional automotive mechanic so I have a good understanding of reciprocating piston engine operating principals, at least as they are applied to cars.


Advanced plane on loan from England. Bond flew them. :tongue:

After some googling:

CV-14 = USS Ticonderoga
Aircraft type: S-2E Tracker
Engines: 2 x 1525 hp air cooled radial piston design
Manufacturer: Grumman
Role: ASW aircraft (boooooo!)

http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/14.htm

How not to launch an aircraft in heavy seas: an S-2E Tracker is launched from USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14). As Brian Wolfe and Gil Sharp recall, this happened circa April-May 1971, en route from the Philippine Islands to Japan.

Roger Ozbolt comments: "I remember when it happened, it was our Lieutenant V-2 division officer who was the pilot, the plane was making a mail run. He said after the plane went through the wave it stammered and sputtered for a few seconds then smoothed out, he said they had about 4" of water in the cockpit. [...] it's a wonder that it didn't go down."

I know nothing of airplanes, but am familiar with running diesel engines underwater.

And I'm 99% certain that Borek is correct, in that it was just a splash.
 
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  • #4
Air-cooled aircraft radial engines are designed to catch their intake air from behind the engine somewhere, and, more often than not, run it through a turbo-charger before it goes into the cylinders. I think this is what kept the engine running momentarily until the aircraft cleared the wave. All in all, these guys in the aircraft were lucky.
 
  • #5
SteamKing said:
Air-cooled aircraft radial engines are designed to catch their intake air from behind the engine somewhere, ...

Ahh, that makes perfect sense. The airplane pulls a pocket of air into the wave with it. Since the intake is behind the engine it is positioned in, and able to run on the air in that pocket for a few meters until it clears the wave.

Thanks :thumbs:

I'm sure it's no accident that the intake is positioned in the air that the plane is pulling along with it. I'm guessing that the purpose of this placement is because the air not moving relative to the plane would be at a higher pressure then the air that is (Bernoulli principal). Is that correct, or is there a different for the placement of the intake behind the engine?
 
  • #6
Well, one reason I can think of is you don't want to block the flow of air coming in the front of the radial engine, since that air flow provides the cooling for the cylinders. This is even more important for radials which have two or more rows of cylinders. The S-2E used Wright Cyclone R-1820 engines (9 cylinders each), the same engines used to power B-17 bombers.

Another reason is space. The exhaust and intake plumbing can fit better behind the engine, especially if turbocharging is employed.
 

1. Can a WW2 airplane really run underwater?

No, it is not possible for a WW2 airplane to run underwater. While some WW2 airplanes were modified to be able to land on water and float, they were not designed to function underwater.

2. How did the concept of a WW2 airplane submarine come about?

The idea of a WW2 airplane submarine was proposed by German engineer Alexander Lippisch in 1942. He believed that by adding hydrofoils to a plane, it could skim over the water's surface and then submerge like a submarine.

3. Was a WW2 airplane submarine ever built?

No, a WW2 airplane submarine was never successfully built or tested. Lippisch's design was never fully realized due to technical limitations and the end of the war.

4. Could a WW2 airplane submarine have been effective in combat?

It is unlikely that a WW2 airplane submarine would have been effective in combat. The design would have been slow and vulnerable underwater, and would have required a significant amount of time and resources to modify existing planes.

5. Are there any modern versions of a WW2 airplane submarine?

No, the concept of a WW2 airplane submarine remains a theoretical idea and has not been pursued in modern times. Submarines and airplanes are now designed and built separately with distinct purposes and capabilities.

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