F4U and "combatable" (self-sealing) drop tanks - real or myth?

[Conslaw]

I have seen vague mentions that after losing its unprotected wing tanks, self-sealing drop tanks were designed for the F4U that were designed to be able to be retained in combat. I have searched all over for this and not seen any confirmation. The idea makes sense to try. These days some modern fighters take the idea farther and have external "conformal" fuel tanks that are fully protected and are designed to effectively be a permanent part of the aircraft.

 

[The Basket]

I have a Royal Navy story that over Japan the Corsairs were supposed to keep the drop tanks due to shortages.

Then a Corsair got Flak on the drop tank and caused a fire which caused loss of the aircraft.

Then it was agreed that the pilots could jettison the drop tanks.

 

[33k in the air]

I have seen vague mentions that after losing its unprotected wing tanks, self-sealing drop tanks were designed for the F4U that were designed to be able to be retained in combat. I have searched all over for this and not seen any confirmation. The idea makes sense to try. These days some modern fighters take the idea farther and have external "conformal" fuel tanks that are fully protected and are designed to effectively be a permanent part of the aircraft.

In the Aircraft Characteristics and Performance publication for the FG-3 Corsair, in regards to the calculation of combat radius, there is this note:

"One of the two 150 gal. droppable fuel tanks is self-sealing and is carried the entire distance."

This would seem to indicate that self-sealing drop tanks did exist. To what extent they did, and their specific characteristics, I don't know.

 

[pararaftanr2]

Goodyear only built 13 of the FG-3 Corsairs, which was a high-altitude turbo super charged version of the FG-1. Since it was never an operational aircraft, the information about its self-sealing drop tank may not be relevant to your question.

 

[ThomasP]

The SSDT is listed on the August 1945 F4U-1C/-1D ACP

It is mentioned in the July 1945 FG-3 ACP also, but in a different place:

In my notes I have the weight of the 150 USgal SSDT as 194 lbs empty. I also have notes mentioning that the same SSDT was sometimes carried by the Hellcat on the CL position, and that the hook-up and hanger arrangement were modified due to the fact that the SSDT was not intended to be droppable. I do not know what the mods entailed, but the SSDT was mentioned as the same as used on the Corsair.

 

[pararaftanr2]

Great information on the SSDTs, but since for all intents and purposes combat operations in the PTO ended in mid-August 1945, does anyone know if these tanks were manufactured and distributed in time to actually be used in combat during WW2?

 

[Conslaw]

I'm a little amazed that, given the a-level people we have on this site, that somebody has not fully solved the mystery of the SSDT. I think we have conclusively established that such a thing existed, but not whether it was used in combat and to what degree. Does anybody have a contact at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola FL? Maybe their archives has something.

 

[33k in the air]

I'm a little amazed that, given the a-level people we have on this site, that somebody has not fully solved the mystery of the SSDT. I think we have conclusively established that such a thing existed, but not whether it was used in combat and to what degree. Does anybody have a contact at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola FL? Maybe their archives has something.

There is little technical data on drop tanks around, at least online, as far as I've been able to locate. It seems to be one of those things that was not deemed particularly important afterward, and thus the original data was either not preserved or is buried in some obscure archive.

For example, much mention is made of the paper 108 US gallon drop tanks used in Europe, and that it was much lighter than its metal equivalents. But I've not had success locating a reference which indicates the actual empty weight of the 108 gallon paper tank as compared to its metal cousin.