Warbird Information Exchange

The Caroline Mars was the last production unit and came off the line with PW 4360's. The five previous were built with 3350 Cyclones but it seems like I heard or read somewhere that the Philippine and Hawaii were later fitted with Corn Cobs. Anyone know the scoop on this?

Canso42

The only Mars (I believe it was Caroline) built with R-4360s was later converted to the upgraded 3,000 HP R-3350s and from about 1948 or so, all 5 remaining Navy operated (4 after 1950) JRM Mars aircraft were equipped with the 3,000 HP R-3350s.

Does anyone know what became of the Mars prototype, the XPB2M-1?
At least there aren't many Mars to keep up with. The Mariannas Mars crashed early on in firefighting and Marshall Mars was destroyed in Naval service, by fire I think. Caroline, Hawaii and Philippines Mars have just been discussed. But what of the XPB2M-1??? It was visibly different. It had a much more blunt nose and the slanted double tail like Marlins and Mariners.

Anybody know?
Canso42

Yes -- and the wreck was discovered and photographed in 2004. Here's a link to the whole story...

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2004/s2354.htm

While I was searching for another thread I rediscovered this one and thought I should post this old picture of Caroline Mars to "complete the circle" so-to-speak.

I seldom throw away interesting pictures, and this time it came in handy. I have no idea where I clipped the picture from, but here it is anyway.

Scott

i have approx 15 old b/w pics of the mars water bombers doing their trials when they first came to the vancouver area way back when. im not too sure how to post them here , i tried once before and i remember that it was a bit tedious. if there is anyone out there who would like to see these pics and maybe post them on the site pm me and i will email them over to you. ive got a cold and im feeling crappy and cranky and cant be bothered to fight with a computer today. thanks , sim.

All of the aircraft ended their Navy service equipped with R4360s and designated JRM-3s (which is how Caroline was originally built). Once purchased for tanker service, the R3350 was easier to get spares for (and an amazing deal struck with a scrapper for a bunch of NOS engines that the Navy sold off), the aircraft were "de-modded" to JRM-1 configuration with 2500HP R3350s in place of the 3200HP R4360s that had been installed. The JRM-2 configuration (which Hawaii & Phillipine had been built as after the original JRM-1 Hawaii burned) had 3000HP R3350's with Water Injection installed. I guess that they decided that there wasn't need for the extra power or water injection with the kind of operations they were doing and opted for the non-injected, less complex engine.