Kobie inside the searchlight adjusting the Positive head assembly.
MASH Bus
PHOTOS
Searchlight
Pre-Deployment
Kobie inside the searchlight adjusting the Positive head assembly.
Searchlight Facts:
WWII 60-Inch Anti-Aircraft Searchlight
800,000,000 (800 million) candle power
Carbon Arc
Light and Power Plant manufactured by Sperry Gyroscope
Light and Power Plant made in 1941
Weight of Light and Power Plant 6000 lbs.
Gasoline Operated
Light operates on 78 Volts D.C. at 150 Amps.
Power Plant runs on a Hercules JDX 6 cylinder flat head motor
Power Plant is water cooled
Power Plant runs at 1150 rpm
Currently we are seeking a magnifying glass for the thermostat so that we can get this light up and running. The light runs but it has to be run in manual mode. If we can locate a magnifying glass we will be able to operate the light in automatic mode.
For Current photos of a GE WWII CARBON ARC SEARCHLIGHT in operation please visit our friends at AAmerican Searchlights of Dallas, Texas. There are some outstanding photos of a GE Searchlight in operation.
Searchlight PHOTOS
Front view of Light and Power Plant on trailer.
Notice standard door behind light for height comparison.
Angle view of Searchlight
View of Searchlight, man door in bottom is open
View of Light Power Plant doors open for service
Front doors open to expose radiator
Looking through the man door you can see the mirror and arc assembly.
The arc assembly is the cone shaped device atop the arc stand
The rod protruding out toward the mirror is the negative carbon
Here the sectional glass panels can be seen.
The arc assembly can also be seen on top of the tower.
The rods coming from the left of the arc assembly are control rods.
Here is a close up of the Power Plant control panel.
Engine Controls are on the Left side of the panel.
Generator and Light controls are on the Right side of the panel.
The knob in the middle is the power rheostat.
The generator can been seen under the control panel.
Here is the control box that actually controls the Carbon Arc light.
This box controls the Positive and Negative carbon rods that act as electrodes
The light is essentially a giant welder.
Rear view of the light