Nakajima C6N Saiun

The Nakajima C6N Saiun (彩雲, "Iridescent Cloud") is a carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. Advanced for its time, it was the fastest carrier-based aircraft put into service by Japan during the war. The Allied reporting name was "Myrt".

Development and design

The C6N originated from a 1942 Imperial Japanese Navy specification for a carrier-based reconnaissance plane with a top speed of 350 knots (650 km/h) at 6,000 m and range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,960 km).<ref name="Francillon1970p434">Francillon 1970, p. 434.</ref> Nakajima's initial proposal, designated N-50, was for a craft with two Template:Convert engines housed in tandem in the fuselage, driving two propellers mounted on the wings. With the development of the Template:Convert class Nakajima Homare engine, the dual powerplant configuration was abandoned and Nakajima decided on a more conventional single-engine layout. Unfortunately the new Homare's power output was less than expected, and the design had to be optimized in other areas. The resulting aircraft was designed around a long and extremely narrow cylindrical fuselage just large enough in diameter to accommodate the engine. The crew of three sat in tandem under a single canopy, while equipment was similarly arranged in a line along the fuselage. The C6N's low-mounted laminar flow wing housed fuel tanks and was fitted with both Fowler and slit flaps and leading-edge slats which lowered the aircraft's landing speed to ease use aboard aircraft carriers.<ref name="Francillon1970p435">Francillon 1970, p. 435.</ref> Like Nakajima's earlier B6N Tenzan torpedo bomber, the vertical stabilizer was angled slightly forward to enable tighter packing on aircraft carrier decks.

The C6N's first flight was on 15 May 1943, with the prototype demonstrating a speed of Template:Convert.<ref name="Francillon1970p436">Francillon 1970, p. 436.</ref> Performance of the Homare engine was disappointing, especially its power at altitude,<ref name="Francillon1970p436"/> and a series of 18 further prototypes and pre-production aircraft were built before the Saiun was finally ordered into production in February 1944.<ref name="Francillon1970p436"/><ref name="Mondey1996p218">Mondey 1996, p. 218.</ref>

Operational history

A Nakajima C6N of the 762nd Kōkūtai taking off from Katori airbase for a mission, 1945.

Although designed for carrier use, by the time the C6N entered service in September 1944, there were few Japanese carriers left for it to operate from, so most were flown from land bases. Its speed was exemplified by a telegraph sent after a successful mission: "No Grummans can catch us." ("我に追いつくグラマンなし").<ref name="Francillon1970p436"/><ref>Francillon 1979, p. 40.</ref>

A total of 463 aircraft were produced.<ref name="Francillon1970p439"/> A single prototype of a turbocharged development, mounting a 4-blade propeller, was built; this was called the C6N2 Saiun-kai. Several examples of a night fighter version C6N1-S with oblique-firing (Schräge Musik configuration) single 30 mm (or dual 20 mm) cannon were converted from existing C6N1s. The C6N1-S's effectiveness was, however, hampered by the lack of air-to-air radar. A torpedo carrying C6N1-B was also proposed but was not needed after most of Japan's aircraft carriers were destroyed.

Variants

Nakajima C6N1-S night fighter variant. Note the obliquely mounted Template:Convert cannon in the fuselage of plane ヨD-295.

Source:Famous Airplanes of the World<ref name="FAW_P21">Famous Airplanes of the World (2005), p. 21–27</ref>

C6N1 Template:Nihongo

Three prototypes and sixteen supplementary prototypes produced, four-blade propeller; latter batch were equipped three-blade propeller, mounted Nakajima NK9K-L Homare 22 engine, No. 6 was mounted Nakajima NK9H Homare 21 engine. Renamed Template:Nihongo in July 1943.

C6N1 Template:Nihongo

General production model. Three-blade propeller, mounted Nakajima NK9H Homare 21 engine.

C6N1-B Template:Nihongo

Proposed torpedo bomber version. Only a project.

C6N1-S Template:Nihongo

Temporary rebuilt two-seat night fighter version; this was not a regulation naval aircraft. Development code C6N1-S was not discovered in the IJN official documents. One model with a single Template:Convert Type 2 cannon was built in June 1945,<ref name=Maru39>Mechanic of World Aircraft, vol. 3, p. 39</ref> and at least five models with ×2 Template:Convert Type 99-1 cannon were converted from standard C6N1 models. One surviving example of the ×2 Template:Convert cannon variant is stored in the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility. The Template:Convertversion was only used to attack B-29s once, on August 1, 1945. The destructive power of the Type 2 cannon extended to twisting the skin of the Saiun's lightweight fuselage.<ref name=Maru39/>

C6N2 Template:Nihongo

Fitted with four-blade propeller, Template:Cvt Nakajima NK9L-L Homare 24-Ru turbocharged engine. The Hitachi 92 turbocharger was fitted with the aim of improving high altitude performance; target speed was Template:Cvt at Template:Cvt. One prototype (コ–C6T1) was converted from a regular C6N1 in February 1945 and first flew in July of that year. The installation of an oil cooler and an intercooler necessitated a sizable cowling to be installed beneath the engine.<ref>Mechanic of World Aircraft, vol. 3, p. 31</ref>

C6N3 Template:Nihongo

Proposed high-altitude night fighter version of the C6N2. Dual Template:Convert cannons were installed. Only a project.

C6N4 Template:Nihongo

Fitted Template:Convert Mitsubishi MK9A Ha 43-11 Ru turbocharged engine, one prototype was converted from C6N1, incomplete.

C6N5 Template:Nihongo

Proposed torpedo bomber version. Only a project.

C6N6 Template:Nihongo

Wooden aircraft model. Only a project.

Operators

Template:JPN<ref name="FAW_P56">Famous Airplanes of the World (2005), p. 56–63</ref><ref name="MA458_P56">Model Art (1995), pp. 61–64, p. 148</ref>

• Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

• Naval Air Group
  • Yokosuka Kōkūtai
  • 121st Kōkūtai
  • 131st Kōkūtai
  • 132nd Kōkūtai
  • 141st Kōkūtai
  • 171st Kōkūtai
  • 210th Kōkūtai
  • 302nd Kōkūtai
  • 343rd Kōkūtai
  • 701st Kōkūtai
  • 723rd Kōkūtai
  • 752nd Kōkūtai
  • 762nd Kōkūtai
  • 801st Kōkūtai
  • 1001st Kōkūtai
• Aerial Squadron
  • Reconnaissance 3rd Hikōtai
  • Reconnaissance 4th Hikōtai
  • Reconnaissance 11th Hikōtai
  • Reconnaissance 12th Hikōtai
  • Reconnaissance 102nd Hikōtai
• Kamikaze
  • 1st Mitate Special Attack Group (picked from 752nd Kōkūtai)
  • Sairyū Unit (picked from 752nd Kōkūtai, no sorties)
  • Saiun Unit (picked from 723rd Kōkūtai, no sorties)

Surviving aircraft

One C6N1-S Model 11 Myrt was captured at war's end in Japan and was selected by US forces for further technical evaluation in the United States. In early November 1945, embarked aboard USS Barnes (CVE-20) as one of 145 Japanese aircraft and departed November 3, 1945, for the United States. On December 8, 1945, this Myrt arrived at Langley Field, Virginia. Later, transferred from the U.S. Navy (USN) to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF). This plane was overhauled at the Air Depot at Olmsted Field (Olmsted Air Force Base) in Middletown, Pennsylvania for flight testing.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Details about any flight test are unknown. In 1949, it was turned over to the National Air and Space Museum (NASM). Afterwards, disassembled and transported to the NASM Garber Facility and placed into storage where it remains to this day disassembled as the fuselage and engine. This aircraft is not currently on public display.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Nakajima C6N1 Model 11 "Myrt" that is being restored at the Kawaguchi Motor Museum/Fighter Museum in 2025.

Another C6N (C6N1 Model 11) was abandoned at war's end at Moen No. 1 Airfield (Chuuk Airport) on Moen Island. In the early 2000s the Myrt was salvaged by a local and placed into storage on Moen Island. Later, shipped to the United States. Was later sold to Nobuo Harada and shipped to Japan and became part of the Kawaguchiko Motor Museum / Fighter Museum and is currently being restored to static display.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On August 1, 2023, unveiled to the public at the museum.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

There is also another C6N1 Model 11 that sits at the bottom of Truk Lagoon, dumped there by US forces after the war ended.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Bibliography

• Francillon, René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. Template:ISBN (2nd edition 1979, Template:ISBN).
• Francillon, René J. Japanese Carrier Air Groups, 1941–45. London; Osprey Publishing Ltd., 1979. Template:ISBN.
• Template:Cite journal
• Mondey, David. The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II. London: Chancellor Press, 1996. Template:ISBN.
• Template:Citation

Further reading

• Famous Airplanes of the World No. 108 Carrier Reconnaissance Plane "Saiun", Bunrindō (Japan), 2005. Template:ISBN.
• The Maru Mechanic No. 15 Nakajima C6N1 Carrier Based Rec. Saiun, Ushio Shobō (Japan), 1979.
• Model Art, No. 458, Special issue Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force Suicide Attack Unit "Kamikaze", Model Art Co. Ltd. (Japan) 1995.
• Kazuhiko Osuo, Kamikaze, Kōjinsha (Japan), 2005. Template:ISBN. (This book is same as Model Art No. 458.)

External links

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