Great Lakes BG-1

Love to find photos, I have many but still looking. My favorite Marine Aircraft.

CWO Donald Brammer, USMC
donshel2737@att.net

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61 of these planes were used by the USN and the Marine Corps between 1934 and 1940. Powered by a single 750 h.p. Pratt & Whitney R1535-82 14 cylinder twin row Wasp the BG-1 was capable of carrying 1 x 1,000 lb bomb and using it in a dive bombing role.
Span 36'0" Length 28'9" Height 11'0" Wing area 384 sq ft
Empty Weight 3,903 lb Loaded Weight 6,347 lb

Max speed 188 mph Range 549 miles Service ceiling 20,100 ft
Armament 1 x .30 Forward firing Browning machine gun and a similar weapon on a flexible mounting in the rear
1 x 1000 lb bomb

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RE: Chase Kepner. FYI, my Dad was one of the Marines in some of the background scenes in Devil Dogs of the Air. I know he was supposed to be pushing planes, but I have seen the movie only once or twice and cannot identify him. However, he used to talk about the Great Lakes dive bomber all the time, and I have always assumed that this was the plane in the film. He was a Leatherneck private working as a mechanic, and went on test hops in the plane.

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When I joined VMS-1 at Quantico in April of 1940,they were flying the BG-1 My 1st.ride in the back seat was with a Cpl.Samuel E Moose A NAP. He made PFC the day he received his wings at Pensacola.Unfotunately we lost hime at sea off of San Diego 2-8-42.

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I recently watched an old Jimmy Cagney movie, "Devil Dogs of the Air." Corney movie but the flying sequences were quite good for a thirties movie. Planes looked like the BG-1 except the cowling was smaller than shown above.

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I had the opertunity to ride in theBG-1 It was a squadron assigned to the Carrier Ranger as Boming squadron 4 , 1938 there was a Marine Boming squadron located on North Island Naval Air station San Diego CA Very rugged Airplane, Only had one fatel while I was there some Mechanics had repaird the ring cowl using (so) soft aluminum rivits instead of heat treated rivets and on a dive bombing run the Cowl came off and sheared the top wing off, Results FATAL.

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