1941 Sperry 60-Inch Antiaircraft Searchlight!
Here’s your next daily driver, if you’re trying to drive WWII-era enemy aircraft away. I ran across this and couldn’t resist showing it here. This is a 1941 Sperry 60-Inch Antiaircraft Searchlight and they don’t come up for sale every day. The seller has this one listed here on eBay in Mack, Colorado. There is an unmet opening bid of $5,000 listed and even at that price the reserve won’t be met.
If you’re someone who complains about them there dang newfangled LED headlights being too bright, how about this one and its 800,000,000 candlepower? The beam length is 5.6 miles but it can be seen for up to 35 miles. Get this thing in your rearview mirror and see what that’s like, you’ll long for the day of normal LED headlights. How cool would it be to have a 1941 Dodge Power Wagon pulling this Searchlight to car shows? Very cool, that’s how cool.
Sperry Gyroscope Company in Brooklyn, NY made this incredible searchlight and the seller shows some literature referring to it as 1941-A model but it’s dated 1943. They list it as a 1941 model so I’m going with that. The company made these searchlights from 1932 to 1944 and they reportedly cost $60,000 each! Whether that was government-gouging contractor pricing or not, (did they do that during wartime?! I hope not), that’s a lot of money now let alone over seven decades ago. That’s over $1,1000,000 today.
The control panel is great, looking like it could fit into the set of Frankenstein. Over 10,000 of these 360-degree searchlights were made with most of them being shipped to Europe. I only remember seeing one for sale in the past several years. This searchlight isn’t currently operational, at least as far as the actual carbon-arc light itself. The seller says that the light and carbon rod fixture are both complete but disassembled and the fixture is waiting for paint. And, the scary part is that the mirror is cracked “but should still be functional.” The carbon rods which provide the light last between two and three hours and are then replaced.
They say that the generator and engine have both been rebuilt and are functional and the engine looks great. The engine should be a Hercules inline-six and if the all-important mirror and light can be completed, this would be a show-stopper. How would you use this searchlight?
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Comments
I saw a couple of the smaller searchlights like were used in front of the entrance to a grand opening or another so people could know something was gonna be, in use down in the Nevada desert at a burning man festival a number of years ago. Now it’s mostly powerful lasers that go on for miles and miles distant.
They were there in 2023 as well. They ran beautifully!
Never know what we will see here on Barn Finds.
I learned something about these, thanks Scotty.
As for its use, beyond the suggestion to use an old Power Wagon to tow it to shows… I can recall some folks around the subdivision who seemed to live for the attention they could grab for themselves. This would do the trick.
Hi Bob, correction, you never know what Scotty will feature. :)
If I may add a bit to the story, searchlights were a very important part of Dubja, Dubja 2, der, as many air raids were at night, and spotting incoming planes miles away, was crucial. After the war, naturally, there was a couple left over, and most were relegated to Hollywood hack debuts, the carnival or the new car dealer presenting the new models with Hollywood hoopla. I remember as a kid, a searchlight in the sky( or 2 or 3) meant something BIG, usually a car dealer. Not sure how it works, exactly, I think it’s like a giant arc welder and mirror, anyone? Like a welder, we were told never to look at it, but like dumb kids, we did anyway. Clearly, for the person who has everything.
It one point in my life I used to operate an Arc Light spot light. A much smaller version of this. It had a 12″ rod about the diameter of your little finger. You set the gap and sparked the arc. Then set the feed rate to slowly feed the rod into the anode. (I think I have that right). A lot of heat and smoke, but blindingly bright. I wonder if you can even get the specialized arc rods today? Obviously it is not an arc welding rod.
The pictures dont do justice to the size of the mirror in this. It must be all of 6′ across. they are HUGE! I do recall these used for advertising, in fact I saw one probably 10 years ago. These are MUCH bigger than the smaller automatic ones used today.
I would be very concerned about the optics of the cracked mirror and think the price is a bit much with this defect. But what do I know.
According to the movie FOUNDER, about Ray Kroc and his McDonald’s empire. The first McDonald’s brought in these lights to attract attention, what is ended up doing what is attracting millions of flying bugs – destroying their premiere.
It’s a good movie by the way starring Michael Keaton… If you ever want to see how much of an SOB Ray Kroc was. Also how the McDonald brothers shot themselves in the foot.
Nice to meet another old Gladiator and or Super Trouper operator! At that time, I could kill the light, light my cigarette with the old rod, swap in a new pair of rods, and be back up and running in under a minute.
I used to operate carbon arcs too, I would be real surprised if you could find the rods to make this thing work. Maybe, I guess.
I think I could find the lost 10mm socket in my shop with this thing.
Most likely find the socket after the clean up from the fire caused by the search light
Maybe it would help me find my remote..
Wow–mirror is seriously cracked (and looks like it needs to be resurfaced as well). Given the above, any transport may further damage the mirror, and it’s probably not usable at this point. Considering the rebuilt engine, this seems to be a stalled project that hit an insurmountable snag (probably the mirror) and the owner is bailing out. A very, very cool item, but getting it restored (or even workable) will need to be a task of passion, as it is going to put the new owner significantly underwater financially. But I sincerely hope someone is up to the task…this would be amazing to see restored and working.
I absolutely love these oddball, weird, and the wacky. Keep this kinda stuff coming !!! 😊
I’d point it at my backyard neighbor with the security light that illuminates my yard all night. See how he likes it.
I feel your pain Terry!
Lol
Two neighbors to the south of my corner lot are having a battle for brightest outdoor garage lighting at my peril in the backyard…
I think I could read a book at 3:30am while having my coffee and quiet time…
This has become an epidemic. I have the same problem. Do these people also own the power company?
Very similar to the people frequently observed sitting in their cars in parking lots with the engines running – for no obvious reason.
Wonder where THEY buy gas?
I too have the same problem 370zzp, my neighbor has a set of flood lights on the side of his house pointing toward my house, and my bedroom window faces his house. I can’t begin to tell you how many times at night I’ve woken up thinking it was already morning, only to roll over & see the clock and find out otherwise. I have recently started sleeping at night with an elastic eye covering. I’ve thought about saying something to them, but he is a deputy, and kind of like Barney Fife.
I did enjoy the article about the search light. I always thought those lights just had a huge light bulb in them.
I too have a problem with neighbor shining their flood lights toward my bedroom window. Sometimes I wake up thinking it is already morning, only to find out it is my neighbors light. I did learn something here, I always figured these type of lights just had an extra large light bulb inside them! Enjoyed reading it. 👍
Moth and other bug 🐛 final resting place….
No Batman comments yet?
MONEY PIT. For the person with more dollars than sense.
Mort Meyers owned American Searchlight Advertising in Cleveland. He had a few of these searchlights that he would take to the openings of stures and auto dealerships. Oeiole would follow the lights from miles away.
Living in the glide path of the 6th largest airport in the country this would be frowned upon. But it wouldbe to spotlight those Amazon and FedEx A330s at 0200!
Now that is cool!!
We had a company in Broward County, Florida (two blocks from my home), back in the 60’s that had several of them that they would rent out to advertise sale events (as stated above). They used them in 2 or 3 sets, to cross the beams of light (a motor would rotate the light). As kids, we use to say they were looking for flying saucers. I recall a flame in the center that made the light. They were huge and bright. I did learn something here, that they were used during WW2, but I would think that they were not used overseas, but here in the US, for the same reason.
A similar item in working condition sold on Bring A Trailer a couple of weeks ago for $17,000.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/general-electric-searchlight-and-trailer/
Perfect way to deal with tailgaters!
I think that book was copyrighted or updated in 1943. The model number being 1941-A is probably when it was designed or released. The use and care of it was probably updated a couple of years later. (revised?)
Several years ago, an eccentric friend of mine rented a similar search light. He used it infront of his house during “Earth Hour” . He wanted to drive the local environMentalists nuts. It worked.
What a cool guy.
I’m wondering if it could be converted to LED?
I know it would be far less powerful, but if it was just used for “ show”, it would be great!
I have seen a few of these military units in my time some in ok condition some like this pretty pristine like this one. The 5k price tag is a fair price but the part of these units that is virtually impossible to replace is the mirror/reflector and I am surprised there is no pics or verbage concerning this component! Why?
Ad states this about the mirror: “The mirror is cracked, but should still be functional”.
Karl, I mentioned it in the 4th paragraph and we usually hope that folks will click on the eBay link to read the seller’s more-detailed description and to see all of the photos.
I haven’t seen one of these in decades! Interesting info on how they work. I knew they were of WWII vintage and what they were used for then. Glad to know some are still in existence and being used.
I have owned 8 of these Sperry Seeachlight. My father bought them after WWII, and set up a side business in 1948, for the car dealers and other businesses. Me and my 3 sisters were running them starting at 12 years old. I have run them fixed them, and today I own only 1 Sperry. The original one my father bought. By the way, they were 2 trailers, 1 light &1 generator. I do need a new engine for my last light. This particular searchlight that is for sale is missing the entire arc head inside of the light. And if you don’t generate good relationships with the Searchlight Community, you will pay dearly for any parts to make it operational. Also, they only generated 1,000,000 candle power, and the carbon arc was generated by 2 carbon sticks: 1 positive (2’ long and 1” round, 1 Negative (12” long, 1.25 round). Carbon costs $2 per can (50 of each size) , and now costs $1200 per can. Each set last approximately 3 hours.
Thanks for the info, RodL. It sounds like you have had a lifetime of experience with them. As you know, there are several different makes and varieties of these searchlights. I got my info from several sources as far as the 800,000,000 million candlepower number that I mentioned and some were single-trailer units. Just so you don’t think that I’m pulling info out of the air.
http://www.ftmac.org/sperrylight.htm
http://www.victorysearchlights.com/searchlight3.htm
https://www.nasasearchlights.com/nasasearchlights.com/History.html
Among others.
The 2 main players for 60” searchlights were Sperry and GE. Both driven by Hercules engines. In the design of the generators, I preferred the Sperry searchlight and the GE Generator. All searchlight had to blend together because they never knew if they had a Ge Generator and a Sperrry searchlight, or visa Versa. Most were converted to a single trailer due to state laws about double trailers. As far as carbon goes, I still have about 30 cans (50 sets each), from WWII, in the original crate. Still top quality.
This thing is way cool. I showed it to my wife but she didn’t think it was as cool I did. Like the time I found a harpoon in an antique store near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (I know it was real and really worked, because there were no whales left in the lake) and she didn’t think I needed that either. ‘What would you do with it?’ You don’t need to really ‘do’ anything with something this cool, just have it.
She just doesn’t get it.
Actually if you remove the light bulb you have a great trailer with a generator.
Ahhh, the little kid in me wants this….BAD!
When I was growing up in Chicago area, used to see these lights in the sky beckoning the curious.
A couple of observations, why didn’t they finish the restoration? The engine looks fantastic.
Also, the gear rotating the unit appears much too low when meshing with the turntable, lots of uneven wear on the teeth.
Cool item, though.
I had an Aunt Millie that worked in London during the late 30s and got caught there when the war started. She was there during the Blitz. Made it okay through the war and came home after it. She spent some time with us until she was able to set up housekeeping on her own. One evening we were in town and a few of these suddenly lite up the night sky. I assume it was a car dealership as was very popular in the late 40s. I looked over to see my poor spinster aunt shaking with fear. Today I recognize it to have been a panic attack.. Talk about your PTSD. I had always thought of them as cool, but I have never been able to see them in the same way since. My heart and hopes go out to the poor people of the Ukraine.
Ended:Mar 22, 2022 , 10:29AM
Current bid:
US $5,000.00
Reserve not met
[ 1 bid ]
Thanks, Mike! Your $5,000 bid wasn’t enough on this one… (kidding) (I think?)
It would have been fun to shine it across the river. They still have the Christmas lights on! Take care!