Chrysler Air Raid Siren from Detroit, Michigan. (circa 1952)
Photograph courtesy of Glen Cleary.  May 2003

On June 30, 2003, VictorySiren Foundation, Inc. acquired its first Chrysler Air Raid Siren.  This Detroit siren was one of the twenty sirens purchased in 1952 by the City of Detroit.  The siren had been owned by Jim Carruthers of Oregon for more than twelve years.  It is a sister siren to one of the Detroit sirens presently owned by Harry Barry of Pennsylvania.  Today the VictorySiren Foundation's Detroit siren is in Oregon where it will remain until funds can be raised to move and/or refurbish the fifty-one year old siren.

The photograph above shows the siren with the projector horns removed and the six throat ports plugged.  Likewise the exhaust manifolds were removed and the exhaust ports plugged.  This was done to prevent damage during shipping when the siren was moved from Michigan to Oregon in 1991.  While not seen in this photograph, the siren is complete with all six projector horns.  [ Photo ]

Overall this is a very complete example of the Chrysler Air Raid Siren.  Both engine cowling doors are present as is the propeller shaft cowling.  There is a fair amount of surface rust, particularly on the sheet metal, but it appears to be free of any significant body damage. 

This siren has the 12-0 engine cowling configuration (12 rows of vents on the radiator end and zero rows of vents on the siren end). This is the same configuration as other 1952 Detroit sirens and David Stall's Pittsburgh VictorySiren™.  Some sirens have a 13-2 engine cowling configuration. 

[ Photographs of the Foundation's Siren ]

[ The Big Red™ Siren Story ]

[ The VictorySiren™ Story ]

[ History of the Chrysler Air Raid Siren ]