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[1974.026.001] Aircraft - 'SP-2H (P2V-7S) Neptune' |
| Accession Number |
1974.026.001 |
| Accession Date |
01/11/1974 |
| Creator |
| Creator |
Creator Role |
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Manufacturer |
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| Date Created |
circa 1955 |
| Object Desciption |
Commencing in 1967 VO-67 flew 12 OP-2ER (modified P-2V) aircraft laying and monitoring passive sensors of ground force movement on the Ho Chi Minh trail (Operation Muscle Shoals/Igloo White). The squadron operated from Thailand and would also provided ground support for Khe Sanh during the time of the Tet Offensive of 1968 (Operation Niagara) and elsewhere in the I Corps area. |
| Object Notes |
Accepted for service in 1947, Navy commenced replacement of PV-1/2 with 843 Lockheed P2V patrol, ASW and reconnaissance aircraft.
The museum's P2V-7S (redesignated SP-2H in 1962) was produced as part of the fifth batch of P2V-7s delivered by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, subsequently serving in Patrol Squadron (VP) 11, during which time it carried Search and Rescue Automatic Homing (SARAH) gear protected by plates located behind the bow observer's position on each side of the nose. This gear was used to locate the Redstone rocket nose cone during its first reentry tests. Subsequently the museum's aircraft outfitted VP-65 from its establishment as a Naval Air Reserve squadron at Naval Air Station (NAS) Los Alamitos, California. During its four years assigned to VP-65, the squadron made summer deployments to Guatemala, Nicaragua, NAS Rota, Spain, and NAS Barbers Point, Hawaii. It was the last SP-2H operational in the squadron at the time of its transfer to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in 1974. |
| Place of Origin |
Burbank, California |
| Notes |
The final version of the venerable P2V/P-2 Neptune produced by Lockheed, the SP-2H featured underwing jet pods for added power and carried the most sophisticated antisubmarine warfare detection equipment of its day, namely the Jezebel and Julie systems. First flown in 1954, these advanced versions of the Neptune not only played cat and mouse with Soviet submarines, but also participated in mine surveillance and support of operations in the Antarctic. During the Vietnam War, Navy patrol squadrons equipped with the SP-2H were heavily involved in support of Operation Market Time, the surveillance and interdiction of waterborne craft in an effort to stem the flow of supplies into South Vietnam. In addition, some SP-2Hs were modified to the OP-2H configuration that carried a Trails and Roads Interdiction Multisensor (TRIM) package. These aircraft equipped Heavy Attack Squadron (VAH) 21, which conducted night interdiction missions over the Mekong Delta.
The SP-2H made its last antisubmarine warfare flight on 20 February 1970. Co-pilot for the flight was Rear Admiral Tom Davies, pilot on the 1946 record-setting flight of the "Truculent Turtle." Following the flight it joined others in service as utility aircraft in Naval Reserve Squadrons.
Specifications for SP-2H
Manufacturer: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation
Dimensions: Length: 91 ft., 4 in.; Height: 29 ft., 4 in.; Wingspan: 103 ft., 10 in.
Weights: Empty: 47,456lb.; Gross: 75,500 lb.
Power Plant: Two 3,500 horsepower R-3350-32W engines and two 3,400 lb. J34-WE-34 turbojets
Performance: Maximum Speed: 345 M.P.H. at 10,000 ft.; Service ceiling: 22,000 ft.; Range: 2,200 miles
Armament:
Crew: Crew of 9-10 |
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