Lockheed P- 2 Neptune by Buffalo1

Photography • Aviation • posted on Mar 12, 2009

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Description

Here's another old timer pic from my first visit to the U.S. Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida from 20 years ago. This specific aircraft is actually a SP-2H anti-submarine patrol aircraft. I had fun climbing into one of these back in my 1960s childhood courtesy of a US Navy relative. That P-2 belonged to a reserve unit and as I recall it was still in the dark blue and white paint scheme, but that doesn't seem right for the mid-1960s. The P-2 had a long USN service life (1945-78) and was still in service here and there with allied countries in the 1980s, but being phased out in favor of the P-3 Orion. 12 allied militaries operated the P-2 and Kawasaki manufactured a turboprop version for the Japanese Self Defence Force. The CIA even had a "spook" version. The USN experimented launching a few of these from aircraft carriers. Combat service included Korea (USN), Algeria (France), Vietnam (USN, USA, CIA), and the Falklands (Argentina).

Comments (11)

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texboy

1:35PM | Thu, 12 March 2009

good stuff, Buff! (and I don't mean the B-52 kind of BUFF!)

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busi2ness

2:55PM | Thu, 12 March 2009

Very characteristic with its long tail, a lovely ole lady!

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bmac62

5:39PM | Thu, 12 March 2009

Best short and to the point write up I've seen on the P-2. Glad you resurrected this shot for us. Glad you didn't have to use the sky for your primary background...there just are days like this.

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drace68

9:22PM | Thu, 12 March 2009

The Naval Air Station in Kodiak (NHB) had several of these in the mid-1950s. But they called them P2Vs (scratched head P2 or P2V, then clicked Wiki, and all is explained). I was aboard a Coast Guard ship at the time - home port Kodiak. Rumor had it the holes in the airframes came from Kamchatka. Cold War rumors, nothing more. Back then, the stinger-tail was less pronounced.

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erlandpil

3:30AM | Fri, 13 March 2009

good stuff, Agree erland

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rainbows

5:53AM | Fri, 13 March 2009

Grand ould lass, buff. Fine shot. Hugs. Diane. xx

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debbielove

8:41AM | Fri, 13 March 2009

A great shot, my friend! One for the collection I think!! Can't say I've ever seen one of them but I have seen an Orion at Waddington once and I believe at Alconbury. Great stuff. More from the box a must? Rob.

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RodolfoCiminelli

12:59PM | Fri, 13 March 2009

Implessive airplane and fantastic photo my friend.....!!!!

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Vik9740

3:26PM | Fri, 13 March 2009

been there and seen that! cool place isn't it?

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junge1

12:25PM | Sun, 15 March 2009

Great capture and background info. In the early 60s they still had them at Whitbey Island NAS.

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Buffalo1

2:19PM | Sun, 15 March 2009

Thanks everybody! Here's the extra information. The jet engines under each wing are Westinghouse J-34s. Dependant on mission, it could carry up to 8,000 lbs of ordinance, but that load wasn't for regular missions. Underwing rockets,and torpedoes augmented the depth charges and bombs in the bay. The early models had a nose turret and you can see where the top turret was with the dark paint mark. A few earlies even had tail gun postitons. Remember that the aircraft was designed in WWII. A few still survive as fire fighters where the big bomb bay comes in handy.