P2V NEPTUNE GOD OF THE SEAS: Part 1 of 2 - Evolution and a Crewman's Amazing Cold War Encounters 

I was ordinance man on P2V7, LG-2, 135547, VP-18 Flying Phantoms, out of N.A.S., Jacksonville, in 1957,8,&9. Great crew and plane.

This guy has a lot to learn about the aft observers. I flew as a p2v ordnanceman I n 1967-68.

VP-21 Brunswick from 68-69 with about 600 hours as Julie/ECM in the P2V-7. The APS-20 was the only search radar on the aircraft. The blade antennas that you depicted on the aft section of the airframe part of the ECM detection system. The system was really ESM and only provided passive detection radar emissions. The aircraft had no capability to jam radars. There was another dome under the aircraft that had a rotating ECM antenna that would give us a bearing to the signal. Therefore, we could analyze the frequency and pulse characteristics of radar transmissions and get a bearing in the direction of their source.

Very informative video on these beautiful birds. I worked on them at NAS Dallas 1970-72 and often flew with the crews on their missions. I loved these engines and enjoyed being around the SP-2H models we had.

I loved the sound of those engines

Neat! When I arrived at NAS Whidbey Island as a young sailor in 1972, VP-69 was still flying the P2V. I always enjoyed listening to those R3350 engines rumble and hearing the brakes squeal as they taxied by my line shack.

One of my older brothers was an AO on these in Brunswick, Maine in the mid 1960s in VP-10. He was standing on a truck loading magnesium flares into the plane and they started shooting at him. It damn near killed him. He was in the hospital for about 10 months. His squadron went to P-3s right before he got out. I saw P-2Vs in Brazil and Argentina in 1973 when I was down there with a couple P-3s. We are a Navy family. The oldest brother was a sonar tech on fast attack subs and my son worked on the catapults on an aircraft carrier as a green shirt.

The P2V was an interesting aircraft - a piston engine aircraft with emergency jet power. They were unique in that when calling air traffic control in an single engine environment they would call up to increase their airspeed. I flew the carrier based ASW aircraft of that age - the S2E, but knew some P2V aviators. One told me of a wild story of then being on a night patrol and coming across a yacht anchored at sea with all the lights off. Since it was unusual, they decided to "investigate" and dropped down on the deck to fly over the yacht. Now the P2, S2 and P3 all had a very large and powerful searchlight. When we lit of a black sub, and were in close, it appeared gray. The one on the S2 was a 70 million candlepower and the P3 was 100 million candlepower. I imagine the P2 was similar to the later. So, on the approach to the yacht, as they got real close the lit off the jets and fired up the searchlight to "light off" the yacht. They flew over, shut down the search light and the jets, climbed up a bit and turned back to see what the reaction was. The yacht had all the lights on and was traveling as fast as it could. The comment was that the didn't know what flew over but they were getting the heck outta there. Oh, did I mention this was in the Bermuda Triangle? During my time on active duty (1965-1970) I never heard the "new" designation used, everyone (at least in the carrier based ASW community) still referred to them as P2Vs.

I was on a P2V-7 crew with VX-1 at Key West, Florida. VX-1 was a test and development squadron that tested ASW electronic gear. I was with VX-1 in 1959-61. I was an AT on the crew.....operating the ASW equipment. Julie, Jezebel, and MAD were a part of the equipment. Boca Chica got a little exciting during the Bay of Pigs invasion. I was transferred to Brunswick, Maine with VP-26. I was also a crewman on a P2V. In July of 1962 we were flying out of Guantanamo Bay keeping track of shipping going in to Cuba. The description of checking the shipping was very accurate. We were flying really low....a pass down the starboard....then port....then a pass to the aft.....and finally a low pass over the top of the vessel. Your video and the interview with your guest brought back many nice memories.

Amazing video! My grandfather flew the p2v Neptune. VP 28.

I grew up in a town south of Boston, Ma and lived about 7 miles from South Weymouth Naval Air Station. In the 1950s, I saw kinds of planes fly over of which a fair number was the P2V and many or all the variances. And as a added bonus, I would see and hear the blimps as they travel to and from their station out in the Atlantic.

For many years in the past, the Oregon DEQ ran a Neptune on twice-daily transects up and down the Willamette Valley, using an automatic bottling system that took air samples at intervals, for later analysis for pollutants. These flights were low and very fast and made use of the speed of the plane to get the job done quickly. If you weren't in the right place and didn't look up instantly, it would have come and gone without you seeing it. It took me some time to learn what model aircraft it was and what its purpose was. Then I found that an old friend had served on the crew of one, doing offshore patrols with the Navy during the 1950s. He lived on a hill under its flight path and enjoyed seeing and hearing it every day during the summer and early fall. I moved about 10 miles away from its route 25 years ago, so I don't know if the DEQ is still using it, but it may have been a difficult and expensive old plane to keep flying that fast and frequently.

Thank you for the educational and entertaining video. As a member of VP-6, I had many hours in our P2V-5's. We were deployed all over the Pacific with an up close and personal contact with Russian fighters. As a new arrival at the squadron, my position was that of Co-pilot and Navigator. Later we upgraded to the P-3 and thought we had died and gone to heaven. They rewarded us with Adak and Sheyma deployments. A far cry from our Barbers Point, Hawaii home base. Thanks again for the great video.

vp-11 out of brunswick me. from 57 to1960 at 2 with 4600 hours inp2v7 Qualified in every position (including plane caption ) for enlisted crew crashed in keflavic in 1959 we all survived

Looked at a lot of them at Subic bay , truly a machine built for purpose .

Thank you so much for putting this together. It brought back a lot of memories. Like ronimackerl mentioned, I too was on the flight deck as a Julie/ECM operator at VP-2 - Whidbey Island, Washington from 1967 - 1969. We made two 6 month tours of Vietnam. The biggest guy in the crew was the Ordnanceman. He had to wrestle 5 foot long Sonobouys and load them into these ejectors while the plane was doing 3G turns (during a Julie exercise). Tough guy. And like ronimackerl said the radioman and the ordinanceman entered the aircraft from under the aircraft behind the wing beam. In Vietnam, we didn't have an observer in the rear. We carried a 9 man crew - Mad gear operator/picture taker, Pilot, Co-pilot, Plane Captain, Jes, Navigator, Tactical Coordinator, Julie/ECM, Radioman, and Ordinanceman. Thanks again.

thank you for this interesting video

Thank you for this very accurate show. I served at NAS Alameda in the same time frame serving as a observer on the a P2V 5 with a ball Turin in the nose and on top. Brings back many memories.

Most excellent. I was USN sonarman '60 - '64 stationed in Barbados and Argentia, Nfld. I got to fly in P2Vs as an observer a couple times. This was an informative video, I even learned a few things from it.

There is a P2V-7 displayed at a VFW post in Baltimore Ohio. I have been inside of it . The wing box is installed inside the fuselage and a person has to crawl over it to go forward or rearward. Aft there is an electric oven and two burner stove.

I’ve seen one of these as a display piece at the Missoula airport! Kmso

My Dad (who passed a few years ago) flew these aircraft but without the jet engines. He said it scared the hell out of him because of the time on the mainframe had passed it's usability. He was in the Navy and stationed up in New York. He was drafted at first but took a commission 6 months later. He was already a pilot before being drafted.

My Dad served in 2 Neptune Squadrons. Where could I see one fly or in a museum. He was based at NAS Jacksonville

Actually, the whole crew didn't enter through the nose wheel area. The rear observers (one was an ordinanceman) and the radio operator entered through the rear hatch. The ordinanceman also was usually the cook and chief coffee maker. Good book about P2 service "Coffee on the Wing Beam". You have to have been there to appreciate the book's title. Jezebel/1st Tech, 1967/68, Crew 10, VP42.

Thank you for the interesting video, a small remark regarding the crew positions, I flew in the P2V-7 ( we referr to it as the SP2-H ) as navigator and later as Tacco in the Dutch naval aviaton service , on station the navigator operated the radar while the Tacco had the plotting table, secondly though some information could be send to the GTP 4 display in the cockpit, control of the aircraft was not possible from this plotting table. During transit the navigator most of the time would use the plotting table as his desk for navigation with either the Tacco or navigator doing the drift measurements and or radar observations , this might have led you thinking the navigator had the plotting table position :) . Again thank you for this really good video ,

I flew a P-3 into Valkenberg Netherlands. Landed in 100’ ceiling and 1/4 mile visibility. But at the Dutch O’club I me

My dad flew all marks of the Neptune during his twenty year naval aviator career that ended in 1962. VP-3, VP-6 and VW-3 plus VP-741, a reserve squadron based at NAS Atlanta. VW-3 flew into pacific typhoons from Agana Guam. It was my fathers favourite aircraft.

On May 4, 1982, an SP2-H Neptune of the Argentine Navy detected the presence of enemy ships, the position data and others were transmitted to an attack patrol of 2 Super Etendard aircraft of the Navy, carrying out the first missile Exocet attack of the world, resulting in the sinking of the type 42 frigate HMS Sheffield.

Love the JetStar's above your shoulder!

VP-21, Brunswick, ME, 1966-69

I flew a P-3 into the Dutch Navy P-2 base in Valkenberg. Besides the dense fog 100’ and 1/4 mile viz not much else of note except I met the Dutch pilot who shot down a Mig-15 in a dogfight. I believe his plane had 8, 20mm canon in the nose. The Indonesian Mig jumped him made a strafiing run and crossed in front. They shot him out of the air. I can't remember his name but he was certainly famous at the base.

Always wanted to fly in one! P3c Baseline IFT, VP-40, 78' to 83'

My Grandfather was a Radioman on a P2V5. He has told me lots of stories about that plane.

My dad was in VP661 at that time.

My dad was a flight engineer on one of these in the Korean war.

P2V 131445 on display at Kingsley Field.

Long live VO 67!

After the sea is was the fire servises for the USFS. Not To worry Neptune aviation Out of Montana. Made sure that all these planes went to respective museums. The only plane that hasn't gone to museum is tankers 7 which is currently sitting on the end of the runway with the wing removed and unsure of when it is going to go to museum tanker 10 Is currently standing as a static display to their office and headquarters.

👍📡💎

Great series, but your background music and aircraft engine sounds overwhelmin any interviews and narrations. It's really annoying and difficult to understand the comments.

VP661 My dad's squadon.

VP 94 NAS NOLA