Neptune ASW Aircraft

Neptune P2V

Manufacturer:

Lockheed

Overall Length:

91 feet, 8 inches

Wing Span:

101 feet, 4 inches

Height (tip of tail):

29 feet, 4 inches

All-Up Weight:

72, 000 pounds

Empty Weight:

38, 160 pounds

Fuel Load:

33, 840 pounds

Type:

115/145 Avgas

Maximum Speed:

Patrol Speed:

Endurance:

Range:

5, 010 Miles

Ceiling:

Engine:

2 Wright Cyclone R-3350 18 cylinder radial engines, each 3,400hp, turning four-bladed propellers.

History:

First aircraft developed specifically for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW). A Neptune named the "Truculent Turtle"(with additional internal fuel tanks) flew non-stop from Perth, Australia, to Columbus, Ohio, from 29 September to 1 October 1946, a time of 55 hours, 17 minutes, and an un-refuelled distance of 11,236 miles.

Canadian Purchase:

The 25 original Canadian P2V7s were not equipped with turbojets. These were purchased later when the aircraft's marginal performance on one engine became apparent, and were installed locally, without generators. This was a direct cause factor in Canada's only Neptune crash. Jets were installed in Canadian Neptunes after they left Greenwood service for No.2(M) OTU and MP&EU, Summerside, PEI and 407 Squadron, Comox, BC.

Greenwood Service:

March 1955 to June 1959 with 404 and 405 Squadrons.

Crew:

Normal crew of 9 : 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, 2 navigators, 4 radio officers.

Equipment:

APS-20 Radar, Electronic Support Measures (ESM), Exhaust Trail Indicator (ETI), searchlight, Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD), passive acoustics, Explosive Echo Ranging (EER).

Weapons:

Torpedoes, bombs, depth charges, mines, rockets.

Remarks:

 The Greenwood Neptune was in fact an EP-2H BUNO 147969 which last flew with VC8 from RR Puerto Rico and was the last P2 to flying on the Squadron as an airborne data link. Loaned to the Museum by the United States Navy it arrived in Greenwood on 27 August 1980 and was flow by Lieutenant Commanders Marty Merrick and Ray Read. Along with AD2 Joe Meyer, the last P2 Standardization Flight Engineer in the USN, and AR3 Tim Fitzgerald.

References:

"The History of CFB Greenwood, 1942-1992", Craig Kelman and Associates Ltd.

An empty field indicates either that the information does not apply to that airframe or is yet unavailable. Feel free to drop us a line to help us fill in any blanks or correct errors. Several sources may list different specifications based on different versions of the airframe. We have tried to use the statistics that reflect the aircraft as flown in Greenwood. All conversions among units have been rounded and are approximate values.