Radschool Association Newsletter

Radschool Association Newsletter - Vol 8

28 Feb 2001

Page 6

Adrian Heinrich, who spent some time with 10 Sqn in Townsville recalls the Neptune ASW aircraft and his experiences with the Sqn.

The Lockheed Neptune

The Neptune can trace its maritime patrol ancestry back to the Lockheed Hudson. Designed in 1938, the Hudson gradually revolved through improvements into the PV-2 Harpoon, though even before the United States’ entry into World War Two, it had become apparent that the US Navy would need a land-based patrol bomber with greater range and armament, higher level and climbing speeds and slower approach and landing speeds than the Hudson and Harpoon.

What the Navy needed was an aircraft designed specifically for the primary mission of day and night ASW and anti shipping operations. Preliminary work was begun in September 1941. The initial concept called for an aircraft with a gross weight of 25,000 to 35,000 lb, power operated turrets, tricycle landing gear and the ability to carry two torpedoes, bombs and depth charges internally. The favoured powerplants were a pair of eighteen cylinder Wright R-3550s producing 2,000 hp.

Progress on the new patrol plane was slow as the US Navy needed proven aircraft during the critical months following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, but by early 1943 the USN switched its procurement attention from acquiring immediately available aircraft, to supporting the development of newer and more capable types. One design feature of the new aircraft included the wing box running continuously through the fuselage. This also allowed the entire bomb bay load to be directly distributed throughout the wings, but made going from front to back on the inside damn difficult.

The Neptune was also designed to be an easy and accessible aircraft to maintain, and supposedly a complete engine change could be accomplished in 30 minutes, a propeller in 22 minutes and an outer wing panel in 79 minutes.

In the spring of 1945, thirteen months after the initial contract was awarded, the Neptune was ready to fly.

The RAAF acquired and operated two different versions of the Neptune. 11 Sqn received their first 2 x P2V-5’s in 1951 with the remaining 10 being delivered in 1952. In 1961 it was decided to purchase twelve of the more modern P2V-7s for delivery to 10 Sqn in Townsville.

A89-312, (P2V-5) delivered to 11 Sqn in Nov 1951, shown here at Richmond

11 Squadron (Motto: Shepherd or Destroy) was formed at Richmond in March 1939 and equipped with Empire flying boats and Seagull amphibians. It was sent to Port Moresby where its was to monitor Japanese shipping movements in the region. After Japan’s entry in the War, 11 Squadron was re-equipped with Catalina flying boats and after losing a couple of aircraft in Moresby Harbour, it eventually withdrew to northern Australia.

For a while then, 11 Squadron moved all over Australia. In 1942, it was sent to Cairns where it conducted long-range patrols over the Coral Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In late 1944 the squadron moved again, this time to Rathmines, near Newcastle, New South Wales. From there it performed one of its most successful missions when three aircraft flew to the Philippines and mined Manila Harbour just before the invasion of Mindoro Island.

Then in 1946, the squadron was disbanded, but reformed in 1948 and was subsequently equipped with Lincoln Mk.30 aircraft.

The squadron again disbanded in 1950 at RAAF Amberley in Queensland and reformed that same year at RAAF Pearce. It was here in 1951 that the squadron began transition to the P2V-5 Neptune aircraft. The squadron then returned to its birthplace at Richmond in 1953 and operated from there for the next 14 years.

In February 1957, three 11 squadron Neptunes participated in "Operation Westbound" - the RAAF's first around the world flight.

Neptune aircraft were operated until 1968 when the Squadron moved to South Australia in January and was re-equipped with Orions later in the year. In 1970 Prince Phillip presented the squadron with its own standard for 25 years of meritorious service.

Lockheed produced more P2V-5 models than any other type. It was capable of carrying an 8,0001b load of mines, torpedoes, bombs or depth charges and sixteen rockets on under-wing launch stubs, which was later reduced to 8 with the addition of the Westinghouse J-34s jet engines. An APS-20 radar was mounted in the underbelly position just behind the nose wheel doors. The wing tip fuel tanks could carry an additional 350 gallons of fuel in each tank while the starboard wingtip tank housed a powerful searchlight with a moveable reflector and arc element. The whole thing was controlled by servomotors from the nose turret area. The port wingtip tank had an APS-31 search radar mounted in its forward portion. It carried a crew of nine, had a top speed of 341 mph and a range of 4,750 miles.

Originally the aircraft were delivered to 11 Sqn without the Westinghouse J34 jet engines, however, in June 1959, the first Neppy (A89-302) was ferried to the USA for the installation, and was returned to No 11 Squadron in October that year.

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