Lost crew heading home after 42 years in icy grave

The Virginian-Pilot ^ | August 19, 2004 | KATE WILTROUT

[csvset]

Rest In Peace.

[endthematrix]

[snopercod]

When I was in high school, I got to take a tour of the Lockheed plant at Burbank. They were building P2-Vs at the time. Those were the ones with the radial engines, not turboprops like the P3s have now.

This should give some closure to the families after all these years.

[ken5050]

Nice story..thanks..Question..if a family years ago received "partial remains"..they obviously held a burial service, had "closure" to use that much overused word, and went on with their lives...If, years later, additinal remains are identified...is another service held, or is the casket exumed, and the newly identified remains combined? Is their protocol for this, or is it a religious issue, or up to the individual families involved?

[Aeronaut]

P2Vs had two radial engines and two jet engines. As we used to say: "two burning and two turning."

[Khurkris]

Rest In Peace.

[csvset]

Is their protocol for this, or is it a religious issue, or up to the individual families involved?

I'm not sure what the protocol is in a case like this. I'd imagine that the family has a say as to the final internment.

[csvset]

P2Vs had two radial engines and two jet engines.

Did they use to jets to get up to altitude and the props for cruising?

[quietolong]

VPer Bump

[theDentist]

C'mon home boys. We're grateful, and we're proud of you.

[the crow]

My late Dad flew sub chasers in this neck of the woods in the late 50's in Patrol Squadron 10 based in Brunswick ME. I believe they were P-2Bs, though, but I could be mistaken.

He had two tours in Iceland. Suspect that is where he learned to play poker. Wonder if it was the same squadron.

[submarine571]

This story closes a chapter in my life, also. I was the air-to-ground radio operator, on watch at NAVCOMMSTA Iceland, when Lima Alpha Niner went down. If it is the same plane, and I am almost certain it is, I can remember still today the feeling we had when we heard the SOS.

In those days Morse code was the means of long haul communications. Naval Communication Station, Iceland was part of what we called the "Barrier." It consisted of radar sites, ships, planes, and submarines that stretched across the arctic circle to Northern Europe. Its purpose was provide "Early Warning" of a missile attack from Communist Russia.

When a P2V was on patrol, we monitored two radio frequencies. Depending on the time of day it could be a 2 meg. freq., or a 9 meg. freq. Usually we monitored both. Policy required that the planes send sitrep's regularly. One of the items in the sitrep was the planes geographic position.

Because it was the mid-watch, and only one plane was up at the time, our supervisor allowed us to monitor the radio by speaker. Except for the crackling coming from the speaker, and the sitrep calls from the plane it was quiet in the radio room. Occasionally, I would call the plane and goof around with the radio operator. We were not supposed to do this, but did so sometimes. It broke the tedium of the long, and usually uneventful watch.

Suddenly, we heard it. Everyone in the room heard it, and sprang into action. I put my headphones on and began to type. Others grabbed pad and pencil, or sat before other typewriters to copy the incoming message. It was an SOS from Lima Alpha Niner. She was so far away, and the reception was so poor that night - reception was alway poor in Iceland - that we could barely hear the message. She kept sending the SOS with her position for a few more moments, and then nothing. Except for the static coming from the radio, the room was deadly silent. We called and called Lima Alpha Niner. The feeling of helplessness was overpowering that night. I'll never forget it.

Years later I can remember passing Greenland in a submarine on my way to the North Pole. When we passed the latitude where the plane went down I took a moment to honor and remember my comrades. God rest their souls. They were hero's!

Pride Runs Deep!
Peter LaFond, RMCS(SS), USN Ret.

[DustyMoment]

Welcome home, shipmates.

May you rest in eternal peace.

[cpdiii]

We bring our men home.

[dd5339]

Ping!

Semper Fi

[DustyMoment]

The jets were used primarily for takeoffs and landings. Once at altitude and/or onstation, the jets would be shut down to conserve fuel and extend range.

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the ping Snopercod.

[jackbill]

Heather Nauert of Fox News did a story on these guys a while back and that story is credited with pushing the Navy to go back for them.

[snopercod]

Thanks for relating your sad experience, Mr. LaFond.

[snopercod]

The P2V I saw being built had a million-candlepower arc light under one wing. IIRC, it had a parabolic reflector about 16" in diameter.