Mariner/Marlin Association

1950 PBM Mariner Aircraft Art

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 19:39:37 +0000

by Ned Norris

My brother Jack Norris known as “Jock” in VP46 had joined the Navy 2 years prior to me. When the Korean War broke out in 1950 I was completing my sophomore year in college. I joined with hope of serving with my brother. After completing my schools I was assigned to the USS Kearsarge and was headed for Korea when my orders came in to transfer VP46. “Jock” Norris was an AK2 and I followed him into storekeeping. I had the opportunity to serve in VP46 through the Korean War and made two cruises to US Naval Station, Sangley Point in the Philippines.

In looking back time spent with the squadron were some of the happiest times of my life. Our squadron was blessed with outstanding Officers and men. I personally had the opportunity to fly as a crewmember throughout my squadron time. It became known in the squadron that I had a background in art. A close friend in the squadron, C. T. Hartigan, an AT3 in Baker Dog 10 asked me if I would create and paint nose art for his crew. (A side note, C. T. Hartigan became very successful in his business career, becoming the owner and publisher of Dunn and Bradstreet Publishing in Chicago IL.) I completed the art work on BD10 which created a great deal of interest from the other crews. (The Bat Out of Hell)

Our Squadron Captain determined that he felt it brought our crews closer together and supported the crews in selecting nose art. (It should be noted that when we would return to the states the nose art had to be painted out much to the moaning and groaning of the crews.) I would draw up a number of suggestions for the crews to select from. The next obvious step was to have patches made for our flight jackets that were exactly like the individual planes nose art. It should be noted that the Captain would periodically discuss with me what he felt was appropriate or perhaps too risqué. Overall I believe it was a moral builder and lot of fun for all concerned. The patches were made possible through our squadron tailor Venecia Reboya. Vince and his family became close personal friends through the years. Vince lived in Kiewit, Cavite with his outstanding family. Vince passed away several years ago but we have stayed in contact with his oldest son Carlos. I would like to add that we had in our squadron an AB3 by the name of Nesbitt Charles Jenkins Jr. Nesbit was a great help in providing the correct spacing for the aircraft scaffolding, and the timing for the artwork. Nesbit became a very successful contractor in Atlanta Georgia. We remain close friends to this day seeing one another as often as possible.

My brother “Jock” is 83, C. T. Hartigan is now 78, Nesbit and I are turning 80 in a few months and we are all going strong. We all look back at our squadron days with wonderful memories.

2011 MMA Reunion Photos

Wed, 18 May 2011 18:39:15 +0000

Photos taken at the 29th Reunion in Pensacola, FL, May 3-8, 2011

The $5,000.00 Photograph

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:16:05 +0000

Irvin S. Copper

The young guy in the helmet, goggles, and white scarf, was me as a Cadet in January, 1944. It was a photograph taken by the Navy just before we received our wings as U.S. Naval Aviators. The photograph was made for the Navy files, in the event I became a war hero or killed in battle. They made ten copies, postcard size, and gave nine of them to each Cadet to trade with classmates, or send home to family and friends.

I gave my first copy to my friend AI Nadler, a skilled and eager pilot who was hoping for carrier duty in the Pacific. As things turned out, I ended up in the Pacific and AI spent the War years as a flight instructor.

When I returned home at the end of the War, AI was one of the first of my buddies I met. We were both wearing our working green uniforms with gold wings on our breast pocket, and our lt.(jg) one and one half gold stripes on our sleeves. He was envious of my combat ribbons pinned under my wings. We hugged each other happily and tried to catch up on our experiences since we had last seen each other. We recalled memories, friends, and the nostalgia of the programs we went through together. We laughed, and then AI gave me another hug and tugged at his tight Navy tunic. In his breast pocket, just behind his gold wings, he gleefully removed my Cadet photo to show me how he had carried it all the time I was overseas. The edges were worn from handling and I was baffled why he would have carried my picture so long. AI boasted to me that my photograph was worth $5,000.00. Before I could ask for an explanation, he had already started to give it to me.

“Every night after flight school,” he began, “I would go into town and head for a local bar. I would sit down on a stool and take your picture out. I would lean it up against a bar glass and then look at your photo. Usually, someone came in alongside and would sit next to me, and curiously ask, “Who’s that?”

“I would shrug my shoulders,” and Al performed the ritual for me, and say, “That’s my pal Cooper. He just got shot down fighting the War in the Pacific. Without hesitation, the guy would put his hand on my shoulder and say, “Let me buy you a drink.”

Al looked at me with pride in his eyes. “Let me tell you,” he said, “that picture of yours bought me at least $5,000.00 worth of drinks.”

April 4-6, 2011 the Centennial of Naval Aviation

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:05:56 +0000

In recognition of the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CoNA), the 2011 Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Heritage Celebration will be held on-board NAS Jacksonville from 4-6 April, 2011 in conjunction with the annual MPRF Reunion. Heritage events run from Monday-Wednesday and include a Flight Suit Dinner with guest speaker Vice Admiral Myers, Commander Naval Air Forces. Other highlights include a Heritage Fly-in, Heritage Golf Tournament, PBY Monument rededication and more. As we are looking for maximum participation from every era of MPR aviation, the events are open to all current and past MPRF warriors.

Information on the event, as well as, registration, is provided on the CoNA website (www.mprfcona.org). The website includes information on travel, lodging, base info and a detailed description of each event. There is a $20 registration fee, which includes an official patch and coin designed for the celebration. The event is fully supported by the MPRF and we intend to make it one of the most memorable events to date.

www.mprfcona.org

New President of the MMA

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 22:35:21 +0000

Biography of Douglas C. Miles – Douglas C. Miles was born in Florence South Carolina in Oct. of 1946 and was one of five sons of Raleigh J. Miles. He grew up on a dairy farm second of five boys in Florence County. He graduated from J. C. Lynch high school in 1964. One week after gradation (June 9th) he reported for Navy boot camp in San Diego, California as a “kiddy cruiser” at the age of seventeen years. Upon completion of such he attended aviation ordnance “A” school in Jacksonville, Florida then went on to the fleet for aviation ordnanceman aircrew training with VP-31 for the P-5. Once this was completed he requested “brother” assignment to serve with his brother Raleigh Miles Jr. in VP-50. Doug and Raleigh made the 1965/1966 tour to Vietnam with Doug flying in crew five and Raleigh flying in crew one. Upon return to the states in 1966 Raleigh’s enlistment tour was completed and he returned home. Doug returned to Vietnam with VP-50 for the 1966/1967 tour continuing to fly with crew five. Upon return to the states he participated in VP-50’s transition from P-5’s to P-3’s. Doug completed his enlistment in Oct. of 1967 and returned to South Carolina.
Using the GI education bill Doug returned to school and received a degree in civil engineering technology and construction management. Doug married his high school sweetheart in 1968 and they have two children, April and Doug Jr.. Doug is now the proud grandfather of three.

Doug is now semi-retired from the engineering and construction business living at his home in Birmingham, Alabama spending lots of his time fishing at his retirement home on Grand Isle, Louisiana. Doug is a Senior Project Manager who has worked and lived in many different locations both national and international. His project assignments included chemical, petrochemical, herbicide, ammonia fertilizer, power, pulp and paper, pharmaceutical, foods, tobacco, commercial, water-treatment, wastewater treatment, foundry, and airports.

Doug has been a member of MMA for more than 10 years and looks forward to serving as your president.

Hangar Bay One Opens to Public 11-10-2010

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 22:31:45 +0000

information provided by National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, FL.

The P5M Marlin has been undergoing restoration at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Fla. This aircraft will soon be displayed inside the Museum’s new exhibit hangar, Hangar Bay One. This new addition, the first in 14 years, will house approximately 35 aircraft and add an additional 55,000 square feet to the Museum complex. The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation is holding a Gala to celebrate the National Naval Aviation Museum’s new Hangar Bay One on November 10, 2010.

The Hangar Bay One Gala will include a cocktail hour followed by dinner, live music and an entertaining and educational program with special guest emcee, Emmy award winning CNN anchor, Kyra Phillips. Attendees include community members, active and retired flag officers, senior Naval officers from local commands, executives from the aerospace industry, Department of Defense officials and special guests from across our nation. For more information, sponsorship opportunities and to purchase tickets for this event, please contact the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation at (800) 327-5002 or online at www.NavalAviationFoundation.org.

Following the Gala, Pensacola Naval Air Station will also be hosting the Blue Angel Homecoming Air Show November 11-13, 2010.

54B Operations in the Salton Sea

Thu, 27 May 2010 22:44:16 +0000

Crew 54B pictured following the awarding of the Air Medal. Ensign Hardie on the left; LTJR Dunham on the right. Ensign Nelson must have been on Duty. Lingayan Gulf, Philippines, May 1945

Salton Sea, California’s largest lake was formed in 1905. That year, the Colorado River choked with melting snow and excessive rainfall, burst its boundaries. The overflow filled a basin in Southeastern California that now covers 376 square miles, is 52 feet at maximum depth and whose surface level is 226 feet below sea level.

As its name implies, the lake’s water is saturated with salt. The lack of an overflow and the high salinity of the inflow contribute to an ever-increasing salt level. The salinity of the lake’s water is greater than the Pacific Ocean’s, but somewhat less than Utah’s Great Salt Lake.

The Navy in 1939 established a seaplane base at the lake. The primary plan for the facility was to train PBY crews. It was envisioned to serve as a ferry stop and as an emergency landing area.

The base was designated as a Naval Air Facility in 1942. When two clay runways were constructed in 1944 and a carrier squadron was deployed to the area, the base was commissioned as a Naval Auxiliary Air Station. Base personnel at that time numbered 85 officers and 465 enlisted men.

Combat Crew 54B of NAS Banana River assembled for the first time on January 22, 1945. Five months and 350 flight hours later the crew was ready for their simulated trans-Pacific flights: 1,200 miles west from San Diego over the ocean and return.

The officers and enlisted men were: LTJR J.S. Dunham, Ensign R.W. Nelsori, Ensign G.W. Hardie, F.W. Cronk, C.J. Deininger, R.F. Fitzwater, A.E. Hill, R.A Lerch, E.C. Locke, A.R. McCreary, N. Trbovich, and M. Zisa.

The PPC, Dunham, previously served with VPB 202 with the Atlantic Fleet, and, for eleven months in the Central Pacific Theatre. He was the navigator on the first mainland – Kaneohe flight by a PBM (#48167) on January 4, 1944. The other officers and crew members were well trained rookies.

May 11, 1945,

The crew 54B was scheduled for the practice San Diego to Kaneohe flight.

1800 Hours- The jato assisted take off was uneventful. The PBM reached cruising altitude after a slow but steady climb into a starlit night.

1830 Hours- Ensign Nelson plotted the first of many drift sights.

2000 Hours- The navigation by Ensign Nelson expert assistance from first Ensign Hardi; plane Captain Fitzwater and the reliable performance from the Pratt Whitney engine forrecast a successful flight.

2030 Hours- The first of several celestial sights were applied.

2345 Hours- Reacting to advice from the navigator, the PPC executed a 180 degree turn and set course for the mainland.

May 12. 1945

0530 Hours- Approaching NAS San Diego, engine power was reduced and decent from 8,000 feet began.

0600 Hours- NAS Tower acknowledged the return of 54B, but without further comment.

0615 Hours- Descending from bright morning sunlight into a solid under cast at 3,000 feet, procedures for an instrument approach were started.

0630 Hours- At 500 feet visibility remained at zero. A decision to abort the approach was made by the PPC. Climbing out of the clouds, the flight crew was greeted with blue sky’s at 3,000 feet.

0645 Hours- NAS San Diego announced zero visibility and that the seadrome was closed to air traffic. Further, .. the fog and clouds were at ground level north and south from the station.

0710 Hours- PPC Dunham, “fat, dumb, and happy” has little choice but to continue and cruise until the visibility improved.

Except for the crews fatigue and a dwindling reserve, there was no great concern in the cockpit. Confident that the sun would soon disperse the fog, a position would be determined, and heading home would be set.
However, the PPC made, what in retrospect was a Dilbert type mistake; he neglected to order continuous DR navigation and sun lines.

0730 Hours- It was recognized by the PPC and the navigator that a reliable home heading was uncertain. The crew was not lost, but they were just not certain where they were.

0800 Hours- NAS San Diego still closed.

0830 Hours- San Diego and the California Coast was still socked in. No relief or advise was forthcoming from the NAS Tower. Both R2800’s were leading on 45 gallons per hour.

0845 Hours- The fog bank was beginning to break up and land was sighted. It was identified as Catalina Island. San Diego remained closed.

0855 Hours- NAS San Diego was informed of the plane’s position. The tower suggested an alternative seadrome – Salton Sea.

0900 Hours- a heading was set for the Sea – 150 distant miles.

1050 Hours- What could be near record time for a successful PBM flight, the plane splashed down at Salton Sea completing the flight, it lasted 16.8 hours.

May 13. 1945

0900 Hours- A take off from a calm Salton Sea was made and the compass was set for NAS San Diego – west 130 miles.

1020 Hours- A buoy was made at home base completing another successful training flight.

(The sequences of events of this narration are accurate; however, the hours are estimated.)
Today, the area around the Salton Sea is not a location for a lucrative real estate investment for several reasons.

The Navy is no longer an economic provider. The NAAS was disestablished in 1946. The facility was maintained as an emergency seadrome and as a weather alterative until 1967.

The Salton Sea basin is a system of accelerated change. The ever changing shore line is a perpetual problem. Motels, retirement homes, and the WWII Navy base are now underwater

The lake’s excessive salinity, algae, and bacteria have taken a toll on tourism.

Nevertheless, as recently as 2004, state plans have been proposed in an effort to save the sea. Suggested projects have included the creation of evaporation ponds, construction of dams to isolate areas of high salinity, and the construction of a canal from the Sea of California to import water with less salt.

Before his death, Sunny Bono, a California legislator, supported designs to clean up the lake. His wife, Mary, who replaced him in the legislature, continues to advocate restoring the lake. A state committee has floated a twenty-five year nine million dollar plan to restore this lake. Other California needs probably have higher priorities.

LTJR J.S. Dunham may be reached at jdunham772@earthlink.net

Japanese Sign Final Surrender

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:48:22 +0000

Japanese Surrender- Amazing Footage Sept 2, 1945…

Very moving considering what happened prior to this event…

This is a ‘must see’ for the WWII history buff or anyone interested in history. Interesting the other signers to the document, from New Zealand/Australia to Europe/Russia.

This is an actual film made of the surrender ceremony of the Japs to McArthur in Tokyo Bay in September 1945. Actual voice of the General. Never been shown to the general public before. We always saw the “stills” but never the film itself.

Historical Footage: Japanese Surrender Signing Aboard Battleship Missouri Sunday Sept. 2, 1945.
An important piece of history.

_________________________________________________

News reel of the surrender ceremony on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. Background music is “With Honour Crowned”.

The Long Way Home

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:52:44 +0000

A civilian airliner, cut off from home by the outbreak of World War II, makes a dash for freedom…

December 7, 1941. The Pacific Clipper, Queen of Pan American Airways fleet of flying boats is 6 days out of San Francisco, bound for Auckland, New Zealand. Captain Robert Ford receives a coded message: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor…Implement War Plan A…Proceed to Auckland, NZ…Maintain radio silence…Wait for instructions…Your aircraft is a strategic resource-it must not fall into enemy hands under any circumstances

Pan American Airways bases all across the Pacific were captured. Returning to the US west coast by the Pacific Clipper did not seem possible. A week of waiting, then another coded message:

DEC 14, 1941: Do not return to Hawaii. Do not return to US west coast…Strip aircraft of all markings and identification…proceed west…maintain radio silence…deliver aircraft to Marine Terminal, LaGuardia, NY. Good luck.

Experimenting with Landing Gear in 1945

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:01:59 +0000

The "Old Lady" MARS flying over Baltimore

Excerpt from the book, Our Navy Days, By Joseph L Heinz

In June 1945, the Navy delivered to our NATS VR-8 squadron, the world’s largest operational seaplane, the Martin MARS, and it also was the largest aircraft, until 1988, ever operationally flown.

After many years in design and production, and setbacks, the MARS made her maiden flight in 1943. She was tested and tested, and our squadron, VR- 8, did some testing in 1943, with Pat “Pappy” Byrne at the controls. In 1944, she was sent to VR-2 squadron in Alameda, California, for actual service testing time between Alameda and Honolulu. These were all very successful tests and in June 1945, the MARS was sent back to VR-8 in Patuxent for training of pilots for the new MARS, designated the JRM-1, soon to be coming off the production line at the Martin factory in Baltimore, Maryland.

I took my first flight in the MARS – her nickname was the “Old Lady” – in June 1945, a week after her arrival at Patuxent, and in July was checked out on instrument flying and as plane commander.
It is difficult to explain just how large this ship really is. One thinks the four-engine PB2Y’s we flew were really large. The “Old Lady” almost doubled the wingspan of the PB2Y’s, doubled the height, almost doubled the empty weight, and almost tripled the carrying capacity. Engine horsepower was 2,200 HP per engine, for a total of 8,800 HP – almost double the PB2Y’s 1,200 HP for each engine, for a total of 4,800 HP.
The “Old Lady” was used for training purposes at Patuxent and I was one of the flight and instrument check pilots.

In September 1945, the Navy transferred me on temporary duty to the Martin factory in Baltimore for a one-month training school in the new MARS JRM aircraft coming off the line at Baltimore. This course was specific to the JRM and included: the aerodynamics of the JRM; stall speeds and characteristics; the hydraulic system assist for tail fin, elevator, wing, aileron, etc. movements; and the engineering detail involved in the system and the handling of the aircraft in case of hydraulic failure. On a daily basis, we would tour the JRM’ s on the factory production floor to become familiar with its structure and put into place what we had learned in the classroom.

As an aside, the Navy quarters and classroom were temporary Quonset huts and no heat nor hot water were available. The morning showers at 5:00 a,m. were indeed a wakeup. We bunked in a Quonset hut and the showers were about 50 yards away from the hut, out in the open. No hot water – only cold. The weather in late September, early October, at 5 :00 a.m. can be and was quite chilly. We had no bathrobes, only shorts and T-shirts, and sometimes only a towel. So it was a 50-yard sprint to the shower, a shivering cold shower, a quick dry-off, and record 50-yard-dash speeds back to the cold hut for further drying off. To say the least, it was an invigorating experience.
We satisfactorily completed the JRM course in early September and returned to Patuxent to resume regular duty there. We continued on our regular overseas flights and continued flying the MARS on training flights with pilots whom the Navy was grooming to eventually fly the JRM’s on Pacific routes.
In October 1945, our squadron received the MARS JRM-l from the Glenn Martin factory. Our squadron would fly it some prior to sending it on to the VR-2 squadron in Alameda for its mission of flying cargo and personnel to Hawaii and beyond. Later in October, I received orders, along with other officers, to fly the JRM-l MARS to Annapolis, Maryland, in celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Naval Academy. Annapolis was a good place to showcase the Navy’s newest air transport aircraft. A Lieutenant Commander McDowell and I were assigned as pilots; other officers involved in the MARS program were along to assist in the program at Annapolis.

We docked the ship at the Academy for the week’s stay. It was a busy week, with all the Navy brass. The admirals, the four stripers, Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal (who replaced Frank Knox in 1944), and the Undersecretary were out in force. A senator from Maryland was also present. There was a lot of saluting going on. The big attraction for the weekend was the football game between Penn State and the Navy, and, of course, our display of the MARS; the world’s largest aircraft drew its share of traffic.
Ensign Willits, one of the officers in our crew, was desperate to get a ticket to the football game, but to no avail. That did not stop his ingenuity to see the game. Our ship was docked close by the football field. The ship’s vertical tail fin stood some forty-five feet in the air and had a built-in ladder going up the fin. Having exhausted all avenues for a game ticket, Willits climbed the tail fin and had a wonderful perch atop the fin watching the game.

Our quarters for the week were the Officers’ Quarters at the Academy, which were excellent.
I felt privileged and honored to be selected as one of a small cadre of Navy seaplane pilots to be entrusted with, and to captain the world’s largest aircraft. At the same time, it was, and one certainly felt it to be, a special responsibility in maneuvering this multimillion-dollar craft on water, in flying it, and, in general, using special care for this pride of the Navy air fleet. At the time, I was the youngest of the small group of lieutenants and lieutenant commanders – some with former airline experience and with much more aircraft flying time than I had – to be qualified to captain the MARS.
While at the Glenn L. Martin factory, I became acquainted with a Martin test pilot, Ed Edmunds, an Army 1 st Lieutenant. Ed and I became good friends during my duty at the Martin factory. Ed was testing for Martin, a twinengine B-26 Army bomber, which had a new type of experimental landing gear instead of the usual tricycle gear.

As aircraft were getting larger and heavier, requiring heavier landing gear, Glen L. Martin, producer of the twin-engine Army B-26 bombers, experimented with landing gear which would fold into the plane fuselage instead of into the wings, as the fuselage was able to carry heavier weight than could the wings.
Martin designed the XB-26-H, a B-26 airplane, modified with a main large single landing wheel in the fore of the fuselage and another main single landing wheel in the aft; it had a small wheel on each wing, retractable into the engine nacelle – only sufficient to balance the plane on the ground, such as wing floats on a seaplane balance it on water. The landing in this craft had to be done with the tail wheel touching first, then as the plane slowed on the runway, the front wheel would touch and the aircraft would balance on [he fore and aft wheels until speed was lost, when the wing wheels would keep either wing from touching the runway.
So, I asked Lt. Edmunds if I could fly the plane. “Sure, I’ll check you out in it.” was the response. Over the period of an hour, I made a half-dozen takeoffs and landings, flew the plane around the area for a bit, and had a full checkout in the plane. The landings were similar to the tail-first landings we learned in training. Martin never proceeded further with this landing gear concept, as the retracted main wheels occupied too much valuable inside cargo space.

While at the Martin factory, Ed also checked me out in the Douglas R4D twin-engine craft, which Martin was using to transport personnel.

The JRM -1 MARS, nicknamed the “Marshall MARS,” which our squadron had received and flown, was eventually sent to Alameda, California, VR-2 in February 1946. I was, by that time, discharged from the Navy. Subsequent to this MARS going to Alameda, the Marianas MARS, Philippine MARS, and Hawaii MARS were delivered to Alameda for service in the Pacific. The Caroline MARS – an improved version of the JRM-l, now designed as JRM-2 MARS – was delivered to VR-2 in May 1948. It was the last MARS built.