In 1955 the Navy directed that all land based patrol aircraft be painted in an overall seaplane gray scheme. This change replaced the familiar sea blue worn by Navy patrol aircraft for more than a decade. As with any major changes, the transition took some time as the aircraft were sent to Overhaul & Repair (O&R) and returned to the squadron painted in the new scheme. It was not unusual for a single squadron to have a mis-matched collection of differently painted aircraft. It was also during this time, that the Navy experimented with natural metal finishes on some of it's aircraft. Considering the harsh environment that VP aircraft routinely flew in it comes as no surprise that the bare metal Neptunes were soon repainted.
The P2V-5JF was a specially modified Neptune used to penetrate hurricanes. Most of the ASW equipment was removed and new mission specific gear was installed. Some P2V-5J and P2V-5JFs also had an additional radar installed in the clear bow station. This particular Neptune of VW-4, while wearing the overall seaplane gray scheme has had a portion of the engine cowling replaced with one still retaining the previous sea blue color.
©1997-2005
United States Navy VP Squadrons 1959-1964