| P5M/P-5 Marlin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) U.S. Coast Guard Martin P5M-2G Marlin | |
| General information | |
| Type | Patrol aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Glenn L. Martin Company |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | United States Navy |
| Number built | 285 |
| History | |
| Introduction date | 1952[1] |
| First flight | 30 May 1948 |
| Retired | 1967[1] |
| Developed from | Martin PBM Mariner |
TheMartin P5M Marlin (P-5 Marlin after 1962), built by theGlenn L. Martin Company ofMiddle River, Maryland, is a twin piston-enginedflying boat that entered service in 1951, and served into the late 1960s with theUnited States Navy performing naval patrols. It also served with theUnited States Coast Guard and theFrench Navy, with 285 being produced.
Built as a successor to thePBM Mariner, it had better engines, an improved hull, and a single vertical fin tail. The XP5M Marlin prototypes were based on the last PBM-5 Mariners, the company designation beingModel 237. The type was heavily improved, again leading to the P5M-2 (Model 237B), which was redesignatedSP-5B. A number of P5M-1 models were also used for training, designatedTP-5A (after 1962).
The Marlin was designed as agull-winged aircraft to place the engines and propellers high above the spray. Power was provided by twoWright R-3350radial engines. The rear hull did not lift sharply from the water at the tail, instead rising up steadily, a Martin innovation; this gave the aircraft a longer base of flotation and reduced "porpoising" over waves.[2]
The prototypeXP5M-1 had nose and tail turrets with twin 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon in each, as well as a dorsal turret with two 0.5 in (12.7 mm)M2 Browning machine guns. The cockpit area was the same as the Mariner's. It first flew on 30 May 1948.[3]
The first of 167 productionP5M-1 aircraft was produced in 1951, flying on 22 June 1951.[3] Changes from the prototype included a raised flight deck for improved visibility, the replacement of the nose turret with a largeradome for the AN/APS-44 search radar, the deletion of the dorsal turret, and new, streamlined wing floats. The engine nacelles were lengthened to provide room for weapons bays in the rear.
The P5M-1 was followed by 116P5M-2 planes. These had aT-tail to put the tail surfaces out of the spray, anAN/ASQ-8 MAD boom at the rear of the tail-tip, no tail guns (the gun position replaced by the antenna for theAN/APN-122 Doppler Navigation Set), better crew accommodation, and an improved bow to reduce spray during takeoff and landing.
The last flying boat operations of the United States Navy wereOperation Market Time patrols byPatrol Squadron 40 (VP-40) during theVietnam War.[4] Maritime surveillance patrols began in February 1965 to locate small craft transporting supplies fromNorth Vietnam toViet Cong units inSouth Vietnam.[5] VP-40 operated fromseaplane tenders and patrolled off theMekong Delta betweenPhú Quốc andVung Tau.[6]
VP-40 carried out the final U.S. Navy Marlin flight, which landed onSan Diego Bay inCalifornia on 6 November 1967.[7]
The last U.S. Navy P5M, redesignated an SP-5B in 1962, was flown toNaval Air Station Patuxent River,Maryland, on 12 July 1968 for interim storage pending construction of a display area for it at theSmithsonian Institution inWashington, D.C. As a display area at the Smithsonian did not materialize, the aircraft later was moved to theNational Naval Aviation Museum atNaval Air Station Pensacola,Florida,[8] where it is was on display as of 2010.
Seven P5M-1Gs and four P5M-2Gs were built for theUnited States Coast Guard forair-sea rescue service, but the Coast Guard found the planes difficult to maintain and surplus to requirements. They were subsequently transferred to the U.S. Navy, which redesignated themTP-5As and used them astraining aircraft because they had no provision for armament.
TheFrench Navy took delivery of ten former U.S. Navy Marlins between 1957 and 1959 to replaceShort Sunderlands in maritime patrol service. They were based atDakar,Senegal, inWest Africa. They were returned to the U.S. Navy in 1964.
France
United StatesOne SP-5B is located at theNational Naval Aviation Museum atNaval Air Station Pensacola,Florida. This aircraft, BuNo135533, is believed to be the last remaining example of the Marlin. It is now displayed inside the new hangar (as of the spring of 2010) and much of the exterior has been restored. The restoration is being financed by the museum and the Mariner/Marlin Association.[12]
Data from United States Navy aircraft since 1911,[13] Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1957–58,[14] American flying boats and amphibious aircraft : an illustrated history[15]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
up to 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) internally in nacelle bomb-bays + up to 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) externally under the wings
Avionics
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
