You Can’t Keep a Good Neptune Down (For Long)
Mostly unharmed after her unauthorized journey halfway across the country, 131522 finally made it the rest of the way to NAS Jacksonville for service with VP-16 War Eagles on 16 September 1960. On 26 February 1961 the Neptune switched units to VP-7 Black Falcons but stayed at Jax. On 18 September 1962 131522 was redesignated as a P-2E. When VP-7 deployed to Rota in Spain between April and October of 1964, P-2E Neptune BuNo 131522 went along. On 16 March 1965 the Neptune went into storage at Litchfield Park, then a Navy Storage facility in Arizona. That facility is now Phoenix-Goodyear Airport and is still an aircraft storage facility- but for civilian aircraft (mostly airliners).
Ending Up as a Crash Test Dummy?
In December of 1965 131522 was transferred to MASDC at Davis Monthan AFB when Litchfield Park was disestablished. Removed from storage again on 15 January 1971, the Neptune went to the Naval Air Reserve Training Detachment (NARTD) at NAS North Island. On 5 March 1972 the aircraft was struck from the Naval inventory with a total of 6,179 hours on the clock and transferred to the Naval Air Reserve Detachment (NARDET) Columbus at Lockbourne AFB (now Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base [ANGB]) in Columbus OH. There the aircraft was used for ground training for several uneventful years. But on 9 February 1979 the Air Force requested the airframe be transferred to them in place so 131522 could be used as a crash/fire rescue training device- which would have resulted in its eventual total destruction. On 28 February 1979 the aircraft was transferred from NARDET to Air Force custody. But that’s not the end of the story- or the aircraft.
Why Did Bob Do It?
Bob Swain’s actions were absolutely unprecedented and very mysterious. Air Force officers from Barksdale AFB (where Swain was held) said Swain gave them no reason for his actions other than he was ready to go so he did just that without waiting for the pilots or the rest of the ferry crew. Prior to his “solo” flight Swain reportedly had an exemplary service record, with three commendations for outstanding service and a Good Conduct Medal with two Bronze Stars. A spokesman from Ferry Squadron THREE (VR[F]-3) based at NAS Norfolk said that Swain “had no disciplinary marks against him.” Swain was 34 years old with nearly 17 years of Naval service, married, the father of two daughters, and living in Norfolk at the time.
Convicted and Demoted But Still In the Navy
The Navy kept a fairly tight lid on the story. After all, the P2V Neptune Swain flew halfway across the country by himself was a critically important piece of the Navy’s ability to detect, track, localize, and kill Soviet submarines. Supposedly the Air Force was very impressed by his airmanship. However, on 15 December 1960 Aviation Machinist Mate First Class Robert H Swain was court martialed and found guilty of “wrongful appropriation of an aircraft” after the board deliberated for an hour and twenty minutes. Swain was reduced in rate to Aviation Machinist Mate Airman Recruit (from E-6 to E-1) and fined $25 per month for six months. Swain could have received a maximum sentence of a Bad Conduct Discharge. And frankly it’s surprising he didn’t.
The Sub Hunter Becomes a Fitting Tribute to a Lost VP-7 Crew and All Veterans
On 6 May 1982 P-2E Neptune BuNo 131522 was transferred to the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3761 located in Baltimore OH. After the transfer of ownership the aircraft was transported to the grounds of Liberty Union VFW Post 3761, located at 2155 Reynoldsburg Baltimore Rd NW, in Baltimore, OH 43105. There the once purloined patrol bomber can be visited today. 131522 also received a more accurate paint job depicting the aircraft during her final active service paint scheme while in service with VP-7 Black Falcons.
The Final Crew of 522
According to Don Bates (who would certainly know) when 131522 was taken out of active service in early 1965 her crew consisted of pilot LCDR Bob Byerg, copilot LT Bob Harris, navigator LT Larry Johnson, TACCO LT Bob Crabtree, crew chief/plane captain ADJ2 Don Bates, non-acoustic sensor operator ATR2 Howard Hollweg, acoustic sensor operator AX2 John Delconte, electrician AE3 Wayne Des Rosiers, radio operator ATN3 Henry Rustmann, second mechanic ADR3 Richard Woody, and ordnance man AO1 Herb Jung.
But…What About Bob?
Despite the liberal use of Ouija boards, fortune tellers, Magic 8 Balls, and miscellaneous dark sorcery, as well as literally turning the interweb upside down to see what would fall out of its pockets, this scribe has been able to verify precious little information about Robert Harold Swain either before or after his decidedly unorthodox flight. One unsubstantiated source claims that Bob Swain later became the plane captain for the Commanding Officer’s P-2E Neptune at VP-21 Black Jacks at NAS Brunswick in Maine.
Other Unknowns
It’s also not completely clear where Swain was headed when he departed NAS North Island. His eventual landing in Shreveport seems to support a destination of NAS Jacksonville, which was where 131522 was eventually assigned, but he could also have been headed back to Norfolk and strayed off course during his “solo” flight. If any reader has any insight into Bob Swain or any of the details of this story please comment or contact us with the information. We will credit all sources.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Not long after this story was published I heard from Don Bates, who was the crew chief when 131522 was retired from active duty. He provided several of the pictures of 131522. Thanks Don!
If you are still trying to track down Robert Harold Swain, the P2V thief, I’m fairly certain of his origin and what happened to him. Please contact me if you are still interested.