Bernard P. Giroux, U.S. Navy Veteran
The P-3C Orion. I flew the A, B, and C models while assigned to VP-56 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The P-3C broke five world records for heavy turboprop aircraft. As an antisubmarine warfare platform, maritime surveillance aircraft, and all-weather aircraft, it was unsurpassed.
Chief Petty Officer Ernest LaChapelle, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The P-2 Neptune for longevity and reliability in all the variants. From an old crew dog, I do not think there was any bird that could match it.
Lieutenant Commander Keith Blevins, U.S. Coast Guard
The H-60 helicopter. It excels in specialized roles in the maritime domain, from logistics and search and rescue to drug interdiction and submarine hunting. It will be in service for decades to come.
R. G. Van Treuren, U.S. Navy Veteran
The availability and safety of ZNP-K airships allowed daily year-round operations. During World War II, airship K-6 scored the first airborne antisubmarine hit (U-94 on 13 March 1942) and airship K-56 the last hit (U-853 on 6 May 1945) in U.S. waters.
U.S. Navy airship K-2. U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive
Commander Larry A. Grant, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Consolidated’s Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina flying boat, went to war even before the United States did. PBYs sank submarines and ships, rescued downed flyers and survivors of ship losses, bombed enemy bases, and—arguably in its most important role, at Midway—spotted enemy forces at sea.
H. David Kaysen
The CH-46 helicopter was the backbone of the Navy logistics chain,
transferring matériel and personnel
internally and goods externally on its cargo hook. The underway replenishment fleet could begin vertical-replenishment transfers long before the receiving ships came alongside for connected transfers of fuel, supplies, ammunition, and personnel.
Chief Warrant Officer Robert Labrenz, U.S. Navy
For nearly 60 years, the C-2A Greyhound has delivered mail, parts, passengers, aircraft engines, and more to the fleet. It is also the only way a non-aviator can experience a catapult shot and a trap on board a carrier—
always an exhilarating experience!
William Burson, Bucknell University Student
The E-6B Mercury. It has been used since 1998 as an airborne national command post for the Looking Glass mission, in which the nation’s top leaders can direct a nuclear counterattack.
Carl Nawrocki, U.S. Coast Guard Veteran
The Grumman HU-16 Albatross amphibious seaplane served the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard from the early 1950s to the early 1980s. It is rugged, reliable, and still being flown around the world.
Chief Petty Officer John M. Duffy, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Capable of extended on-station loiter time and could carry up to six torpedoes or nuclear-depth charges in the internal bomb bay and up to four Harpoon missiles externally. The P-3C was essential in battle space surveillance, using an array of sensors.
Commander Neil Bourassa, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The Cold War submarine hunter P-3 Orion. It has served for more than 60 years with 18 nations and several U.S. civilian agencies and is still in operation. More than 40 different variants demonstrate the airframe’s flexibility and reliability across numerous mission areas.
Jim Fischer, U.S. Navy Veteran
Stationed in Brunswick, Maine, in the late 1970s, I was assigned to VP-11. At the time I believed (and still do) that the P-3 Orion kept the Soviets in check by tracking their subs to and from Russia. All antisubmarine warfare aircraft did their jobs under difficult conditions.
Lieutenant Commander Paul H. Case, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter was the workhorse for both the Navy and Marine Corps, both as a troop transport and a highly effective vertical-replenishment cargo-delivery system.
John Snyder, U.S. Navy Veteran
The Vought OS2U Kingfisher catapult-launched observation floatplane, which performed well in the spotting role, and even better in the air-sea rescue role in the later years of World War II. Working in cooperation with lifeguard submarines, they snatched downed pilots amid gunfire from Japanese shore units.
Captain Joseph Mazzafro, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The US-3 carrier-onboard-delivery (COD) aircraft, also known as “Miss Piggy.” It brought the carrier battle groups fresh food, timely mail, and needed parts while experiencing long line periods on “Gonzo Station” in the Arabian Sea south of Iran.
Ed Wong, U.S. Navy Veteran
The helicopter. Manned or unmanned, its versatility is unsurpassed. There is no naval operation or mission to which one or another iteration of rotary aircraft has not been applied or adapted.
Senior Chief Paul H. Sayles, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The R-4D/C-47 Skytrain was a reliable and rugged aircraft able to operate from Antarctica to the Arctic Ice Cap. It was adapted for multiple uses, from troop and cargo transport to air ambulance. It was a true work horse of an aircraft.
Michael Ravnitzky, USNI Life Member
The versatile K-class naval airships, with an 87-percent combat readiness rate and tremendous endurance, were pivotal in World War II convoy-escort, antisubmarine, scouting, and minesweeping missions; reconnaissance during the Cold War; and search and rescue saving 1,000 lives. Remarkably, only one of 89,000 escorted vessels was lost, compared with 532 unescorted ships.
Major Bob Cypher, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (Retired)
The KC-130 Hercules. The most durable, dependable, and adaptable airplane ever!
Brigadier General John Hurley, U.S. Air Force Reserve (Retired)
Navy float/pontoon planes and seaplanes such as the PBY Catalina were reliable, long-legged, and multipurpose. Others include the huge Martin Mars and the scout/observation aircraft carried on some cruisers.
Edward Fitzelle
The PBY Catalina. It did everything it was designed to do. My father flew Catalinas in the Black Cat Squadron at Guadalcanal. Then he flew PB4Ys for his second combat tour.
Joh J. Schat, Bathmen, The Netherlands
The Lockheed P-3 Orion. Staying in the air for a long time and being present is good for sea and land deployments. Enough space to take everything under the wings.
Scott FitzGerald, U.S. Navy Veteran
As a U.S. Navy ocean systems technician from 1976 to 1980, we primarily relied on underwater hydrophones to locate Soviet submarines. However, we also relied on P-3 Orions flying over the ocean, dropping sonobuoys to detect an exact location for “the bad guys.” The good guys won the Cold War, thanks in part to those P-3 Orions.
Captain Jim Davis, U.S. Navy (Retired)
With 50-plus years of service, the P-3 Orion fills the bill. With 3,000 P-3 flight hours I only recall having to shut down an engine once for a “chips light” and that included several deployments to Iceland in the winter with VP-56. With more than 20 countries flying it, the P-3 is a keeper.
T. A. Comeau, U.S. Navy (Retired)
Antisubmarine warfare patrol aircraft. Their prolonged range and time on station alone gives them the edge over all other aircraft, without even getting into their substantial payload of weaponry.
Lieutenant Colonel Michael Rogers, U.S. Air Force (Retired)
The P-3 Orion. It protected the surface fleet and merchant ships and generally kept the Soviets on their back foot for most of the Cold War. The Air Force could support air refueling for carrier-based antisubmarine warfare aircraft but only the P-3 could do its entire mission unrefueled.
Captain Fred Furtek, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
In-service for more than 60 years, the P-3 Orion is a legend. Since 1962, it has kept Russian subs running for cover, performed ISR from Kandahar during the “decade in the desert,” and now hunts the bad guys for Customes and Border Control. The P-8 has big shoes to fill.
Lieutenant Commander Sean P. Walsh, U.S. Navy (Retired)
The PBY Catalina. First flight was in 1935 and it continued in production until 1945. Although designed as a patrol bomber, it served in a variety of roles including antisubmarine warfare, convey escort, search and rescue, and even as a cargo transport. In addition to the Navy it was flown by the Army Air Force (as the OA-10) and numerous allies, especially the British who named it the Catalina. There is even discussion in putting a modernized version back in production!
