DEPLOYMENTS

SURTSEY rose from the sea just 77 miles southeast of NAS Keflavik, Iceland.

VP-18 P2V-7 aircraft were the first to explore this newest volcanic land mass created in 1963 (and reportedly still the newest in 2003).....All 6 aircraft on the split squadron deployment had to be scrubed to remove the very caustic ash after visiting the area. The ash is visible falling from the smoke.

The following picture was taken an unknown number of months later after a larger land mass had formed.

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This page was last updated on: May 30, 2015

1963.....ICELAND and SPAIN Use F-11 to view full-screen

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Executive Officer's Crew 7 (Commander "Sam"Mansfield - Plane Commander)

BACK ROW: Dennis (SKI) Blaszczynski AX3 (3rd Tech)....McCorkel (2nd Mech)....Ray Janney AT3 (Radioman)....

James Resavy AT1 (1st Tech)....Bob Chase AT1 (Ordinance Man)....Missing from Picture - Chuck Roden (Plane Captain)

FRONT ROW: LT George Murphy (Tactical Coordinator)....ENS Pete Norman (Navigator)....CDR Sam Mansfield (dec.) (Executive Officer)....LTJG Bobby Knapp (dec.) (Co-Pilot)

Missing from picture....LT Richard Ward ( XO's Crew Plane Commander)

Received from Brad Rohr on February 4, 2005

I was in VP-18 in 1962 till 1963 in Jacksonville, then again in "65" to "66" in P.R.. I remember the Nina II, it's funny how things come to you after such a long time.

The picture is from Keflavik in , I believe "63" because I was on duty when

my name came across the teletype to report to VP30.

Thank you,

Brad Rohr

Richard Ward replied...

Note the canvas chute that channeled the heat down to the floor where people worked. I can remember the hanger, in possibly Argentia, where one of our Plane Commanders started the engines in the hanger because of the cold outside, and then intended to taxi out of the opened hanger doors. But the canvas chute was sucked into the propellers and there was a momemtary cloud of flying shreded canvas, before the engine was quickly shut down. As I recall noone got in trouble, but it was never tried again! Does that jog your memory? Or I may just add the picture to the 1963 webpage and ask if anyone remembers who the inovative pilot was.

And I'll add your email address to the notification list. Regards, Richard

Brad Rohr responded:

I remember that well, it was a Lt.Com. I remember this because a Lt. from the other side of the hanger came over to complain. I remember the Lt.Com. said that if they could start engines in the Miami hanger, he could do it at the hanger we were in.

Brad Rohr