History:
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06APR51 | Allotted serial number A89-589. |
15AUG52 | Renumbered A89-307. |
30JAN53 | Received 11SQN Pearce ex USA. |
15DEC53 | Departed Pearce for storage at 3AD Archerfield. |
02DEC54 | 3AD instructed to upgrade the aircraft to fly-away status. |
10JAN55 | Back at 11SQN by this date. |
Mark
2 Conversion
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06APR56 | Issued 2AD ex 11SQN. |
10FEB58 | Issued 11SQN ex 2AD. The status card suggests that the aircraft was at 2AD for nearly two years! |
25FEB58 | Allotted for use for duration of Royal Tour. |
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother visited in 1958 to attend the British Empire Service League Conference in Canberra. She travelled to the Australian Capital Territory, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, Adelaide and Perth, as well as many provincial and country areas during the time of her visit 14 February – 7 March. (Source: Wikipedia) | |
17MAR58 | Royal Tour duties appear to have been for this one day only. |
Mark
4 Conversion
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25JUL59 | Departed for USA for Jet Pod Mod. |
14NOV59 | Returned from the USA. |
14APR60 | Despatched to CAC, Avalon for Mod 208. |
17MAY60 | Despatched to 11SQN ex CAC. |
19MAY61 | Despatched to CAC, Avalon for Mod 201. |
16JUN61 | Received 11SQN ex CAC. |
JAN65 | Around this time some P2V-5 Neptunes were given names derived from popular movies of the day. Although no doubt intended to honour the James Bond movie Thunderball, photographs show that A89-307 was actually named Thunderballs (i.e. plural!). In the absence of photographic proof of the singular form, it must be assumed that the name was in the plural form from the outset. Certainly the "s" does not appear to be a later addition. |
18MAY66 | Four Neptunes departed Richmond for NAS Sangley Point in the Philippines via Townsville, Port Moresby and Guam for SEATO Exercise SEA IMP. The aircraft were A89-304, 306, 307 and 309. |
30MAY66 | The four aircraft flew from Sangley Point to Butterworth to continue Exercise SEA IMP. |
07JUN66 | A89-306, 307 and 309 departed Butterworth for overnight stops at Cocos Island and Pearce returning to Richmond on 09JUN66. A89-304 departed for Bangkok for the SEA IMP debrief departing for Butterworth on 09JUN66 returning to Richmond via Cocos Island and Pearce on 12JUN66. |
25SEP67 | A89-307 and 309 participated in the search for the pilot of Mirage III A3-52 which crashed at Gloucester, NSW. The pilot ejected and was rescued with only minor injuries. These are amongst the last recorded Neptune operation in the 11SQN ORB but evidently not all flights were recorded as the Squadron was preoccupied with the introduction of the P-3B Orion. |
18DEC67 | Received Hawker de Havilland, Bankstown for storage pending disposal decision. |
19APR68 | Hawker de Havilland advised to convert aircraft to components and declare residue for disposal. |
NOV68 | Broken up at Bankstown. |
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SOURCES
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1
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NAA, RAAF Unit History sheets (Form A50) [Operations Record Book - Forms A50 and A51] Number 11 Squadron Nov 50 - Jun 67, Series number A9186. |
2
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RAAF Form E/E.88 Record Card. |
Issue | Date | Remarks |
---|---|---|
15 | 21SEP22 |
Added
an image thanks to Eric Allen.
|
14 | 09AUG22 | |
13 | 02NOV21 |
Added
references from 06APR56 to 17MAR58.
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12 | 11NOV20 |
Added
an image thanks to Eric Allen.
|
11 | 10JUN19 |
Added
a reference to Exercise Sea Imp in MAY-JUN66.
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10 | 09JUN19 |
Added
a reference at 25SEP67.
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9 | 08JUN19 | |
8 | 04JUL17 | |
7 | 02MAR16 | |
6 | 27FEB16 |
Added
an image thanks to Maurice Ritchie.
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5 | 20NOV15 |
Added
details of the storage at Archerfield.
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4 | 05NOV15 |
Added
return date from the Jet Pod Mod.
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3 | 05OCT15 |
Added
an image by Barry Flood via Ben Dannecker.
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2 | 28AUG15 |
Added
an image thanks to Phil Ware.
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1 | 24NOV02 |
Original
issue.
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