lockheed pv-2 harpoonAttu Warrior

As many of you know, the Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon "Attu Warrior" has a special place in our hearts. We were able to fly aboard her during the Parade of Planes at the Centennial of Naval Aviaiton in 2011 at Naval Air Station North Island. We were able to take part in this honor because of our good friend, and the owner of "Attu Warrior," Dave Hansen. We are sad to say that on January 12, 2018, we lost a masterful member of the aviation and warbird restoration communities, and a great friend, when Dave Hansen passed away. For almost thirty years, Dave worked tirelessly to restore countless examples of airpower and engineering beauty, and this particular aircraft, a PV-2 Harpoon, was his personal project and passion. Dave's son, Daniel, is now looking for someone to give her a home and continue with his passion to share this magnificent Harpoon with veterans and aviation enthusiasts around the country. "Attu Warrior" has been resting at the CAF Utah Wing in Heber City, Utah for many years now, and she is ready for her new life. Please feel free to share this to help get the word out, let's work together to help get her a new home and back in the air. For more information, please contact Daniel Hansen at (801) 786-9842 or [email protected].

lockheed pv-2 harpoonAttu Warrior

The Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon is a twin-engine military patrol bomber designed and built by Lockheed Aircraft Company during World War II for the United States Navy. The aircraft was a derivative of the Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar transport, and was first flown in 1943. Approximately 600 PV-2s were built from 1944 to 1945. In early 1942, the United States Navy put out a call for a new long-range maritime patrol bomber capable of carrying a heavy payload over a long. Lockheed submitted the Model 18L design, an evolved version of their popular Model 18 Lodestar transport, which had first flown in 1939. The model 18L featured changes that included an increased wingspan, more powerful engines, and a larger fuselage able to accommodate a bomb bay. The Navy was impressed with the design and ordered two prototypes as the XPV-2, with the first flying on December 17, 1942, and the second prototype flew shortly thereafter on January 6, 1943. The first production aircraft flew in March 1944 with deliveries to US Navy squadrons beginning soon thereafter. PV-2 Harpoons answered the Navy's need to detect submarines along Alaska's coastline and to protect ships entering Alaska waters. PV-2s mainly saw military service out of the Aleutian Islands flying against Japanese forces in the Northern Pacific, conducting anti-submarine and bombing missions to ward off Japanese attack in the Aleutian Islands Campaign. Established at Kuluk Bay on Attu Island, PV-2s helped ensure that allied convoys in the waters off Alaska could transit without interruption from Japanese submarines. Patroling the skies over Attu, the PV-2s legacy has become an essential part of Alaskan wartime history.

ATTU WARRIORLockheed PV-2 Harpoon

"Attu Warrior" was delivered to the US Navy as Bureau Number (BuNo) 37472 on November 19, 1945. In December of 1945 she was assigned to the aircraft pool at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Holtville, California. In February of 1946 she was transferred to the aircraft pool at Naval Air Station Litchfield Park, Arizona, and in June of 1946 she was put into storage at NAS Litchfield Park. In 1957 she was transferred to the civil registry as N5223V, and in 1963 this was changed to N7670C. In 2006 Dave Hansen, of Dave’s Custom Sheetmetal/Aircraft, LLC., in Heber City, Utah, purchased Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon N7670C and began restoring her back to her 1945 US Navy look and configuration. During the restoration she was given the name "Attu Warrior" in honor of all the Lockheed PV-2 Harpoons that flew from Naval Air Station Attu, Alaska, which was on Attu Island, the westernmost of all the Aleutian Islands. Today "Attu Warrior" is one of the most accurate and fully restored Lockheed PV-2 Harpoons around.

Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon "Attu Warrior" by the numbers:

Specifications:

    Crew: 7
    Length: 51 ft 1 in
    Wingspan: 75 ft
    Height: 13 ft 3 in
    Loaded weight: 36,000 lb
    Power Plant: 2x Pratt and Whitney R-2800 radial engines, 2000 hp each

Performance:

    Maximum speed: 282 mph at 13,900 ft
    Range: 1790 mi
    Service ceiling: 23,900 ft

Timeline:

•     Attu Warrior was delivered to the US Navy as BuNo 37472 on November 19, 1945.
•     December 1945 – Assigned to the aircraft pool at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Holtville, California.
•     January 1946 – Put into storage at NAAS Holtville.
•     February 1946 – Transferred to the aircraft pool at Naval Air Station Litchfield Park, Arizona.
•     June 1946 – Put into storage at NAS Litchfield Park.
•     1957 – Transferred to Civil Registry as N5223V
•     1963 – Civil Registry as N7670C (Current N-Number)
•     1963 – George H. Stell, Phoenix, Arizona (Sprayer)
•     1968 – Airfleet Leasing, Inc., Gainsville, Florida
•     1971 – Dothan Aviation Corp., Dothan, Alabama (Sprayer)
•     1978 – Robert F. Yancey, Klamath Falls, Oregon (Grasshopper Sprayer)
•     1981 – Arbor Air, Columbus, Nebraska
•     1987 – Hirth Air Tankers, Buffalo, Wyoming (Sprayer on Government Fire Ant Program)
•     1998 – Constance C. Hirth, Buffalo, Wyoming (Put into Storage)
•     2006 – Dave’s Custom Sheetmetal/Aircraft, LLC., Heber City, Utah (Restored to US Navy Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon Attu Warrior)

A special thanks to the National Air & Space Museum for providing the Aircraft History Card for the military inventory history of "Attu Warrior."