We're a bit short of club plane pictures, but with Veteran's Day celebrated this month we dug into the archives for some some old military shots.

These are Jake Jacobs' photos plus shots from his CVS-12 USS Hornet 1959 Westpac Wanderings far east cruise book. Anti-Sub squadron VS-38 deployed from NAS North Island, Coronado, California with Grumman S2F aircraft for the six month cruise to Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines and other ports of call.  Air support was provided by F2H Banshees from VAW-11 detachment Papa and HSS-1 SeaBat helicopters from Helasron 8 hovered for Angel support.  The aircraft carrier operated along with seven destroyers.  The mission - Hunt and Kill submarines (HUK).  The USS Hornet is now a floating museum based at Alameda, California.  To visit, land at OAK, Kaiser Air will provide a free courtesy car for the short trip to Alameda.

Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) S2F Trackers carried 16 sonobuoys which were dropped to the water's surface.  The sonobuoys, each transmitting via aquaphone, listened beneath the surface to triangulate a sub's position.  A radome, Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) boom, Signal-Underwater- Sound (SUS) devices and a powerful searchlight completed its sensing package. Torpedoes, depth charges and rockets were used for offensive measures, including its biggest "stick", a nuclear depth charge.  Hard points under the wings could carry rockets or could ferry torpedoes.

The operational strategy--P2Vs scanned large areas of the ocean to detect possible sub locations, S2Fs moved in for closer resolution and choppers and Destroyers with radomes operated in  proximity of the ship.  The S2F provided the versatility which sonar equipped surface ships lacked and the Grumman Tracker was the bane of the Soviet subs for over twenty years.

Grumman S2F Tracker

Type: Anti-submarine aircraft Manufacturer: Grumman Aircraft Operator: US Navy

Engines: Two 1,525 hp Wright R-1820-82WA Cyclones

Length 42 feet Maximum speed 265 mph Wingspan 68 feet 8 inches Range 841 miles Height 16 feet 3 inches Service ceiling 22,000  Crew 4 Gross 26,000 pounds Armament: One ASW torpedo  or 4,810 pounds of depth charges, bombs / rockets Sixteen sonobuoys

History of the S2F