Lockheed P2V Neptune

Lockheed P2V Neptune

A Lockheed P2V Neptune aircraft built in the USA as a maritime patrol aircraft and submarine hunter, known in the Royal Air Force as the Neptune MR.1, crashed during a landing at Luqa Airport on 13 January 1956.  After salvaging usable parts, the aircraft was sold for filming and sunk in the late 1950s for underwater scenes in the film The Silent Enemy, released in 1958.

The wreck lies about 500 metres off the shore of Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq on Malta’s northeast coast. Divers can explore the remains of the aircraft at a depth of 32 metres, resting on a seabed of sand and meadows of Posidonia sea grasses. What remains of the Lockheed P2V Neptune aircraft are mainly parts of the fuselage, wings with engine covers and other wing parts partially buried in the sand nearby.

The surrounding reef and cultural significance of the wreck make it an interesting dive site worth exploring at least once.

This wreck was opened to divers in 2015.

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