A BIT OF HISTORY: Truculent Turtle "...October 4th, 1946..." WebSite: EBay http://www.ebay.com/usr/newportgamesandphotosllc?_trksid=p2047675.l2559 [28JAN2016]

A BIT OF HISTORY: Truculent Turtle "...Later in 1946, CDR Rankin was copilot of the "Truculent Turtle" that flew non-stop from Perth, Australia to Columbus, Ohio, a distance of 11,256 miles in 56 hours and established a new world's record for non-stop distance..." U. S. Navy Property [15DEC2012]

A BIT OF HISTORY: Truculent Turtle "...FLIGHT OF THE TRUCULENT TURTLE: THOMAS D. DAVIES and E. P. RANKIN. Photograph signed: "Tom Davies" and "E. P. Rankin". Item is an original, authentically signed..." WebSite: EBay http://www.ebay.com/ [21MAR2012]

A BIT OF HISTORY: Truculent Turtle "...01OCT46 - Navy Bomber Bucked Wind - Shook Off Ice - Publication Title: 13th Naval District Public Information Department Press Clippings, 1942-1960 - Content Source: NARA - Publication Number: P2012 - Date Range: 1942-1946 - Reel Number: 0001 - WebSite: http://www.footnote.com/..." Forwarded by Stephen Miller f134kilmil@comcast.net [21AUG2008]

A BIT OF HISTORY: Truculent Turtle "...18SEP46 - Navy Plans 9,000-Mile P2V Flight - Route Over N. W. From Australia - Publication Title: 13th Naval District Public Information Department Press Clippings, 1942-1960 - Content Source: NARA - Publication Number: P2012 - Date Range: 1942-1946 - Reel Number: 0001 - WebSite: http://www.footnote.com/..." Forwarded by Stephen Miller f134kilmil@comcast.net [21AUG2008]

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...'A Page From the Past'..." WebSite: Norfolk Public Library http://www.npl.lib.va.us/history/history62.html [16MAY2003]

In late September 1946 a new milestone in aviation history was set, an 11,236-mile non-stop, non-refueled flight from Perth, Australia to Columbus, Ohio. The plane, a US Navy Neptune patrol aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed and nicknamed "Truculent Turtle," was specially fitted with extra gasoline tanks to test its capacity for long-distance flight.

The crew of four made the trip in 55 hours and 17 minutes, at an average speed of 204 mph. Their only passenger was a young kangaroo named Joey, a gift from the Australian people to the National Zoo in Washington.

The Turtle's record held for nearly 15 years, though a New York Times editor opined that the flight's significance had "no practicable application ... to commercial transport of passengers" unless such a flight could ever be accomplished at much higher speeds, with far less time spent in the air.

In the 1950s, the Turtle was put on display at the corner of Granby Street and Taussig Boulevard, where it remained a landmark for many years, until the construction of I-564 in 1967 necessitated its removal to the interior of the Naval Air Station. In 1977, the little plane was transported to a new home at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida.

A BIT OF HISTORY: "...Official photograph dated 24 October 1946 of the Truculent Turtle of the 4 way handshake after landing at Columbus, Ohio..." Contributed by ZIEMER, AT3 Robert R. vp57usn@aol.com [Updated 01OCT2002]
Photo ONE "...File Number: 703234 Filed: 24 October 1946 - Signed "The Turtle" Official Navy Photograph..."
Photo TWO "...File Number: 703234 Filed: 24 October 1946 - Public Information Information..."

"Truculent Turtle Summary Page"

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