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from the Soviet Union. With the help of the Allies, The The MLD received a real boost began to rebuild their aviation forces. beginning in 1957 when the Grumman The Netherlands was also a bit unique compared to many of S2F-1Tracker started coming on line its European neighbors in the fact it had an — courtesy of MDAP. The USA agreed to HNLMS Karel Doorman (R-81). This was a Colossus-class carrier supply 28 new S2F-1s and 17 Canadian- that had previously operated with the as HMS built CS2F-1s to replace the now veter- Venerable. The ship was sold to The Netherlands in 1948 as a an Avengers. light attack carrier. Photographed during May 1970 at RAF Abingdon, US-2N 151 was making a visit to the Twenty-five of the new Trackers The Netherlands Naval Air Service (Marine Luchtvaart base for its annual airshow. (Norm Taylor) arrived in 1960, one in 1961, and two in Dienst) initially received 30 Mk. 4s and operated 1962. It is interesting to note that The them from a carrier on loan — HMS Nairana — for two-years In the early 1950s, the Mutual Defense Assistance Program Netherlands retained the S2F-1 designation on all 28 aircraft but until Venerable was fully modified and updated. At that point, (MDAP) really began to aid The Netherlands and 18 Lockheed changed it to S-2A in late 1962 to keep pace with the American more Firefly Mk. 4s were added along PV-2 Harpoons replaced the now elderly Mitchells operated by tri-service redesignation program. with 14 Mk. 5s and two-dozen No. 320 Squadron in the maritime reconnaissance mission. In Beginning in September 1960, the Trackers were operated by DUTCH ENTHUSIASTS Hawker Sea Fury Mk. 11s (a fur- 1953, Lockheed P2V-5 Neptunes replaced the B-25s and this VSQ-1 at Naval Air Base Valkenburg. As they unit worked up, HAVE RESTORED A ther 24 FB. 51 Sea Furies modern sub hunter/maritime recon platform greatly updated the S2F-1s regularly deployed aboard Karel Doorman and this were built under license Dutch naval aviation. During this same time period, 50 continued until 1968 when the carrier was sold to GRUMMAN US-2N by ). Grumman TBM-3S/-3W Avengers were added to the invento- Argentina (in whose use, it would become part of ry and equipped two MLD squadrons. Other aircraft supplied the Falklands War as ARA Veinticinco de BY PATRICK by the USA included 17 Marin PBM-5A Mariner amphib- Mayo ). Trackers were also supplied to No. DIRKSEN AND FRANK MINK ians and six Beech SNB-5 light transports. 320 Squadron, also based at Valkenburg. On 28 December 1962, this unit was redes- uring the Second World War, The ignated VSQ-2, and it occasionally operat- Netherlands suffered greatly from the ed from Karel Doorman. In 1969,VSQ-2 German invasion and occupation. stood down its Trackers when it became DWith the conclusion of the war, the the Operational Conversion Unit for the Dutch government agreed that its military needed Neptune and Breguet Atlantique. to be built up so that a similar situa- tion would not again take place — this time The Wright radials on the freshly painted the threat was Grumman US-2N Tracker burst into life.

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