The Northrop PS-1, B-35 Maritime Patrol Variant
By Joe Poutre
In 1949 the first PBT-1 entered Navy service. A variant of the B-35, it traded bombs for depth charges and ASW and maritime patrol equipment. By 1954 some 87 PBT-1s were flying over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. One admiral, watching the big plane fly over head, remarked how its shape resembled a giant bow. Thus came the name "Artemis", after the Greek goddess of war and wisdom, proficient in archery. In 1955 the Navy evaluated the B-49. The sole PB2T flew several missions over the Atlantic, but in the end the Navy preferred the slower speed and longer range and patrol time of the prop-driven PBT-1. By 1958, an upgraded variant, now redesignated PS-1A, began to come on line. (A bureaucratic mix-up resulting in many documents continuing to refer to the aircraft as the PBT-1A into the 1970s.) All defensive armament was removed save a tail-mounted 20mm cannon, while depth charges and mines were joined by homing torpedoes, and surface search radar was added. In the mid-1960s, the aircraft began to carry a Coast Guard liaison officer aboard, along with search and rescue equipment, to take advantage of the big aircraft's spare capacity and ocean-spanning area of operations. Her new designation led to her unofficial nickname, "Postscript". Navy PS-1 aircrews took the name as their own; anyone else who dared use the name found themselves in a brawl. Only Air Force B-49 crews were allowed the privilege, and then only if they smiled when they said it. During the Vietnam War PS-1s flying out of Guam and the Philippines patrolled the waters off Vietnam, directing Navy ships to interceptions of potential enemy vessels. Their radar proved very effective in tracking even the smallest craft and the sight of the giant plane flying low and slows over their heads sent more than one NVA crew into the water. One such low-flying PS-1 came under small arms fire from a sampan, responding with a shallow-set depth charge next to the small vessel, blowing it out of the water. They also joined Air Force B-49s in mining North Vietnamese harbors. 1969 saw the introduction of the PS-1B. They now carried ELINT equipment and antennae as well as new signal processing computers for acoustic and electronic data. The crew grew to 10, including the Coast Guard officer and an electronics warfare officer. One bomb bay was now half-filled with the new equipment, the other half being given over to a load of 80 sonobuoys. The tail stinger was replaced by a MAD boom, leading to her third nickname, the "Manta". An incident in 1975 involving a near-collision with an aggressive Soviet "Wingski" over the mid-Atlantic lead the Navy to reintroduce defensive armament. The latest version designated PS-1C, gained underwing hardpoints, allowing for up to 8 Sidewinder AAMs, plus pylons for Harpoon, SLAM and Maverick missiles. Reduction in the size of electronic equipment freed half of the second bomb bay, which was modified to carry a further 4 Harpoon/SLAM and 8 Maverick missiles. They now carried a crew of 12, though most no longer included a Guardsman. They continue cross-training exercises, to keep Artemis crews proficient in search-and-rescue techniques. Today the 99 PS-1Cs are undergoing Update III, introducing improved avionics, electronics and navigational equipment. The Navy's new focus on littoral warfare is causing them to consider a PS-1D version, adding conformal AEW radar and upgrading the surface search radar.
Foreign Service:
The only countries to operate the PS-1 are the RN, RCN, and RAN, other navies preferring ASW versions of the smaller P-3 Orion used by the US Customs service and Coast Guard. Japan expressed interest in the 1970s, but domestic opposition to buying what was basically a long-range bomber caused them also to go with the P-3.
Markings and camouflage:
Over the years USN Artemises have carried three paint schemes, with variations. The first scheme was overall Navy Blue with white markings. Individual aircraft sometimes carried small personal logos on the outer wings or on the upper wing near the cockpit. Aircraft designation and squadron numbers were marked in white on the upper and lower wingtips. Most aircraft sported some kind of decoration on the upper wing around the cockpit. During the early 1960s a gray upper and white lower was introduced. Crews soon took advantage of the lighter background to personalize their aircraft. Since they had no tails to emblazon, wingtips were the location of choice for a wide variety of squadron-specific images, while the large relatively flat surfaces of both upper and lower wings became giant canvases for a short while, culminating in no less than three aircraft sporting a depiction of a "Batman" shape covering the entire underside of the aircraft, and one aircraft had, for a very short time, a far-beyond life-size nude portrait of Marilyn Monroe. Navy brass immediately halted the practice, ostensibly because they made the aircraft especially visible. In the 1990s an all-gray scheme was adopted, along with low-viz markings. Air crews sadly painted out their vibrant colors, though some replicated their treasured personalizations in shades of grey. Propellers have always been black with various combinations of red and yellow at the tips.

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Page copyright 2002 by Joseph Poutre
page created on May 1, 2002
page revised on Oct 14, 2003