(All images courtesy of Daniel Berek)
Abandoned in a forest in New Jersey is the wreck of a Lockheed T2V-1 SeaStar aircraft. Lying in woods just 50 miles from Manhattan, its location is surprisingly accessible but unknown by many save for locals and enthusiasts who keep an eye on the wreck’s well-being. The military jet crashed near the town of West Milford, NJ in 1962 and, following the salvage of its single jet engine, was left to rot.
According to the Milford Messenger, the SeaStar’s two pilots were flying a training sortie out of Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn when the aircraft ran into trouble. When their ejection systems failed the crew was forced to put the Lockheed T2V-1 down in a heavily wooded swamp, allegedly infested with venomous snakes.
But despite the aircraft’s major mechanical malfunctions and inhospitable local wildlife, both men survived the incident relatively unscathed and were soon picked up by emergency services. Today, the wreck remains where it came to rest and has been featured on sites like Scouting New York, Weird N.J. and io9.
Its central and forward fuselage, along with the port and starboard wings, though heavily gutted, remain relatively intact. But the tail section was removed long ago to facilitate the salvaging of the Allison J33 turbojet engine, which was presumably reused on other T2V’s or cannibalised for usable spares.
A development of the successful T-33 Shooting Star, 150 T2V training jets served with the US Navy between 1957 and the 1970s. Of those, only a handful survive, making the West Milford T2V a relatively rare beast. Those who do know its location have taken it upon themselves over the years to protect the wreck site from souvenir hunters and vandals.
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