On what date in early 1960, did what type of US Navy plane disappear in the South China Sea?

I don't see the incident you refer to - here is a few years worth of known aircraft lost or damaged due to attacks during the Cold War

18 August 1955 A US Air Force LT-6 utility/training aircraft was shot down by North Korean ground fire after the aircraft inadvertently overflew the DMZ into North Korea. The pilot was wounded and the observer was killed. The body of the observer and the pilot were returned by the North Koreans on August 23, 1955.

15 October 1955 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre pilot Tzu-Wan Sun shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-15 *****.

7 November 1955 An An-2 Colt carrying Polish UN observers along the Korean DMZ was shot down by South Korea.

14 April 1956 One MiG-15 ***** was claimed when four Republic of China Air Force F-84G Thunderjets engaged four MiG-15 of the People's Republic of China PLAAF.

22 June 1956 People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco pilot Minh Lu shot down a Republic of China Air Force B-17 during a nighttime interception. The B-17's crew of eleven was killed.

20 July 1956 One MiG-15 ***** was claimed when four Republic of China Air Force F-84G Thunderjets engaged four MiG-15 of the People's Republic of China PLAAF.

21 July 1956 Four Republic of China Air Force F-84G Thunderjets engaged three MiG-15 ****** of the People's Republic of China PLAAF. RoCAF pilot Ouyangi-Fang claimed two victories.

21 July 1956 Republic of China Air Force pilot I-Fang Ouyang claimed two MiG-15 ****** as shot down when four RoCAF F-86 Sabres engaged three MiG-15 of the People's Republic of China PLAAF.

22 August 1956 While on a patrol mission from Iwakuni Japan, a US Navy P4M-1Q Mercator of VQ-1 (BuNo 124362) disappeared after a nighttime attack by People's Republic of China PLAAF pilot Zhongwen Song, 32 miles off the coast of Wenchow China and 180 miles north of Formosa. There were no survivors of the 16 crew members. The bodies of two crew members, James Ponsford and Albert Mattin, and some wreckage were recovered by the USS Dennis J. Buckley (DDR 808). The bodies of two other crew members, Jack Curtis and William Haskins, were recovered by the Chinese and returned to the US. The remains of the other crew members, Donald Barber,Warren Caron, James Deane, Francis Flood, William Humbert, Milton Hutchinson, Harold Lounsbury, Carl Messinger, Wallace Powell, Donald Sprinkle, Leonard Strykowsky and Lloyd Young, were never found.

10 September 1956 A US Air Force RB-50G Superfortress was lost over the Sea of Japan. The crew of 16, Lorin C. Disbrow, Raymond D. Johnson, Rodger A. Fees, Paul W. Swinehart, William J. McLauglin, Theodorus J. Trias, Pat P. Taylor, John E. Beisty, Peter J. Rahaniotes, William H. Ellis, Richard T. Kobayashi, Wayne J. Fair, Palmer D. Arrowood, Harry S. Maxwell Jr., Bobby R. Davis and Leo J. Sloan, were all presumed to be killed. It is suspected that the aircraft was lost due to a powerful storm, Typhoon Emma, which was in the area.

4 October 1956 People's Republic of China PLAAF pilot Zhao De An shot down a Republic of China Air Force F-84 over Shantou.

10 November 1956 A Republic of China Air Force C-46 Commando was shot down over Jejigxi by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-19, while on an airdrop, killing the crew of nine.

15 April 1957 A Republic of China Air Force RF-84F Thunderflash crashed while being pursued by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG, killing the pilot.

12 June 1957 Four US Navy AD-6 Skyraiders from VA-145 launched from the USS Hornet (CVA 12) and overflew the coast of the People's Republic of China. They encountered antiaircraft fire and one aircraft sustained slight damage.

1 July 1957 A Republic of China Air Force P-47 (699) was shot down People's Republic of China ground fire and the pilot was killed.

5 November 1957 A Republic of China Air Force B-26 Invader was shot down over the People's Republic of China and the crew of three was captured. The crew was released eight months later.

11 November 1957 Mystere IVA fighters of the 101 Squadron of the Israel Air Force intercepted a Jordanian C-47 inside Israeli airspace and forced it to land.

23 December 1957 A T-33, with one crew member on board, was lost over Albania.

24 December 1957 A US Air Force RB-57 was shot down over the Black Sea by Soviet fighters.

18 February 1958 An RB-57D (5642) operated by the Republic of China Air Force was shot down over Shandong, People's Republic of China by a People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force MiG-15 *****. The pilot was killed.

6 March 1958 A US Air Force F-86 Sabre fighter was shot down by AAA fire over North Korea when it accidentally flew across the DMZ into North Korea. The pilot bailed out and was returned uninjured by North Korea.

18 May 1958 Indonesian Air Force (Angatan Udara Republik Indonesia or AURI) F-51D Mustang pilot Ignatius Dewanto shot down a Civil Air Transport B-26B Invader (44-35221) that had already been damaged by anti-aircraft fire. The B-26 had just bombed the Ambon Island airstrip in the Moluccas, in support of a revolt in Sulawesi aimed at overthrowing the President Sukarno. The CIA pilot, Allen Pope and his navigator Harry Rantung, were captured by Indonesian forces. Pope was held captive for nineteen months before being brought to trial in a military court. He was accused of six bombing raids that killed twenty-three Indonesians, including seventeen members of the Indonesian armed forces. Pope was found to be guilty and sentenced to death. The death penalty was not carried out and he was released in 1962.

17 June 1958 A Republic of China Air Force RF-84F Thunderflash (5609) crashed near Fujian People's Republic of China while being pursued by PLAAF MiG-15bis ******, killing the pilot.

27 June 1958 A US Air Force C-118, reportedly on a regular supply flight from Wiesbaden West Germany to Karachi Pakistan, via Cyprus and Iran, crossed the Soviet border near Yerevan Armenia. Soviet MiG-17P Fresco pilots G.F. Svetlichnikov and B.F. Zakharov shot the aircraft down 30 km south of Yerevan. Five crew members parachuted to safety and four other survived the crash landing on a half-finished airstrip. The crew of Dale D. Brannon, Luther W. Lyles, Robert E. Crans, Bennie A. Shupe, James T. Kane, James N. Luther, James G. Holman, Earl H. Reamer and Peter N. Sabo were captured and later released by the Soviets on July 7, 1958. This aircraft was reported to be the personal aircraft of Allen Dulles, then director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The C-118 had carried senior CIA aides to Europe on an inspection trip, and it was in Turkey when it was diverted.

26 July 1958 A US Air Force RB-47, flying from Iran, was intercepted by Soviet fighters over the Caspian Sea 130 miles east-southeast of Astara. The RB-47 evaded the fighters and fled to safety.

29 July 1958 Four F-84G Thunderjets from the Republic of China Air Force 1st Wing in Tainnan were on patrol near Nan Ao Island when four People's Republic of China PLAAF 54th Regiment Mig-17 Frescos attacked. PLAAF pilots Gao ChangJi and Zhang YiLing were credited with each shooting down a F-84. PLAAF pilot Zhao De An claimed a kill, but this was not substantiated.

14 August 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86F Sabre pilots Ping-Chun Chin and Chung-Li Li each shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco. Hsien-Wu Liu shared a MiG-17 with Fu-The Pan. One F-86F (307) failed to return from this engagement.

25 August 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre pilots Tien-En Chiang and Hsu-Hsiang Ku each shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco.

2 September 1958 A US Air Force C-130A Hercules (60-528) of the 7406 CSS, flying from Adana Turkey, was shot down near Sasnashen, Soviet Armenia, about 55 kilometers northwest of the Armenian capital of Yerevan by Soviet MiG-17 Fresco pilots Gavrilov, Ivanov, Kucheryaev and Viktor Lopatkov. The C-130 was a Sun Valley SIGINT aircraft. The remains of John E. Simpson, Rudy J. Swiestra, Edward J. Jeruss and Ricardo M. Vallareal were returned to the US on September 24, 1958. The remains of the other crew members, Paul E. Duncan, George P. Petrochilos, Arthur L. Mello, Leroy Price, Robert J. Oshinskie, Archie T. Bourg Jr., James E. Fergueson, Joel H. Fields, Harold T. Kamps, Gerald C. Maggiacomo, Clement O. Mankins, Gerald H. Medeiros and Robert H. Moore were recovered in 1998.

8 September 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre pilots Ping-Chun Chin, Yi-Chien Li, Chin-Chung Liang, Chung-Tsi Yu and Wai-Ming Chu each shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco, while Hsien-Wu Liu shot down two MiG-17s. PLAAF pilot Zhang Yi Lin shot down an F-86.

18 September 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre pilots Wan-Li Lin, Yang-Chung Lu, Che-Shing Mao, Tzu-Wan Sun, Kuang-Hsing Tung and Hsin-Yeh Liu each shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco over Haicheng in Guangdong Province. PLAAF pilot Chang Zhu You shot down an F-86.

24 September 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre pilots Jing-Chuen Chen, Chun-Hsein Fu, Jie-Tsu Hsia, Shu-Yuen Li, Ta-Peng Ma, Hong-Yan Sung and Yi-Chiang Chien each shot down one People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco, except Chien, who shot down two. Tasi-Chuen Liu shared a MiG-17 with Tang Jie-Min and Hsin-Yung Wang shared a MiG-17 with Yuen-Po Wang. In this air battle, one of the AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles fired by the F-86s hit a MiG-17, but its warhead did not explode. The MiG-17 recovered safely to its base and the missile was safely extracted. The missile was delivered to the Soviet Union and from there was sent to the Toropov engineering office to be copied. The end product of this process being the K-13 (AA-2 Atoll), long the most prolific Soviet air-to-air missile.

29 September 1958 Three crewmen were killed and two were captured when a Republic of China Air Force C-46 Commando was shot down over the People's Republic of China. The captured crewmembers were released on June 30th, 1959.

2 October 1958 Five crewmen were killed when a Republic of China Air Force C-46 Commando (199) was shot down by ground fire over Kinmen, People's Republic of China.

10 October 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86F Sabre pilots Nai-Chun Chang, Teng-Chung Ting, Chuan-Hsu Yeh and Cheng Lu each shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco. One F-86F was damaged by debris from an exploding MiG-17. The pilot bailed out and was taken captive. He was released on June 30th, 1959.

19 October 1958 Israel Air Force fighters attempted to force down a Jordanian DC-3 airliner that the Israelis claimed was flying over Wadi Ramon, in the Negev. The fighters crossed into Jordanian airspace and possibly Saudi airspace, but the Jordanian airliner escaped.

31 October 1958 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet was attacked by Soviet fighters over the Black Sea. The crew of three were not injured and the aircraft returned safely to base.

7 November 1958 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet was attacked by Soviet fighters, east of Gotland Island over the Baltic Sea. The crew of three were not injured and the aircraft returned safely to base.

17 November 1958 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet was attacked over the Sea of Japan by Soviet fighters. The crew of three were not injured and the aircraft returned safely to base.

6 April 1959 Vautours of the Israel Air Force intercepted an unidentified airliner.

27 May 1959 Mystere IVA fighters of the 109 Squadron of the Israel Air Force, piloted by Yosef Tzuk and Ya'acov Yariv, intercepted a Lebanese Air Force Savio Marchetti SM.79 transport and forced it to land at Haifa, after it entered Israeli airspace.

29 May 1959 A Republic of China Air Force B-17 (835) was shot down by a PLAAF MiG-17PF Fresco piloted by Jiang Zhe Lun near Guandong People's Republic of China. The B-17's crew of fourteen was killed.

30 May 1959 A UN operated C-47 was intercepted by Mystere IVA fighters of the 109 Squadron of the Israel Air Force and forced to land at Lod airport in Israel.

16 June 1959 While flying a patrol mission over the Sea of Japan, a US Navy P4M-1Q of VQ-1 (BuNo 122209) was attacked 50 miles east of the Korean DMZ by two North Korean MiG-17 Frescos. During the attack, the aircraft sustained serious damage to the starboard engine and the tail gunner was seriously wounded. The aircraft made it safely back to Miho AFB Japan.

5 July 1959 Four Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabres battled 24 People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Frescos, over the Straits of Taiwan, claiming two.

9 September 1959 Super Mysteres of the Israel Air Force intercepted an Egyptian Vickers Viscount airliner.

7 October 1959 A Republic of China Air Force RB-57D (53-3978, 5643), flown by Wang Ying Chin, was shot down near Beijing People's Republic of China by a SA-2 Guideline missile. Chin was killed.

16 February 1960 Four Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabres engaged 20 PLAAF MiG-17 Frescos, over the Straits of Taiwan, claiming one as shot down.

25 March 1960 A Republic of China Air Force RB-69A was shot down at night over the People's Republic of China, enroute to South Korea. All thirteen crewmembers were killed.

1 May 1960 A CIA Lockheed U-2C (Article 360, 56-6693), flown by Francis Gary Powers from Peshawar Pakistan, was shot down by an SA-2 Guideline missile, near Sverdlovsk, USSR. Recent evidence says that Powers was shot down by the first of three missiles fired by a battery commanded by Mikhail Voronov. A Soviet MiG-19 Farmer pilot, Sergei Safronov, was shot down and killed by another SA-2 Guideline fired later in the incident. Powers bailed out and parachuted to safety. He was then taken captive and later tried in a Soviet court. After serving some time in prison, he was released, in exchange for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel on February 10th, 1962 in Berlin.

25 May 1960 A US Air Force C-47 was forced to land in East Germany by Soviet MiGs. The nine crew members were held captive until July 19th 1960.

1 July 1960 A US Air Force ERB-47H Stratojet (53-4281) of the 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, flying over the Barents Sea was downed by Soviet pilot Vasili Poliakov, flying a MiG-15 *****. Co-pilot Bruce Olmstead and navigator John McKone survived and were taken captive. The pilot, Bill Palm and ELINT operators Eugene Posa, Oscar Goforth and Dean Phillips were killed. Olmstead and McKone were released from Soviet captivity on January 25th, 1961. Bill Palm's remains were returned to the US on July 25, 1960. Eugene Posa's remains were recovered by the Soviets, but never returned to the US.

15 February 1961 A Republic of China Air Force PB4Y (423) was shot down by Burmese fighter aircraft, near the Thai-Burmese border, killing the crew of five. Two other crewmembers were taken prisoner. This aircraft was carrying supplies for Chinese Kuomintang forces fighting in northern Burma.

March 1961 During a overflight of the People's Republic of China by a Republic of China U-2, flown by Tai-Yow Wang, more than thirty Chinese fighters attempted unsuccesfully to intercept the U-2.

4 March 1961 Cuban pilot Rafael del Pino Diaz, flying a T-33, shot down a US Beechcraft AT-11.

17 April 1961 Cuban Hawker Sea Fury pilots Douglas Rudd Mole and Enrique Carreras Rojas and T-33 pilots Alvaro Prendes Quantana, Alberto Fernandez, Rafael del Pino Diaz, each shot down a CIA B-26C Invader operating in the Bay of Pigs invasion..

18 April 1961 Cuban T-33 pilot Alvaro Prendes Quantana shot down a CIA B-26C Invader operating in the Bay of Pigs invasion.

19 April 1961 Cuban T-33 pilots Alvaro Prendes Quantana and Enrique Carreras Rojas, each shot down a CIA B-26C Invader operating in the Bay of Pigs invasion.

20 April 1961 A US aircraft was fired on by North Korean aircraft. The pilot was killed when the aircraft crashed while attempting an emergency landing south of Seoul.

2 August 1961 A Republic of China Air Force RF-101A Voodoo was shot down by ground fire near Fukien People's Republic of China. The pilot Wu Paotze was captured.

4 August 1961 An Iran Air DC-4 (EP-ADK) returning to Tehran from a cargo flight to Beirut was attacked by Soviet fighters after it strayed into Soviet airspace. The aircraft sustained damage to the left wing and both outboard engines. The crew of three made a safe wheels-up landing on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea.

6 November 1961 Thirteen crew members were killed when a Republic of China Air Force RB-69A was shot down by a SA-2 Guideline missile over Shantung province People's Republic of China.

5 December 1961 US Air Force F-102s out of Galena Alaska made the first intercept of a Soviet aircraft in Alaskan air space, a Soviet Tu-16 Badger.

1962 A Bulgarian MiG-17 reconnaissance airplane is reported to have crashed into an olive grove near one of the US Jupiter missile launch sites in Italy, after overflying the site.

March 1962 During a overflight of the People's Republic of China by a Republic of China U-2, flown by Tai-Yow Wang, a Chinese missile guidance radar locked on to the U-2. The pilot took evasive action and escaped without harm.

28 May 1962 In Operation Coldfeet, Maj. James Smith, USAF and Lt. Leonard A. LeSchack, USNR parachuted from CIA B-17G N809Z (44-83785 c/n

32426) into the abandoned Soviet arctic ice station NP 8. After searching the station, they were retrieved using a Fulton Skyhook system installed on the B-17, piloted by Connie Seigrist and Douglas Price, on June 1st.

August 1962 A RF-101A Voodoo of the Republic of China Air Force was lost near Fukien, People's Republic of China.

1 August 1962 A Republic of China Air Force RB-69A was shot down over People's Republic of China, killing the crew of thirteen.

9 September 1962 A Republic of China Air Force U-2A (Article 378, 56-6711), flown by Chen Huai Sheng was shot down by a SA-2 Guideline missile over the People's Republic of China, 15 Km south of Nunchang. Sheng survived bailing out but died later in the hospital, after being captured.

24 September 1962 A US Air Force RB-47H, piloted by John Drost, was intercepted over the Baltic Sea by a Soviet MiG-19 Farmer.

27 October 1962 A US Air Force U-2A (Article 343, 56-6676) of the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, piloted by Rudolf Anderson, was shot down by a SA-2 Guideline missile over Cuba. Anderson was killed when shrapnel punctured his pressure suit, causing the suit to decompress at altitude, after the cockpit has already decompressed. He was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross.

4 November 1962 A Russian-flown MiG-21 Fishbed intercepted two US Air Force F-104C Starfighters from the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing on a reconnaissance sortie near Santa Clara Cuba, but the F-104s disengaged and retired northward.

May 1963 Soviet MiG-17F Fresco pilot Steapnov, of the 156th IAP, shot down an Imperial Iranian Air Force Aerocommander 560. The IIAF crew members and a Colonel of the US Special Forces, were all killed.

17 May 1963 A US Army OH-23 Raven helicopter was shot down over the Korean demilitarized zone. The crew of two were captured and not returned until a year later.

14 June 1963 A Republic of China Air Force RB-69A was shot down near Nanchang People's Republic of China, killing the crew of fourteen. The aircraft was shot down by a PLAAF MiG-17PF Fresco.

19 July 1963 A Mirage IIICJ of the Israel Air Force 101 Squadron, piloted by Joe Aloni (Placek), forced a USAF RB-57 overflying Israel to land at Lod Airport. The RB-57 was released after the US government apologized for a "navigational error".

6 August 1963 A US Army "LT" was lost over North Korea.

1 November 1963 A Republic of China Air Force U-2C (Article 355, 56-6688), flown by "Robin" Yeh Chang Yi was shot down by a SA-2 Guideline missile over Jiagxi, People's Republic of China. The aircraft had been on a mission to photograph the Lanzhou nuclear weapons plant and the Jiayuguan missile test site. After overflying these sites, the aircraft was approaching the coast of China when it was shot down. After evading one missile, a second tore off the aircraft's right wing. Yeh survived and was released from captivity into Hong Kong on November 10, 1982. He was refused entry into the Republic of China and eventually was admitted to the United States.

20 November 1963 US Air Force U-2 (Article 350, 56-6683) crashed off the southwest coast of Florida while returning from Cuban overflight. Pilot Joe Hyde was killed.

20 November 1963 Soviet pilot V.P. Pavlovskii shot down an Iranian civilian L-26B.

24 January 1964 A US Air Force T-39 Sabreliner, based in Weisbaden West Germany, was shot down by a Soviet fighter over Thuringia, about 60 miles inside East Germany while on a training flight. The crew of three, Gerald Hannaford, John Lorraine and Donald Millard were killed.

10 March 1964 A US Air Force RB-66 Destroyer from the 10 TRW, based at Toul-Rosieres France, was shot down over East Germany by Soviet MiGs. The aircraft was shot down near Gardelegen, after straying out of one of the Berlin air corridors. The three crew members, David Holland, Melvin Kessler and Harold Welch parachuted to safety and were released several days later.

23 March 1964 Republic of China Air Force pilot Liang Teh Pei was killed when his U-2C (Article 356, 56-6689) came apart while over the Taiwan Straits.

11 June 1964 A Republic of China Air Force RB-69A was shot down near Yantai, Shantung Peninsula, killing the 14 crewmembers. This night time interception was made by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17F Fresco, aided by an Iluyshin Il-28 Beagle, which dropped flares.

7 July 1964 A Republic of China Air Force U-2G (Article 362, 56-6695), flown by "Terry" Lee Nan Lee was shot down over Fujian, People's Republic of China by a SA-2 Guideline missile. Lee was killed.

15 July 1964 A Soviet Tu-16 Badger crashed in the Sea of Japan near the USS Bennington, USS Cunningham and USS Eversole.

August 1964 Soviet MiG-17F Fresco pilot Pechenkin, of the 156th IAP, shot down an Imperial Iranian Air Force Aerocommander 560.

14 November 1964 A US Air Force aircraft was attacked over the Korean DMZ.

27 November 1964 A Republic of China Air Force U-2C, flown by "Johnny" Wang Shichuen, narrowly avoided being shot down while photographing the Lanzhou nuclear weapons plant in the People's Republic of China. Several SA-2 Guideline missiles flew by so close to the aircraft that the pilot was temporarily blinded.

18 December 1964 A RF-101A Voodoo (5654) of the Republic of China Air Force was shot down by a PLANAF J-6 over Wenzhou in Zhejiang Province of the People's Republic of China. The pilot, Hsieh Hsiangho was taken captive by fishermen after bailing out over the ocean. He was released from captivity in July 1985.

1964-1965 A CIA operated P-3 Orion (149669, 149673 or 149678) is rumored to have shot down a MiG over the People's Republic of China with a AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. These three P-3s conducted low-level nocturnal intelligence gathering missions over the PRoC.

10 January 1965 A Republic of China Air Force U-2C (Article 358, 56-6691), flown by "Jack" Chang Liyi, was shot down over the People's Republic of China, southwest of Beijing by a SA-2 Guideline missile. The aircraft was on a mission to photograph the Paotow nuclear weapons plant. Chang survived and was released from captivity into Hong Kong on November 10, 1982. He was refused entry into the Republic of China and eventually was admitted to the United States.

March 1965 While flying over the People's Republic of China, Republic of China Air Force U-2 pilot "Charlie" Wu Tse Shi, was intercepted by a MiG-21 Fishbed in a zoom climb. The MiG fired two missiles which missed.

18 March 1965 A RF-101C Voodoo (5656) of the Republic of China Air Force was shot down near Shantou in Guangdong Province in the People's Republic of China by a PLAAF pilot Gao Chang Ji, flying a MiG-19 Farmer. The Voodoo pilot Chang Yupao was killed.

27 April 1965 A US Air Force ERB-47H Stratojet of the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (43290), was damaged in an attack by two North Korean MiG-17 Frescos over the Sea of Japan. The B-47s tail gunner returned fire, possibly shooting down one MiG-17. The B-47 made an emergency landing at Yokota AB Japan, with two engines inoperative and severe structural damage. The crew of Hobart Mattison, Henry E. Dubuy, Robert J. Rogers, Robert C. Winters, George V. Back and one other crew member, escaped injury.

Hope this helps

BEST ANSWER ? Who ever you are, you completely missed the most perplexing missing aircraft, which more people, including myself believe. We believe, that a PBY-5A, called the Blue Swan, a Foshling Airlines plane with 4 American military, and 7 ROC military, including the flight crew, was hijacked to the mainland , at @1800 hrs, 1 Oct. 1958. Plz check Michael Turton's piece, A View of Taiwan, dated 9/23/16 on the www. The children of US Army Pfc C. Baird, USN D. Turner, Army Capt Pitcher, Army Maj. R.C. Bloom, in their 70's believe this also, no matter how hard the Govt's of the US and the ROC try to keep it buried. We believe that the late bishop, James Walsh, saw the PBY in a hanger in Shanghai, 5 days later. Bishop Walsh was arrested 1 week later, and was imprisoned for 12 years. He passed in 1981 in NY. These 4 Amer. Serv . men and their 7 ROC counterparts, were executed by Mao and his goons. Mao Zedong had a $100K bounty on ROC/USA aircraft. The pilot of this PBY has been wrongly condemned by these Govt's and his family harassed, and shamed mercilessly over these 60 years. Supposedly, a Hamilton-Standard prop was netted by a ROC fisherman in 2014. The USA have us believe, this prop came from that PBY. Unfortunately, this is not confirmed, as the Hamilton-Standard props were on many aircraft during the 40's and 50's: Corsairs, Dauntless, P-51's, P-47's, B-17's, C-46 Commandos, C-47 Goony Birds, P-38's, P-61'a,DC-3's and DC-6's, F-84 Bearcats, etc. Also , a Taipei US radio operator eavesdropped a radio broadcast from the Mainland of the pilot of that PBY talking. The Taipei operator was ordered to get off the air, as mainland transmissions were forbidden. It is time for the ROC and the US Govt's to release this radio transcript. It has been 60 years. The time of any embarrassment of what happened then, has passed.

I would imagine it to be a reconnaissance plane but in that era I would expect it to be a P-2V Neptune or P-5M Marlin.

It would be unlikely either would carry "more than a dozen Photo-mates". That Criteria would put you in the Category of R-4D (C-54) or R-6D (C-118) and sounds more like a training flight than operational.

I would also consider a C-121 Constellation but I don't know if they were operating in South East Asia in the early 60's and they would be more for electronic surveillance than photo.

In trying to find your answer I found an interesting site regarding recon crew: http://www.bu.edu/globalbeat/syndicate/Burrows0405...

Can anyone tell me what is the correct answer for this question?