Editing Martin P4M Mercator (section)

==Losses==
* On 8 March 1951 a Mercator flew into the [[Atlantic Ocean]] off [[Florida]], killing four of its crew.<ref>[http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzNavySearch.pl?target=Mercator&series=3 J. Baugher listing]</ref>
* On 6 February 1952, a Mercator [[Water landing|ditched]] in the [[Aegean Sea]] north of [[Cyprus]] at night, out of fuel, with no power, losing only the aircraft commander/pilot after the crew was in the water. The crew was rescued by the [[Royal Navy]] [[destroyer]] {{HMS|Chevron}}.<ref>{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date= March–April 1997 |title= |url= |magazine=Naval History |location= |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]] |access-date=}}</ref><ref>The aircraft were also operated from [[Morocco]] by [[VQ-2|Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 2 (VQ-2)]]. One garbled version of this incident provided by a former U.S. Navy seaman who served in the Mediterranean is that this aircraft was intercepted near [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] airspace off the [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic]] and shot down, crashing into the [[Mediterranean Sea]] with the loss of all crew.</ref>
* On 22 August 1956, a Mercator was shot down near Shanghai by Chinese fighters of the [[2nd Aviation Division (People's Republic of China)|2nd Aviation Division]],<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.plaaf.net/Air-Force-Deploy/Guangzhou-Military-Region-Deploym/201004/667.html |title = 空2师(歼击航空兵) |website = 中国空军网 |date = 2012-03-19 |access-date = 2014-11-04 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141023034654/http://www.plaaf.net/Air-Force-Deploy/Guangzhou-Military-Region-Deploym/201004/667.html |archive-date = 2014-10-23 }}</ref> with its crew of 16 all killed.<ref name="Ferret p220-1">Dorr and Burgess 1993, pp. 220–221.</ref>
* On 19 November 1957, a Mercator was lost in an accident.<ref>[http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzNavySearch.pl?target=Mercator&series=3 J. Baugher listing]</ref>
* On 6 January 1958,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries13.html|title=US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos--Third Series (120341 to 126256)}}</ref> a P4M-1Q of JQ-3<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.portlyautey.com/ECM-2.htm |title=In Memoriam of VQ-2 Shipmates Lost|access-date=2024-09-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104153422/http://www.portlyautey.com/ECM-2.htm |archive-date=2016-01-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1955–1959)#1958|crashed]] at [[Ocean View, Virginia|Ocean View]], Virginia,  when it lost an engine on approach to [[NAS Norfolk]], Virginia, killing four crew and injuring three civilians.<ref>Associated Press, "Four Missing In Air Crash", ''The Anderson Independent'', Anderson, South Carolina, Tuesday 7 January 1958, Volume 41, Number 99, page 1.</ref>
* On 16 June 1959, a P4M-1Q was attacked by two North Korean [[MiG-17]]s with heavy damage and serious injury to the tail gunner.<ref name="Ferret p221-2">Dorr and Burgess 1993, pp. 221–222.</ref>
* On 19 January 1960, a [[VQ-2|Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron 2 (VQ-2)]] P4M-1Q JQ-16 (BuNo 124365) crashed en route to [[Adana Air Base]] in [[Turkey]], killing all 16 aircrew. The [[Royal Air Force]] Mountain Rescue Team based at [[Nicosia]], Cyprus, recovered the bodies of 12 crew members before being forced to leave the recovery of the remaining bodies and body parts until the spring.