The September 2^nd issue of the Herald-Times newspaper featured a fascinating story about ancient warriors on the mid-Mediterranean island of Mallorca who 2,000 years ago BC used to sling stones at invading Romans. They could sling the rocks with such force they could punch holes in the hulls of the Roman ships.

The article also described the beauty of those wine producing islands and their attraction to the rich and Famous. Andrew Llyod Webber was reported to have writen a number of his Broadway musicals on Mallorca. Also seen on those shores were Brad Pitt, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks, Princess Diana, and numerous other celebrities.

In 1965, my Navy squadron, VP-21, was deployed for six months to Rota, Spain. Our mission was to patrol the Mediterranean Sea tracking Soviet ships and submarines as they transited the Med. The island of Mallorca was one-hundred miles off the Spanish coast and we would fly by it every day on our twelve and fourteen-hour patrols. However, we knew nothing about the history or beauty of the island.

On one patrol we developed problems with one of our engines and had to shut it down. Although we could have limped back to our Rota base, the squadron requirements mandated that after losing an engine, we must make an emergency precautionary landing at the nearest available airfield. The Palma airport on Mallorca was close and became our airfield of choice.

The landing was uneventful and after a quick engine inspection, contacted Naval Air Station Rota and requested a replacement engine be flown to us. It would arrive the next day.

After securing the airplane and while still in their flight suits, although soon turning them in for purchased shorts and tee shirts, the crew began exploring the numerous clubs and bars of Palma. They discovered not only the charm of that town, but that Mallorca was the favorite vacation destination for gorgeous Scandinavian women. Usually, when relieved of duties the crew generally hung together, especially in unfamiliar settings, but several times that evening I spotted a member of our seven-member enlisted crew arm and arm with a knockout blonde bombshell.

The aircraft with our replacement engine arrived the next morning. Using the Palma airport’s maintenance facilities, the engine was installed, and we were back in Rota that night. Mallorca’s undiscovered treasures soon became well known  and fantasized throughout the squadron.

I wonder if that had anything to do with the number of imagined engine problems and precautionary landings and that occurred on that island during the few remaining months of our deployment?