AERO BIOGRAPHIES PBY CATALINA CONSOLIDATED WW2 USN VP RAF RCAF CANSO PBN-1 OA-10

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AERO BIOGRAPHIES PBY CATALINA CONSOLIDATED WW2 USN VP RAF RCAF CANSO PBN-1 OA-10 USCG

FLIGHT CLASSICS - ALL FLYING BOAT AND AMPHIBIOUS VERSIONS

BY RAY WAGNER SOFTBOUND BOOK

INTRODUCTION

DEVELOPMENTAL HISTORY (CONSOLIDATED XP3Y-1 PROTOTYPE, PBY-1, PBY-2, RAF, RCAF CANSO, FRENCH NAVY AERONAVALE, PBY-5, PBY-5A AMPHIBIAN, PBY-6A, NAVAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY PBN-1 NOMAD, PACIFIC BLACK CATS, BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC, USAAF OA-10A AIR SEA RESCUE ASR � EMERGENCY RESCUE SQUADRON)

CONSOLIDATED XPY-1 MONOPLANE FLYING BOAT

P2Y

XP3Y-1 & XPBY-1 PROTOTYPES

XP3Y-1 DETAIL PHOTOGRAPH GALLERY

PRODUCTION VARIANTS (PBY-1, 1935, 1936)

PBY-1 DETAILS (BOW TURRET, BOMBARDIER�S COMPARTMENT, ANCHOR COMPARTMENT, INTERIOR DETAILS, WAIST GUN DETAILS, LIVING QUARTERS, TUNNEL GUN, WING TIP FLOATS & BEACHING GEAR, PRATT & WHITNEY R-1830-64 ENGINES, OFFENSIVE ARMAMENT � BOMB RACKS)

PBY-2 (INTERIOR DETAILS)

PBY-3 (WING TORPEDO MOUNTS, HOISTS, INTERIOR DETAILS)

PBY-4 (DETAILS)

COLOR PROFILES

VINTAGE WW2 COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS 

CATALAINA DETAILS IN COLOR

PBY-5 COCPIT DETAILS & COLORS (COCKPIT, RADIO OPERATOR STATION, NAVIGATOR STATION, MECHANIC�S STATION, LIVING QUARTERS & WAIST GUN, LANDING GEAR DETAILS, R-1830-92 ENGINE DETAILS)

PBY-5 (DETAILS)

PBY-5A AMPHIBIAN (UNITED STATES COAST GUARD USCG, COCKPIT DETAILS, BOW TURRET, RADIO OPERATOR & NAVIGATOR COMPARTMENT, WAIST GUN INSTALLATION & BLISTERS, OFFENSIVE ARMAMENT, FUSELAGE DETAILS, ENGINE DETAILS, WING DETAILS, RADAR INSTALLATIONS, TUNNEL GUN, MAD EQUIPMENT, TAIL DETAILS)

PBY-5B

PBN-1 NOMAD (DETAIL DIFFERENCES)

PBY-6A

USAAF OA-10

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The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat, and later an amphibious aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations.

During World War II, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escort, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport. The PBY was the most numerous aircraft of its kind and the last active military PBYs were not retired from service until the 1980s. Even today, nearly 80 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations all over the world.

The designation "PBY" was determined in accordance with the U.S. Navy aircraft designation system of 1922; PB representing "Patrol Bomber" and Y being the code assigned to Consolidated Aircraft as its manufacturer. Catalinas built by other manufacturers for the US Navy were designated according to different manufacturer codes, thus Canadian Vickers-built examples were designated PBV, Boeing-Canada examples PB2B (there already being a Boeing PBB) and Naval Aircraft Factory examples were designated PBN. Canadian examples were named Canso by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The United States Army Air Forces and later the United States Air Force used the designation OA-10.

Although slow and ungainly, Catalinas distinguished themselves in World War II. Allied forces used them successfully in a wide variety of roles that the aircraft was never intended for. They are remembered for their role in rescuing downed airmen, in which they saved the lives of thousands of aircrew downed over water. Catalina airmen called their aircraft the "cat" on combat missions and "Dumbo" in air-sea rescue service Navy Catalinas used in the Pacific against the Japanese for night operations were painted black overall, and as a result were sometimes referred to locally as "Black Cats".  In their role as patrol aircraft, Catalinas participated in some of the most notable naval engagements of World War II. The aircraft's parasol wing and large waist blisters provided excellent visibility and combined with its long range and endurance, made it well suited for the task.

The Naval Aircraft Factory made significant modifications to the PBY design, many of which would have significantly interrupted deliveries had they been incorporated on the Consolidated production lines. The new aircraft, officially known as the PBN-1 Nomad, had several differences from the basic PBY. The most obvious upgrades were to the bow, which was sharpened and extended by two feet, and to the tail, which was enlarged and featured a new shape. Other improvements included larger fuel tanks, increasing range by 50%, and stronger wings permitting a 2,000 lb (908 kg) increase in gross takeoff weight. An auxiliary power unit was installed, along with an improved electrical system, and the weapons were upgraded with continuous-feed mechanisms.

138 of the 156 PBN-1s produced served with the Soviet Navy. The remaining 18 were assigned to training units at NAS Whidbey Island and the Naval Air Facility in Newport, Rhode Island. Later, improvements found in the PBN such as the larger tail were incorporated into the amphibious PBY-6A.

Catalinas were the most extensively used ASW aircraft in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theater of the Second World War, and were also used in the Indian Ocean, flying from the Seychelles and from Ceylon. Their duties included escorting convoys to Murmansk. By 1943, U-boats were well-armed with anti-aircraft guns and two Victoria Crosses were won by Catalina pilots pressing home their attacks on U-boats in the face of heavy fire. 

An RAF Coastal Command Catalina located the German battleship Bismarck, which was attempting to evade Royal Navy forces eventually leading to the destruction of the German battleship.

A flight of Catalinas spotted the Japanese fleet approaching Midway Island, beginning the Battle of Midway.

A flight of Catalinas spotted the Japanese fleet approaching Midway Island, beginning the Battle of Midway.

Several squadrons of PBY-5As and -6As in the Pacific theater were specially modified to operate as night raiders. Outfitted with state-of-the-art magnetic anomaly detectors and painted flat black, these "Black Cats" attacked Japanese supply convoys at night. Catalinas were surprisingly successful and from August 1943 to January 1944, Black Cats sank 112,700 tons of merchant shipping, damaged 47,000 tons, and damaged 10 Japanese warships.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also operated Catalinas as night raiders, with four squadrons Nos. 11, 20, 42, and 43 laying mines from 23 April 1943 until July 1945 in the southwest Pacific deep in Japanese-held waters, bottling up ports and shipping routes and forcing ships into deeper waters to become targets for U.S. submarines; they tied up the major strategic ports such as Balikpapan which shipped 80% of Japanese oil supplies. In late 1944, their mining missions sometimes exceeded 20 hours in duration and were carried out from as low as 200 ft (61 m) in the dark. Operations included trapping the Japanese fleet in Manila Bay in assistance of General Douglas MacArthur's landing at Mindoro in the Philippines. Australian Catalinas also operated out of Jinamoc in the Leyte Gulf, and mined ports on the Chinese coast from Hong Kong to as far north as Wenchow. The RAAF Catalinas regularly mounted nuisance night bombing raids on Japanese bases, claiming the slogan "The First and the Furthest". Targets of these raids included a major base at Rabaul.

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