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The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by
Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs
served with every branch of the US military and in the air forces and navies of many other nations.
In the United States Army Air Forces and later in the USAF their designation was the OA-10, while
Canadian-built PBYs were known as the Canso.
During World War II, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts,
search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport. The PBY was the
most successful aircraft of its kind; no other flying boat was produced in greater numbers. The last
active military PBYs were not retired from service until the 1980s. Even today, over seventy years
after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as an airtanker in aerial firefighting operations all over
the world.
The initialism of "PBY" was determined in accordance with the U.S. Navy aircraft designation
system of 1922; PB representing "Patrol Bomber" and Y being the code used for the aircraft's
manufacturer, Consolidated Aircraft.
Roles in World War II
The final construction figure is estimated at around 4,000 aircraft, and these were deployed in
practically all of the operational theatres of World War II. The PBY served with distinction and
played a prominent and invaluable role in the war against the Japanese. This was especially true
during the first year of the war in the Pacific, because the PBY and the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
were the only two available aircraft with the range necessary. As a result, they were used in almost
every possible military role until a new generation of aircraft became available.
A Catalina of No. 205 Squadron RAF was also involved in a dogfight with a Mitsubishi G3M Nell
bomber of Mihoro Air Group near the Anambas Islands on 25 December 1941, in which the
Catalina was shot down.
Anti-submarine warfare
PBYs were the most extensively used ASW aircraft[citation needed] in both the Atlantic and Pacific
Theaters 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: John Cruickshank of the
RAF, in 1944, against the U-347 and in the same year Flight Lt. David Hornell of the RCAF
(posthumously) against the U-1225. Catalinas destroyed 40 U-boats in all, but they suffered
losses of their own.
In their role as patrol aircraft, Catalinas participated in some of the most notable engagements of
World War II. The aircraft's parasol wing and large waist blisters allowed for a great deal of visibility
and combined with its long range and endurance, made it well suited for the task.
* A Coastal Command Catalina located the German battleship Bismarck on May 26, 1941 while
she tried to evade Royal Navy forces.
* A flight of Catalinas spotted the Japanese fleet approaching Midway Island, beginning the Battle
of Midway.
* An RCAF Canso flown by Squadron Leader L.J. Birchall foiled Japanese plans to destroy the
Royal Navy's Indian Ocean fleet on April 4, 1942 when it detected the Japanese carrier fleet
approaching Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
Night attack and naval interdiction
Several squadrons of PBY-5As and -6As in the Pacific theater were specially modified to operate
as night convoy raiders. Outfitted with state-of-the-art magnetic anomaly detection gear and
painted flat black, these "Black Cats" attacked Japanese supply convoys at night. Catalinas were
surprisingly successful in this highly unorthodox role. Between August 1943 and January 1944,
Black Cat squadrons had sunk 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 mounting mine-laying operations from 23 April 1943 until July
1945 in the southwest Pacific deep into Japanese-held waters, that bottled up ports and shipping
routes and kept ships in the deeper waters to become targets for US submarines; they tied up the
major strategic ports such as Balikpapan that shipped 80% of Japanese oil supplies. In late 1944,
their precision mining sometimes exceeded 20 hours in duration from as low as 200 feet in the
hours of darkness. One included the bottling up the Japanese fleet in Manila Bay planned to assist
General MacArthur's landing at Mindoro in the Philippines. They also operated out of Jinamoc in
Leyte Gulf, and mined ports on the Chinese coast from Hong Kong as far north as Wenchow. They
were the only non-American heavy bombers squadrons operating north of Morotai in 1945. The
RAAF Catalinas regularly mounted nuisance night bombing raids on Japanese bases, they
earned the motto of 'The first and the Furthest' as a testimony to their design and endurance.
These raids included the major base at Rabaul. RAAF aircrews developed 'terror bombs',
essentially empty beer bottles with razor blades inserted into the necks, these produced high
pitched screams as they fell and kept Japanese soldiers awake and in fear of their life.
Search and rescue
PBYs were employed by every branch of the US military as rescue aircraft. A PBY piloted by Lt.
Cmdr. Adrian Marks (USN) rescued 56 sailors from the USS Indianapolis after the ship was sunk
during World War II. PBYs continued to function in this capacity for decades after the end of the war.
course of their official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the media is in the public
domain.
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by
Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs
served with every branch of the US military and in the air forces and navies of many other nations.
In the United States Army Air Forces and later in the USAF their designation was the OA-10, while
Canadian-built PBYs were known as the Canso.
During World War II, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts,
search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport. The PBY was the
most successful aircraft of its kind; no other flying boat was produced in greater numbers. The last
active military PBYs were not retired from service until the 1980s. Even today, over seventy years
after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as an airtanker in aerial firefighting operations all over
the world.
The initialism of "PBY" was determined in accordance with the U.S. Navy aircraft designation
system of 1922; PB representing "Patrol Bomber" and Y being the code used for the aircraft's
manufacturer, Consolidated Aircraft.
Roles in World War II
The final construction figure is estimated at around 4,000 aircraft, and these were deployed in
practically all of the operational theatres of World War II. The PBY served with distinction and
played a prominent and invaluable role in the war against the Japanese. This was especially true
during the first year of the war in the Pacific, because the PBY and the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
were the only two available aircraft with the range necessary. As a result, they were used in almost
every possible military role until a new generation of aircraft became available.
A Catalina of No. 205 Squadron RAF was also involved in a dogfight with a Mitsubishi G3M Nell
bomber of Mihoro Air Group near the Anambas Islands on 25 December 1941, in which the
Catalina was shot down.
Anti-submarine warfare
PBYs were the most extensively used ASW aircraft[citation needed] in both the Atlantic and Pacific
Theaters 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: John Cruickshank of the
RAF, in 1944, against the U-347 and in the same year Flight Lt. David Hornell of the RCAF
(posthumously) against the U-1225. Catalinas destroyed 40 U-boats in all, but they suffered
losses of their own.
In their role as patrol aircraft, Catalinas participated in some of the most notable engagements of
World War II. The aircraft's parasol wing and large waist blisters allowed for a great deal of visibility
and combined with its long range and endurance, made it well suited for the task.
* A Coastal Command Catalina located the German battleship Bismarck on May 26, 1941 while
she tried to evade Royal Navy forces.
* A flight of Catalinas spotted the Japanese fleet approaching Midway Island, beginning the Battle
of Midway.
* An RCAF Canso flown by Squadron Leader L.J. Birchall foiled Japanese plans to destroy the
Royal Navy's Indian Ocean fleet on April 4, 1942 when it detected the Japanese carrier fleet
approaching Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
Night attack and naval interdiction
Several squadrons of PBY-5As and -6As in the Pacific theater were specially modified to operate
as night convoy raiders. Outfitted with state-of-the-art magnetic anomaly detection gear and
painted flat black, these "Black Cats" attacked Japanese supply convoys at night. Catalinas were
surprisingly successful in this highly unorthodox role. Between August 1943 and January 1944,
Black Cat squadrons had sunk 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 mounting mine-laying operations from 23 April 1943 until July
1945 in the southwest Pacific deep into Japanese-held waters, that bottled up ports and shipping
routes and kept ships in the deeper waters to become targets for US submarines; they tied up the
major strategic ports such as Balikpapan that shipped 80% of Japanese oil supplies. In late 1944,
their precision mining sometimes exceeded 20 hours in duration from as low as 200 feet in the
hours of darkness. One included the bottling up the Japanese fleet in Manila Bay planned to assist
General MacArthur's landing at Mindoro in the Philippines. They also operated out of Jinamoc in
Leyte Gulf, and mined ports on the Chinese coast from Hong Kong as far north as Wenchow. They
were the only non-American heavy bombers squadrons operating north of Morotai in 1945. The
RAAF Catalinas regularly mounted nuisance night bombing raids on Japanese bases, they
earned the motto of 'The first and the Furthest' as a testimony to their design and endurance.
These raids included the major base at Rabaul. RAAF aircrews developed 'terror bombs',
essentially empty beer bottles with razor blades inserted into the necks, these produced high
pitched screams as they fell and kept Japanese soldiers awake and in fear of their life.
Search and rescue
PBYs were employed by every branch of the US military as rescue aircraft. A PBY piloted by Lt.
Cmdr. Adrian Marks (USN) rescued 56 sailors from the USS Indianapolis after the ship was sunk
during World War II. PBYs continued to function in this capacity for decades after the end of the war.
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