Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Long-range patrol flying-boat

Power Plant:

(PBY-5A)

Two 895 kw (1,200 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp fourteen-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engines

Specifications:

Armament:

Two 7.62 mm (0.30 in) machine-guns in nose; one 7.62 mm (0.30 in) machine-gun in ventral tunnel; one 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine-gun in each blister; four 454 kg (1,000 lb) or four 227 kg (500 lb), or twelve 45 kg (100 lb) bombs; four 295 kg (650 lb) or four 147 kg (325 lb) depth charges; or two Mk 13-2 torpedoes, one under each wing outboard of wing struts

History:

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was designed by Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft Corporation, which received an order from the US Navy on 28 October 1933 to build an experimental patrol aircraft designated XP3Y-1. The prototype (c/n 9459) flew for the first time on 21 March 1935 at Hampton Road, powered by two 615 kw (825 hp) Pratt & Whitney XR-1830-54 Twin Wasp engines. Shortly after, it was fitted with 634 kw (850 hp) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-64 engines and re-designated XPBY-1.

Sixty PBY-1s were ordered for the US Navy, and later a further 50 was ordered. These were designated PBY-2, and had only minor detail differences. In 1938 the PBY was released for export, and three PBY-3s were sold to the USSR with manufacturing rights. There it was designated GST and was powered by two Mikulin M-62 radial engines. Sixty-six PBY-3s with Pratt & Whitney 671 kw (900 hp) R-1830 engines were supplied to the US Navy in December 1937, followed by 33 PBY-4s, which were fitted with the Pratt & Whitney 783 kw (1,050 hp) R-1830-72 engine. The first PBY-4s, like their predecessors, had sliding beam hatches, but the remainder, and subsequent aircraft, had blisters, each housing a 12.7 mm (0.5 in) calibre machine-gun.

In April 1939 a PBY-4 (c/n 1245) was returned to the manufacturer and converted to amphibious configuration. The main wheels were fitted with oleo shock-absorbers, retracting into wells in the fuselage sides, and the nosewheel was enclosed by automatically operated hatches. After completion, this aircraft was designated the XPBY-5A, so the remaining aircraft on order were then completed as PBY-5As.

An order for 134 additional PBY-5As was placed. In 1941 and 1942 contracts were placed for 586 PBY-5 flying boats, 627 PBY-5A amphibians, and 225 PBY-5B amphibians for the RAF under Lend-Lease.

The last production version, the PBY-6A, was developed by the Naval Aircraft Factory by sharpening the hull bow, fitting a 20-degree taper step amidships, and increasing the height of the vertical fin and rudder by 0.66 m (26 in). These were distinguished from earlier models by the taller tail and the radome mounted above the cockpit.

As part of a re-equipment plan, the Australian Government ordered 18 Catalinas in 1938. These were flown by Qantas crews to Australia in 1941, the first being AH534 (later A24-1). These aircraft were flown across the Pacific Ocean as civil aircraft, although the civil registrations were not carried. A24-1 was VH-AFA and the registrations continued in sequence to A24-18, which was VH-AFS.

In all 168 Catalinas were supplied to the RAAF as follows: PBY-5A A24-1 to A24-18; PBY-5 (MC) A24-19 to A24-27; PBY-3 A24-28 (ex-Dutch machine); PBY-5 A24-29 to A24-68; and PBY-5A A24-69 to A24-114. Some 29 PBY-5As were modified to PBY-5(M) standard by the removal, in service, of the undercarriage.

The valuable service provided by the Catalina during World War II in the defence of this region has been well documented. Suffice to say that many long-range bombing and mining operations were carried out by Nos 11, 20, 42 and 43 Squadrons, RAAF, with operations lasting up to 30 hours. Air Sea Rescue Flights also operated the type in the rescue of downed airmen, etc.

In addition, Royal Air Force (RAF) Catalinas were used on the Indian Ocean route with British registrations (G-AGFL, G-AGFM, G-AGID, G-AGIE and G-AGKS). These were flown by Qantas crews, the first flight being made from the Swan River in Perth, WA on 10 July 1943, to Kogalla Lake in Ceylon in 28 hours 9 minutes. These flights were made in order to have actual contact with the United Kingdom, as the route had been cut by the Japanese. A total of 271 crossings carried 51,601 kg (113,760 lb) of official documents and mail, 6,524 kg (14,383 lb) of freight, and 648 high-priority passengers.

Following World War II Catalinas continued in service with the RAAF until the early 1950s when they were retired, most being scrapped at Rathmines, NSW, and Lake Boga, VIC. Twenty-five Catalinas have received civil registrations, most being ex-RAAF aircraft, but others were imported from overseas. One VH-SBV was painted in TAA markings and operated in New Guinea, eventually being retired and later being obtained by the RNZAF Museum at Wigram for restoration and display. Ansett Airlines operated VH-BRI; and Barrier Reef Airways had three. A few have survived. One using parts from a number of scrapped aircraft has been preserved as a memorial at Lake Boga; and one was partly restored at Albany, WA and in 2004 being advertised for sale.

An ex-Canadian machine VH-EXG, which was used on mineral survey work for some years, has been restored in RAAF markings for the RAAF Museum at Point Cook,VIC. Another Catalina was obtained in Europe in 2000 and has been operated by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) at Albion Park, NSW, becoming VH-PBZ as part of its fleet of aircraft which includes a Super Constellation, three Douglas C-47s and three Lockheed Neptunes.

The remains of others are known to have survived. A couple was converted to houseboats, and others for fishing boats on the Murray and Darling Rivers. One, thought to be a PB2B-1, was used as a coffee shop on a small lake in the 1950s at Katoomba, NSW until eventually removed and broken up. This aircraft is thought to be either A24-200 or A24-201.

A number of long-distance flights have been made by Catalinas in this region. The first was named ‘Guba’ NC777, a PBY-2 operated by American, Dr Archbold, who used the aircraft in Papua New Guinea in search of fauna for the American Museum. This aircraft was leased by the Australian Government in 1938 and flown by Patrick Gordon Taylor (later Sir) on a number of survey flights. Taylor also used two other Catalinas for survey flights, the first (JX275), being named ‘Frigate Bird’, and the second (A24-385) being named ‘Frigate Bird II’. The latter as VH-ASA was flown to Chile and has been preserved in the PowerHouse Museum in Sydney, NSW.

The Catalina was also used extensively by the RNZAF: 22 PBY-5s (NZ4001 to NZ4022) and 34 PB2B-1s (NZ4023 to NZ4056) seeing service with Nos 5 and 6 Squadrons and No 3 Operational Training Unit (OTU). Following their retirement two appeared on the civil register as ZK-AMI and ZK-AMP with Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL). An ex-Australian PBY-5A Catalina VH-SBV was recovered in the 1980s from New Guinea and has been restored for the RNZAF Museum.

In January 1994 a Catalina obtained in the USA (N5404J) commenced to be flown across the Pacific for operation in New Zealand as a warbird but was lost on the delivery flight. Later the Catalina Company obtained a further example ZK-PBY, also a PBY-5A, which was airworthy. Painted in RNZAF markings, it was operated at a number of New Zealand aviation events and was permitted to carry fare-paying passengers on flights. In 2013 it was found to have some corrosion and over the following two years major work was carried out to restore the aircraft to airworthiness. The hulk of another (204) has been stored at Ardmore to be used as a source of spare parts.

A PBY-5A Catalina was obtained by the Catalina Club of Auckland for spares to keep ZK-PBY airworthy. This machine (c/n 1696 – N9535C, N74821) comprising only the fuselage was restored, painted in US Navy markings, and placed on display at the Tauranga Museum, being open for internal inspection by visitors to the museum.

In 1982 a Newcastle businessman financed the restoration to airworthiness of a Catalina for the Confederate Air Force (as it was then known – later the Commemorative Air Force) in Texas and this aircraft (c/n 1954, BuAer 46590, N68756 – ‘Sea Bitch’ – painted as A24-387) made a tour of Australia shortly thereafter. It made a number of flights along the Australian eastern seaboard. However, on its return to the United States it did not do much flying, became derelict, and was partly stripped for spares.  In 2006 it was derelict at Brownsville and auctioned by the city.  It was purchased by Mark Pilkington who, as the secreary of the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin, VIC, was investigationg parts to support the retoration of A24-88.

He investigated interest by other groups and museums in obtaining the aircraft but the shipping costs were prohibitive.  It eventually changed hands to another Australian who shipped its wings to Australia, and then to HARS which shipped its blister turrets to Australia, and then donated the airframe too the Pima Air Museum.  It continued to corrode and was intended to be the basis of a restoration until the Lone Star Flight Museum donated the complete CANSO 9742/N68740 to the Pima Museum.

A further PBY-5A (c/n 1988 – BuAer 46624, N9502C) was imported in 2001, arriving in Darwin, NT on the ‘USS Comstock’ to become part of a memorial to RAAF, RAF, US Navy and Dutch Catalina crews who operated from Western Australia during World War II. However, the memorial was not built and the aircraft was transferred to the RAAF Association Museum at Bull Creek near Perth, WA and placed on display.

In mid 2007 a further PBY-6A Catalina, an ex-water bomber, was obtained in Europe by the Catalina Flying Memorial Ltd of North Ryde, NSW and this was flown to Australia, the registration VH-DUL (c/n 2029 – ex- CC-CNP, EC-FXN, CC-CNP, CC-CNG, N955C, ‘Manatura II’, BuAer 46665) being reserved at one stage but it becoming VH-CAT as a flying memorial to the operation of the type during World War II. The registration was then changed to N160AJ for the ferry flight.

The aircraft was flown to Australia, arriving in Darwin on 3 December 2008, making a number of passes over old seaplane bases on the east coast, including a water landing at Rathmines, NSW before becoming VH-CAT again. The proposal is for a hangar to be built at Rathmines for the aircraft. In later years it has undergone restoration at Bankstown, NSW.

In 2009 yet another Catalina arrived in Australia imported from Spain where it had operated with the two mentioned above as a fire-bomber. Made airworthy, it was obtained by the Qantas Founders Museum at Longreach, QLD and became VH-EAX on 30 September that year. This aircraft, a PBY-6A (c/n 2008 – ex C-GFFH, EC-EVK, N6458C, BuAer 46644), had previously operated as a fire-bomber with Farmers Air Services in Oregon, The Flying Fireman in British Colombia, and in Spain. Engine problems caused it to be delayed in Bangkok, Thailand but its arrival brought to twelve the number of Catalinas in Australasia. In mid 2014 it was removed from the civil register and has remained a static exhibit at the museum painted in the markings of one of the aircraft which operated from Perth during World War II on the service to Ceylon.

In 2013 the Catalina Memorial Park Trust obtained a further Catalina, a PBY-5A in Puerto Rico (N7238Z), and this aircraft was dismantled in June that year for shipment to Australia where it has been restored for static display at Rathmines. It arrived in early 2014 and work commenced on the restoration of the fuselage at Toronto and the wings at Kilaben Bay Depot in the Newcastle area.

One American registered example (N68740) was operated in Australia and Papua New Guinea from 1967 to 1970 by Freeport Indonesia and was based in Darwin, being used for communications and as a personnel transport between the company’s mining sites in West Irian.