First Flight:
The prototype of the PBY Catalina made its maiden flight on March 15, 1935.
New Design, Same Mission:
The PBY was the Navy’s first monoplane patrol bomber, It featured a parasol wing mounted atop a pylon atop the fuselage and supported by two struts on each side. The wing tips, when rotated to the down position, served as floats when the flying boat operated on the water. They were retracted during flight. The PBY had a range of nearly 3,000 mile, which extended the “eyes” of the fleet that tacticians and strategists viewed as important in potential conflict, namely in the Pacific Ocean against the Imperial Japanese Navy. The aircraft was intended for use as a bomber as well as long-range patrol aircraft, the bombardier position in the nose including provision for use of the highly secret Norden bombsight.
Initial Service: The PBY entered service in October 1936, and it immediately began making its mark as the world began descending into global war. This included long-distance flights and participation in the Neutrality Patrol guarding the approaches to the Western Hemisphere after the outbreak of World War II on September 1, 1939. One U.S. pilot had a direct role in combat, albeit secretly. In May 1941 Ensign Leonard “Tuck” Smith was serving as an observer on board a Royal Air Force PBY-5 when it spotted the elusive German battleship Bismarck. By the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the PBY was the U.S. Navy’s front-line patrol bomber.
Versatile Platform: The PBY was not the most capable aircraft in the air, but its versatility allowed it to perform missions well beyond those ever envisioned for it. PBY aircrews spotted both the Japanese invasion force and carrier striking force during the early stage of the pivotal Battle of Midway. Later, while operating in the Solomon Islands, selected PBY squadrons camouflaged their aircraft with black paint and operated them at night. The so-called Black Cat squadrons staged night attacks against Japanese shipping and bases of operations to great effect. In the Atlantic, PBYs were a mainstay combating German U-boats during the Battle of the Atlantic, employing magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) gear and retro-bombs to great effect later in the war. PBY aircrews also flew air-sea rescue, which were called “Dumbo” missions, pulling downed airmen and crewmen from sunken ships from the water. Among the most famous of these flights was Lieutenant (junior grade) Nathan Gordon making four landings under fire to rescue 15 Army Air Forces aircrew, an action for which he received the Medal of Honor. In addition, a PBY flown by Lieutenant Adrian Marks was the first to spot survivors of the sinking of the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA 35), pulling 56 men from the water.
The Museum’s Aircraft: On loan from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the PBY-5 on display is the sole surviving non-amphibian version of the venerable seaplane. Accepted by the Navy on February 28, 1943, it spent the majority of its operational service assigned to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola before being stricken from the Navy’s inventory in 1948.
