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#Post#: 14219--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Consolidated PBY Catalina
By: vonofterdingen Date: November 23, 2020, 3:16 pm
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The Consolidated PBY Catalina (aka Dumbo) had as
distinguished a record as any aircraft of WW2. Catalina crews
located the elusive Bismarck and the Japanese carrier fleet at
Midway. They provided coastal defense for countless nations
including the Eastern seaboard from the US New Eland coast to
Brazil. But perhaps the Catalina’s most important role was sea
rescue. Many a downed pilot or stranded seaman was picked out of
the sea by a “Dumbo.”
From Wikipedia
The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious
aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian
service it was known as the Canso. 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. The last military PBYs served
until the 1980s. As of 2014, nearly 80 years after its first
flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or
airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations in some parts of
the world. None remain in military service.
The PBY was originally designed to be a patrol bomber, an
aircraft with a long operational range intended to locate and
attack enemy transport ships at sea in order to disrupt enemy
supply lines. With a mind to a potential conflict in the Pacific
Ocean, where troops would require resupply over great distances,
the U.S. Navy in the 1930s invested millions of dollars in
developing long-range flying boats for this purpose. Flying
boats had the advantage of not requiring runways, in effect
having the entire ocean available.
The PBY was the most numerous aircraft of its kind, with
around 3,300 aircraft built.
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 type operated in nearly all operational theatres of World
War II. The Catalina served with distinction and played a
prominent and invaluable role in the war against the Japanese.
These patrol planes shared with land based patrol bombers the
combat roles while the very long range Consolidated LB-30 and
the Consolidated Coronado were pressed into service to increase
the all important logistic strategic air lift capability in the
vast Pacific theater. The pairings allowed the Catalina to take
on the role of eyes of the fleets at longer ranges than the
float plane scouts.
Several different flying boats were adopted by the Navy, but
the PBY was the most widely used and produced.
Although slow and ungainly, Catalinas distinguished
themselves in World War II. Allied forces used them successfully
in a wide variety of roles for which the aircraft was never
intended. PBYs are remembered for their rescue role, 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.
Catalinas were the most extensively used anti-submarine
warfare (ASW) aircraft in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters
of World War II, 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: Flying Officer John Cruickshank of the RAF,
in 1944, for sinking U-347 (although the submarine is now known
to have been U-361) and in the same year Flight Lieutenant David
Hornell of the Royal Canadian Air Force (posthumously) against
U-1225. Catalinas destroyed 40 U-boats, but not without losses
of their own. A Brazilian Catalina attacked and sank U-199 in
Brazilian waters on 31 July 1943. Later, the aircraft was
baptized as "Arará", in memory of the merchant ship of that name
which was sunk by another U-boat.
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.
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A RAF Coastal Command Catalina, with Ensign Leonard B. Smith
of the U.S. Navy as copilot, and flying out of Castle Archdale
Flying boat base, Lower Lough Erne, Northern Ireland, located on
26 May 1941, some 690 nmi (1,280 km; 790 mi) northwest of Brest,
the German battleship Bismarck, which was attempting to evade
Royal Navy forces as she sought to join other Kriegsmarine
forces in Brest. This sighting eventually led to the destruction
of the German battleship.
On 7 December 1941, before the Japanese amphibious landings
on Kota Bharu, Malaya, their invasion force was approached by a
Catalina flying boat of No. 205 Squadron RAF. The aircraft was
shot down by five Nakajima Ki-27 fighters before it could radio
its report to air headquarters in Singapore. Flying Officer
Patrick Bedell, commanding the Catalina, and his seven crew
members became the first Allied casualties in the war with
Japan.
A Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Canso flown by Squadron
Leader L.J. Birchall foiled Japanese plans to destroy the Royal
Navy's Indian Ocean fleet on 4 April 1942 when it detected the
Japanese carrier fleet approaching Ceylon (Sri Lanka).
Squadron Leader Leonard Birchall aboard a Consolidated
Catalina before being shot down and captured near Ceylon by the
Japanese
During the Battle of Midway four United States Navy PBYs of
Patrol Squadrons 24 and 51 made a night torpedo attack on the
Japanese fleet on the night of June 3–4, 1942, scoring one hit
which damaged the fleet oiler Akebono Maru, the only successful
American torpedo attack in the entire battle.
During the Guadalcanal campaign, some U.S. Navy PBYs were
painted matte black and sent on night bombing, torpedoing, and
strafing missions against Japanese supply vessels and warships,
including conducting interdiction raids on the Tokyo Express.
These PBYs were later called "Black Cats". Subsequently, special
squadrons of Black Cats were formed, commencing in December 1942
with VP-12, with an additional thirteen squadrons coming into
service thereafter.[note 2] Flying slowly at night, dipping to
ship mast height, the Black Cats bombed, strafed, and torpedoed
all kinds of Japanese vessels, sinking or damaging thousands of
tons of shipping. The Black Cats also performed bombing,
strafing and harassment regarding land based Japanese
installations, as well as conducting reconnaissance and search
and rescue operations. The Black Cat squadrons continued to be
active into 1944 with the PB4Y-2 beginning to come in service in
greater numbers and replacing the PBYs, the last Black Cat
squadrons returning to the U.S. in early 1945.
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.
Both USN and RAAF Catalinas regularly mounted nuisance night
bombing raids on Japanese bases, with the RAAF claiming the
slogan "The First and the Furthest". Targets of these raids
included a major base at Rabaul. RAAF aircrews, like their U.S.
Navy counterparts, employed "terror bombs", ranging from scrap
metal and rocks to empty beer bottles with razor blades inserted
into the necks, to produce high-pitched screams as they fell,
keeping Japanese soldiers awake and scrambling for cover.
Catalinas were employed by every branch of the U.S. military
as rescue aircraft. A PBY piloted by LCDR Adrian Marks (USN)
rescued 56 sailors in high seas from the heavy cruiser
Indianapolis after the ship was sunk during World War II. When
there was no more room inside, the crew tied sailors to the
wings. The aircraft could not fly in this state; instead it
acted as a lifeboat, protecting the sailors from exposure and
the risk of shark attack, until rescue ships arrived. Catalinas
continued to function in the search-and-rescue role for decades
after the end of the war.
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In game…
You won’t want to get into a dogfight in your Dumbo. In fact,
I will go one better and advise that you should avoid
encountering any enemy aircraft in the Catalina. But our game is
more than just dogfighting, isn’t it. I am only just now
learning to appreciate that fact myself. The Catalina can carry
bombs, torpedoes, depth charges, and mines. The Command and
Control objects available in BAT now provide us with
opportunities to create exciting and realistic sea rescue
missions also.
And don’t forget to take a look at Dimon’s new Catalina mod
aircraft, available on this site.
#Post#: 14220--------------------------------------------------
Re: Consolidated PBY Catalina
By: ben_wh Date: November 23, 2020, 4:17 pm
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vons,
Thanks for a great write-up. Definitely a popular plane in real
life.
For years I've enjoyed modification of this plane by the HSFX7
team (very good cockpit for this plane), and now we are seeing
more mods on loadout and new 3D as well. Thank you to all the
modders who helped improve this plane in-game.
Cheers,
#Post#: 14230--------------------------------------------------
Re: Consolidated PBY Catalina
By: Beowolff Date: November 24, 2020, 12:03 am
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great write-up, Von! I love this plane and you did a great job
reviewing it. Thank you!
S!
Beo
#Post#: 14244--------------------------------------------------
Re: Consolidated PBY Catalina
By: cafs Date: November 24, 2020, 7:28 am
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Thanks for another great PoW, Von. The Catalina was a great
plane and did a superb job in all types of missions at sea,
except dogfighting, of course.
#Post#: 14246--------------------------------------------------
Re: Consolidated PBY Catalina
By: E69_Haukka Date: November 24, 2020, 10:15 am
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Thanks for another interesting research piece, Von. From these
articles come lots of ideas to do missions, or to give more life
to many that we already know. But I still have some questions,
such as knowing who designed this plane, and why is it called
Catalina. A Cuban pilot spoke to me years ago about the origins
of this plane, something that perhaps our Russian comrades can
help to clarify.
Regards
#Post#: 14341--------------------------------------------------
Re: Consolidated PBY Catalina
By: stanislao Date: November 27, 2020, 6:42 am
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[font=comic sans
ms]Apparently the PBY was named Catalina, taking its cue from
the group of islands opposite Los Angeles (it was made in San
Diego)[/font][font=comic sans ms] to distinguish the model
created for export to England ![/font]
#Post#: 14344--------------------------------------------------
Re: Consolidated PBY Catalina
By: larsresult Date: November 27, 2020, 9:48 am
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To add to Von's excellent article, the Russian Naval AFs also
used the Catalina. About 30 PBY-1s were produced under licence
at Taganrog as the GST between 1937 and 1940. Although few in
number they were considered better than any home designs and a
few even survived the war after long service. In 1944 the USA
provided 137 PBN-1s (virtually the whole production run) and 48
PBY-6As. These were used well into the 1950s.
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