Wheels on Water - The Slow, Ugly, and Incredibly Successful Consolidated PBY Catalina
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- čas přidán 21. 09. 2021
- The Consolidated PBY Catalina, or Pigboat, was one of the most versatile and effective multi-role aircraft of World War II.
Although this flying amphibious aircraft did not sport the war face of a B17 Bomber, it paved the way to victory for the United States and its allies across the Pacific and every other major theatre of the conflict.
PBY Catalinas were primarily used for air-sea rescue operations, cargo transport, convoy bombing, and anti-submarine warfare.
It is estimated that they destroyed over 40 enemy U-boats in the Atlantic and Pacific between 1941 and 1945, becoming the ultimate submarine hunter.
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I have NEVER thought of this plane as ugly, and was shocked to read that in the title.
Me too.
Same.
They choose an ugly photo however
I always thought the design was graceful.
@@tobucksy Same. I really don't see how anyone could see it as visually unappealing.
Definitely not ugly. Instead, the PBY Catalina has *character* by the ton. A massively competent aircraft that would do its job better than any other and bring you home. A winner.
There's a great passage in the book, The Thousand Mile War. A PBY was getting hounded by a Japanese Zero. The Catalina pilot flew to a cone-shaped volcanic island and throttled down to just above stall speed. Then, he flew slow circles as close as possible to the volcanic cone. The Zero couldn't line up a shot without stalling, over-shooting or crashing into the mountain. The Catalina just slowly orbited the island until the Zero ran low on fuel and had to disengage.
Sometimes fat and slow wins the day.
Clever Girl!
Do you know my wife?
My father told a similar story about being in France when a Bf109 attacked a slow old Westland Lysander. The RAF pilot flew figures-of-eight around a timbered area making the German fighter repeatedly overshoot. Eventually, he gave up and went looking for easier prey.
A really good book is called "In the Hands of Fate" by Dwight Messimer. It tells the story of the doomed 44 PBY Catalinas of Patrol Wing 10 from December 1941 to May 1942 who fought in the Philippines and Dutch East Indies. Those Catalinas only shot down 4 Japanese planes. So, when they were actually fighting against Japanese planes and ships at their best they were no match. They needed fighter escorts in order to excel. They really had to wait until after Guadalcanal (when other ships and planes did the heavy lifting and sacrifices to stop the Japanese juggernaut) before they could claim to be "amazing" airplanes.
My father who was a "Flight Engineer" on a PBY alway said " they teased us a lot. "Take off at 90, climb at 90, cruse at 90, land at 90 and live tell 90". Having been in the Navy myself I can totally understand.
As a 71-year-old Navy brat, this was my favorite plane and seeing them taking off and landing was a joy when I was young
Hey! As a kid in the 80s, or possibly just before, i used to see a coast guard PBY wheels down parked at the ramp by Lindberg field.
Most beautiful craft i had seen.
Being Navy brat, i swam in tropical seaplane channels dredged in lagoons in Hawaii, Keys, and other islands. Always wondered why seaplane bases were redesignated.
And yes, a lot more pelagic sharks were big before human overpopulation swept the seas of them. My uncle was unlucky enough to have been on a transport in the coral sea in Dec. 41, which was torpedoed.He and crew were transferred to destroyer, which was torpedoed a few days later. The transport hulk, abandoned, stayed afloat, and was later found and towed into port
Wanted to get a beautiful PBY when i grew up, but by age 16 was more obsessed with surfing and refused pilot lessons in return for airport work.
Too bad couldn't fit it all in, and had to resort to campervan across deserts to wild points and lagoons.
This video reminded me for the first time of how i envisioned one as camper, imagining hot sun through the blisters as respite after cool water.
Wonder about the history of those big Martin Mariners, the other seaplanes using those derdged channels.
Uncle died early in that war, and father was a an electronics tech on one of the four NSA ships before all the satellite detection technology.
Mom's favored song: " where have all the flowers gone?" Worth a listen. Americans did not suffer in the big wars like the nations bombed and invaded. Our obsession with war may be due to the romanticizing of it. Since i saw friends shot and had to deal with gang violence and bloody knifing scars, as on my face made me too ugly for females to consider, although i was done with hate & violence by age 17. Elder relatives never forgave Japanese, & one refused to help work on my toyota a few years back bc "Jap."
My Mother worked on the Consolidated assembly line in San Diego producing those birds. I don't think she ever realized the importance of her (and other "Rosie's") contribution to the war effort. In some small way, I like to think dear old Mom helped America win the war. (Although most of her stories from that time revolve around USO dances and flirting with Sailors and Marines... not building airplanes.) She's 99 now and shooting for 106.
God speed to your mom and also I thank her for making such beautiful airplanes
God bless her and thanks for her service!
Hell yes! Your Mom was a difference-maker.
My mom was a Navy WAVE during WWII. That is where she met dad. He was an Navy officer and pilot. After the war I came along. Hee, hee.
Such a cool plane ! Weird! But totally awesome
I don't know how you see the Catalina as "ugly". Those smooth sweeping lines are classically beautiful, whether you're into sea or air vessels.
same !
love it, fluid, homely
She was the first craft ,to have it's fuel tanks ,mounted inside it's wings .
Eh, it sounds like you're trying to jam your peanut butter in my jelly. Mmmm... sandwiches are my bread and butter. What? I've got to practice my Dad jokes somewhere. lol.
Gentle giant, until you face it.
I agree; I think the Catalina was a beautiful aircraft.
On a lighter note, my Father was fond of telling how , when posted in the Glasgow naval docks research department during the war, he was able to throw his bicycle on a Catalina that hop scotched around the Scottish bases.
During rare down time he and his bicycle would cadge a lift to Oban where he would undertake short cycling tours. It was the beginning of a lifelong love for the area and people. By his own admission he had a “good war” studying degaussing, armour and countering underwater explosions. I used to love hearing about it.
I can hardly imagine the tears of joy these things brought when landing to rescue.
PBY Catalina is certainly not an ugly duckling. One of my favorite planes, and a real unsung hero. Thank you for the video.
Couldn't agree more. Hate the name "pig-boat" and this was the first time I heard it on D.D.s.
I like it's wing above fuselage design and engine placement. A cool plane.
😁
@@raybin6873~ It's called pylon wing mount. I used to play in Cats in the 50's at the airbase. These were Cats that went through the war and
limped back badly damaged from war wounds... I used to wade through .50caliber spent cartridge cases all over the belly of the aircraft.
Same here, I have always liked this airplane.
I have always thought it would be awesome to convert into an "air camper".
Never mind that dark clown and his "ugly" nonsense. The PBY was NOT ugly, but even if it was, it is better to be ugly than to be stupid like him.
A PBY crew pulled my dad out of the Sulu Sea when his B24 went down. His crew bailed out after the fuel tanks were punctured by ground fire, but had enough time to radio a position, and the PBY arrived soon after they hit the water.
amazing.
Can you imagine floating alone in the ocean and watching that beautiful bird coming in to pick you up. Amazing.
My father-in-law was a navigator on the PBY out of Hawaii. Amazing aircraft.
Everyone's dad
@@peterwilliams7641 That would be the best sight ever!
It's amazing that two pivotal events, one in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific, were possible because of this exceptional airplane. The spotting of the Bismark and the Japanese fleet at Midway were so important to future events.
A PBY spotted the Indianapolis crew as well.
This is the boat that disabled the Bismark, flying out of Ireland. Yes it did.
@@bennieknape4857 The PBY actually spotted the Bismark. It was flying from Lough Erne in Northern Ireland. It didn't damage the Bismark. It sighted Bismark, reported and shadowed it. The aircraft that damaged Bismark was a Fairey Swordfish Biplane, a carrier aircraft flying from HMS Ark Royal
Spotted the Japanese fleet at Midway because it was directed to the exact point by intercepted and decoded secret messages.
US forces still had a hard time finding the Jap fleet. There were a number of Catalina’s flying out of Midway, covering huge areas of ocean. It wasn’t an easy fight by any means. Having the intelligence was great, but still needed the eyes watching the ocean.
It gladdens my heart to see all the love for the PBY here in the comments. I have loved and wanted one since crawling around one at Pensecola NAS with my scout troop in 71. They still had seaplane ramps back then. As I recall, Jacques Cousteaus group had one, and his son died in a crash with it.
That was a Catalina? Azores, right?
My wife’s grandfather flew those in WW II. He was a great guy and good man. He became a lawyer and worked in Washington DC for special patents. I looked at some of his papers after he died and it was some complicated stuff. But my favorite stories were his from flying missions during the war and the rescues they pulled off.
My grandfather also flew these and became a lawyer after the war
I don't know if I can relate, sadly. However, I know it might've been possible that they were still deployed with the US Coast Guard in the 60s. Maybe.
My wife’s grandfather and her uncle both flew these for the RCAF.
These planes were the love of my grandfather's life. He spent a lot of his time as a Royal New Zealand Airforce engineer in the 1940s working on Catalinas in the Pacific, I don't think he ever loved another aircraft more.
Thanks for your comment. My Grandad was a radio operator on a Catalina in the Solomon Islands during WW2 for the RNZAF.
My great grandfather was a founding member of the Black Cat squadron. The squadron painted their PBY’s black and turned them into dive bombers. When he was an Ensign, his Commander dropped a bomb down the smoke stack of a Japanese Cruiser and sank it. Wish I could’ve met you gramps. Glad to carry on your legacy, shipping to Navy boot camp in April next year
The PBY is far from ugly, in fact since ive first seen pictures of them i considered them as really beautifully designed.
For me she’s definitely one of the prettiest aircraft ever designed!
Here in Chile, the Catalina was the first plane to travel from continental Chile to the Eastern Island. The plane, called Manu Tara in local tongue is now conserved in a museum
Interesting, Marcelo. How,far
is Chile to,Easter Islamd
@@michaelb9303 3791 km from where they took off!
@@carnesiramrod First, please,forgive my typing which seemed to get scrambled.
Thank you for the response. That is a long way!
What does that name translate to, Manu Tara?
@@suburban404 'Bird of luck'. It is a VERY interesting legend, because they ultimately chose their best by a race to get the first laid egg of this bird in a rock by the island. The winner is called Tangata Manu, the sacred Bird Man.
Just another great example of a plane that might not be the sleekest, or fastest plane out there, but did it's job incredibly well. It was just like the A-10, great design, so valuable to successful war efforts. It was a PBY Catalina that spotted the Japanese fleet off of Midway as well.
Hear hear. She´s a beauty in her own way.
Exactly... the PBY and the A-10 both unusual designs that were/are just great at their jobs.
And also spotted the Japanese fleet heading to the aleutian islands
@ThyPeasantSlayer wt?
@@charleswatson1093 War thunder, but its still pretty good.
I live in Bowen Nth Queensland Australia , this was one of the main service ports for the secret Black Cat squadron. The concrete sea ramp is still in town intact waiting silently for the missing plains lost during WW2 pacific war to return.
I think of the lost airman every time I drive past. There is a memorial now mounted at the top of this site.
I will look out for it if ever I'm up there
Still on patrol as they say from here castle archdale lough Erne n Ireland
That is good information to know if I ever get up that way!
I love the look. Form should follow function and this plane is a perfect example of engineering to do a job, not win a beauty contest. That makes it beautiful in a whole different way.
I remember reading an interview from a sailor on a uboat and he stated, "the two greatest fears of a U-boat captain is depth charges and the PBY Catalina. The reason why he feared this plane was it could fly high enough that we couldn't shoot it and it was quiet enough that we couldn't hear it."
My father, a Catalina pilot relayed a wartime joke they told each other about a Cat attacking a U-Boat
"Herr Kapitan! Catalina approaching!" " Is there anyone on board who hasn't shot down a Catalina? Anybody""
Zee cabin boy, herr Kapitan!" Well, send him up! Don't need to rush, though!"
A quiet radial is a rarity
@@markblanch2905 My dad's hearing was completely shot on the left side from flying Catalinas and Sunderlands during the war.
VA gave him all sorts of hearing aids.
It was also it’s incredible range that terrified the sub crews. There were no truly safe waters. Especially given that the PBY’s (or any flying boats) could refuel at sea. The Seaplane Tenders often get looked down on as oddball support ships. Nobody ever gives much thought to how broad a section of ocean they could control. The PBY was also largely the Navy’s first and best night fighting aircraft. With ever advancing radar and sensor suites. The final thing to illustrate just how good the PBY was. It is one of the few aircraft to both outperform and outlast the service life of its own designated replacement. The PB2Y Coronado.
@@andrewtaylor940 My Dad flew one from Gander Newfoundland to Oban Scotland straight without stopping.
When I was a child, I thought the PBY Catalina the coolest plane of WWII. Thank you for your efforts to expand my knowledge of this plane!
I love this plane!
Same - my most treasured model was a PBY. It reigned supreme suspended from my ceiling while the lesser planes milled around underneath aiming at each other. I must have a thing for quirky as I also like the A-10 and Mosquito.
Same here! This and the Sunderland. I have always admired it and flying boats in general.
Still learning!
The PBY5A my father crewed on was the first U.S. bomber to land on Clark Field when Manila fell. He and his crew fought for 13 months in the South Pacific. 6 months was a "Tour of action", but the replacement Martin PBMs weren't ready for deployment, so they did another tour. This was Squadron VP71, later to be renamed VPV71. This was a part of the "Black Cat Squadron".
I first saw a picture of a PBY around 1968, in a book on WWII aircraft. I've always admired this plane and the feats of rescue and combat that it pulled off. In 53 years I've never once thought of the word "ugly" to describe this wonderful aircraft.
Anyone else get chills watching these? Just thinking about how things were back in WW2
Every time I visit Catalina Island, I go visit the "airport in the sky" and check out all the PBY merchandise. I love the old WW2 pics of it around the gift shop. It's really neat to see all the stories on the walls of their hallways that talk about it's use on the island, since they had two airports ( water = port on the west side, land = on top of the highest point of the island. ) I wished they still had one on the island or in the airport but storage room is tight up there. Barely enough room for the planes that come and go.
I never knew! I love the island and the airplane. I’ll check for this store next time I’m there!
I read several books about the Black Cats' in the Pacific. This plane was really a superstar! Old design before the war, upgraded a bit, but adapted for so many jobs and very successful as an anti sub hunter or night attack plane up 'The Slot' during some of the deadliest battles of the war. I gained a much greater respect for the PBY after reading those books.
Here in New Zealand we are lucky enough to have a PBY 5A based at Ardmore (near Auckland, North island) which takes passengers for flights at airshows and the like. It is an amazing experience. I especially enjoyed how after takeoff and before landing the Engineer comes down to the central narrow 'aisle', pulls up a hatch in the floor, and leans down and hand-cranks the nose-wheel up/down. Definitely aviation from a bygone age. I helped dissemble part of a Catalina hull that is now on display at Classic Flyers in Tauranga (the complete aircraft had been donor-plane for spares for the flying Catalina)... the panel joints were waterproofed with strips of what seemed to be rubberised (and 70-years-perished) cloth. Fascinating project to work on.
I've been a huge fan of this plane since my teen years. Totally underrated bird.
It’s peculiar looking but not ugly IMO.
I had a Black Model of one growing up, it was built by my older brother and I tried to keep it in good condition, when someone or something happened to make a plastic part (notoriously weak landing gear made out of plastic always seem to break, it was not a die cast Hot-wheels car after all) break off or get smashed from a fall from the shelf, I’d glue it back together again, but Humpty Dumpty pig boat lost the battle with time and cats occasionally repaired pieces were found months later and after no repair could be made I severed its right rear landing gear, taped in a piece of black cardboard to cover the landing gear holes and glued it shut, then hung it off the ceiling with fishing line till I left for the Army. After that I cannot say what happened to it. I was a wonderful boat plane that my Father had a fondness for, he was a Pacific Theater Coast Guard WWII Veteran, and served aboard a refit ship a converted Laker the William M. Fitch, last seen by my father as he left for the States in Hylandia bay the Philippines. Old boiler plate and steel rivits was her Hull that was laid from her keel up in 1903 in Toledo OHIO shipyards she was returned twice for lengthening and in her last Civilian Role carried Railroad cars and was fitted with a large water tight door in the bow, then the Army pressed it into service and it left the port of New Orleans, traversed the Panama Canal headed for Hawaii then on to the Philippines by the end of the war. Crewed by the Coast Guard, repairman were Army and a few Navy, and Ordered around by the Navy, the Skipper always had sealed orders and in one instance left a week ahead of a fleet and arrived 3 days later than the rest. Their cruise speed was 6 knots flank speed was 8!
There once was a picture of the back side of the ship that had one of the Davits swung out and was lifting or lowering an Engine to a PBY Cattalina it was Grey I’m guessing from the black and white photo that I saw years ago, and dad seeing it brightened up and stated that it was one of the Six steam operated Davits that he Rebuilt from New Orleans to Panama. The rest were completed by the time they made it to Pearl Harbor. Reloaded with parts and supplies they headed out... RIP Dad 1923 to 2015.
@@andrewostrelczuk406 thank you for sharing and caring, and bless your Father!!
Not underrated.
It's not really underrated, mostly if you hear any opinion about it it's usually very positive, it's rather just a little overlooked, like most medium bombers (or similar sized planes) are. When you ask someone to name an iconic bomber they will most likely say B-17 or a Lancaster, the really large ones. Stuff like this or B-25, Heinkel 111 and others aren't really mentioned much.
I sat in one of these at a military aviation as a kid. The wide hull, top mounted propellors and the ability to land and dock just about anywhere give it a real adventure vibe.
Tailspin
I was watching a show a few years back and it was about strange homes. They had an older couple the husband was a commercial airline pilot and the wife was a stewardess and they had converted a Catalina into a flying home but it was the model that had the retractile wheels it was awesome and their life seemed so care free...
My father was a crewman, an ordinance man, flying out of NES Jacksonville before I was born. The concrete ramps that lead into the St Johns River are still there where they would rumble down and back out of the water. He started his career of 33 years as a ball turret Gunner on TBM avengers during world war II. He started out as an e2, earned his commission, and retired as a lieutenant commander holding a commander's billet as the officer in charge of pine Castle bombing range in Astor Florida. Many many years at sea while I was growing up. A true Patriot.
One of the great innovations of the PBY clan was the "Idle divs" when a PBY would locate a sub , make a baseline circle, and come back with props feathered for almost-complete silent dive and torpedo you.
A lot of subs got sunk not just by bombs, deptcharges and torpedoes. One of the bigger weapons against the subs were the 50. Cal mounts on the PBY. They could easily pierce the hull of a submarine causing casualties and terror in the crews inside.
A lot of German subs were scuttled or sunk by 50. Cal fire. From PBY’s which could stalk them for long periods of time.
I learned more about this amazing aircraft in these few minutes than I'd learned in the previous 66 years.
Good work well presented.
Definitely an awesome plane. So versatile, excellent range. One of my top 5 WWll aircraft.
@@mikkel066h PBY crew: Who's being stalked now, huh?
@@davidcliatt1314 lucky to get in one on the ground it was really tiny inside compared to a Sunderland. It was great talking to the crew. The mind boggles at a 30 hour flight, yes they could stay up that long.
Thank you for remembering our Brazilian Air Force work with it. I was thinking about it when you said Sub Hunter. The plane was later baptized "Arará" in honor of a merchant ship of the same name that was sunk by a U Boat earlier in the war while helping survivors of another attack done to the ship "Itagiba". A girl, daughter of a dead sailor from "Arará", did it.
The PBY has always been my favorite aircraft I fell in love with it ever since I played the mission "Black Cats" in world at war and in war thunder I use it all the time against enemy ships and now after watching this I love it even more
Been next to and watched one of the last survivors take off on land - what a sound, and the plane was a lot bigger than I'd imagined.
Ugly-ish on land, but not in the air, or on the water.
Neat.
Hands down my favorite plane of all time. Sure the sleek fighters of the era get a lot of the credit, but the PBY Catalina has an absolutely unmatched service record. She's big and slow, but she's really fuel efficient (for her time) and can stay aloft for incredible lengths of time. I'm surprised they didn't use them as gunships during WWII.
There is a nice CZcams video of a walk through on one of these boats...very interesting.
Perhaps not gunships, but the so called "Black Cats" sure got some licks in
They did gunship lighter targets with their onboard Mg’s. (Submarines, open top transport ships and other vehicles or installations)
I don’t believe anyone had thought of the concept of big slow moving gunships at that time. Besides, they had the P-47 Thunderbolt, an overwhelming, absolutely devastating ground support aircraft. The German Infantry quickly learned to fear the lethal “Jug”.
A long service record aswell, here in Denmark we kept ours in active service all the way up to 1970. I suspect we can find even longer service histories if we go digging for it.
One of the best and most underrated aircraft of ww2.
Plenty of people owed their lives to it in the rescue role.
My grandfather flew PBYs in the Pacific in WWII, primarily as a sub hunter and also on rescue operations. He had several pictures of the aircraft throughout his house and loved talking about the planes (but no the war). I had the fortune to look him up in the NAS Pensacola records when I was working there several years ago.
Thanks for this video! My old man was a WWII navy pilot and flew anti submarine off the Atlantic and Gulf coasts in the PBY. The Navy used those patrols to increase the pilots and crews flight hours and experience since there was 0 chance for any enemy aircraft above those waters. He was only 20 yrs and 4 months old when he got his wings in Corpus Christi and became a Lt in early 1944. He claimed he was the youngest officer in the navy but who knows. He then went on to become part of the invasion force of Japan flying a modified B 24 to do low level flights over Japan dropping leaflets calling for surrender ahead of the invasion. Of course the invasion never happened so he became part of the occupation force when Japan surrendered. I was kinda surprised to see the PBY in a step dive and a high angled turn in the video, I had no idea the PBY was capable of that.
I fell in love with the Catalina when I first saw her when my Dad took me to see the film "Midway" in 1976. I got a model and called it "Strawberry 9".
Same way I first saw it! Its one my fav planes and nobody understands why. Its beautiful
Me, too!
This was also one of the most successful and essential aircraft in the RAF, too.. cheers yanks
❤🇬🇧🇺🇸🇨🇦🇦🇺🇳🇿❤
25/09/2121 These birds were still flying around from Lake Illawarra in NSW Australia when I was a youngster. A beautiful aircraft. Thank you Consolidated Aircraft.
I've always thought a Catalina would be the perfect live aboard island hopper.
You could kit one out to live in. The head of your bed in one of the waist blisters. You could see the whole world with a Catalina.
So versatile with floats & wheels. A huge amount of space and a massive range.
The perfect flying, floating, runway landing all rounder fitted out as a luxury flying boat airstream caravan.
It's been one of my dreams since I first built a 1/72 scale Airfix Catalina in 1970 or so...
I looked into it. Based on Google figures, they get about 2MPG in still air, so although they would serve swimmingly (HA!) as an RV, the fuel (and oil, for those thirsty Radials) bill would be prohibitive for the likes of me.
It would be sweet.
Someone tried doing this back the 60's. Sadly didn't end well. Search for the story of PBY-5A Catalina N5593V.
@@ManicSalamander ...and me mate! They sound a tad thirsty! I wonder if I'd be better if you flush riveted it for a slippery airframe, you'd lose a lot of weight without all those guns and military equipment.
I'd still have to win the lottery to do it though. Nice to daydream. It's just always struck me as the perfect aircraft for seeing the planet with.
@@ManicSalamander Yup! Indeed it would 😃
The “Black Cats” mission in COD: World at War made me fall in love with this plane
I was about to comment just that!
Take out tho's f*cking PT boats!
My Dad was a navigator on Royal New Zealand Air Force PBY Catalina's in the Pacific during WW 11. He loved these kites.
They flew anti submarine patrols and dumbo missions out of lauthala bay fiji and Jacqinot Bay, New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago. God bless him.
As a boy I saw a Catalina in the Belem, Brazil airport and fell in love. After the war, many were used in the Amazon region for decades because they afforded access to remote areas, where there were no roads, just rivers and forests.
In 1940 the PBY-5A was the first version of the Catalina to be equipped with wheeled landing gear, turning it from a pure flying boat into an amphibian. Before that there weren't wheels on water.
Many were modified, repaired and some built at the Naval Aviation Developement Center, Philadelphia Naval Ship yard. Using GPS you can see the crossing runways of the Center to the left of the main gate.
Actually, The Grumman Duck and Goose had retractable landing gear, in 1936 and 1937 respectively.
I find it amazing how the two floats, one either side, were rotated up along with their supports and made little rounded ends to the wings. So very slick. Great bird for rescue operations, such as the USS Indianapolis.
I remember an American war movie where some jokey guy like Joey Bishop was ranting with Werner Klemperer both in American accents and US uniforms, about the sanctity of an oath made while drunk. Can't remember the name. The convo too place in the belly of a PBY.
@@iancarpenter441 Don't forget the Supermarine Walrus amphibian (1st flight 1933).
A truly understand hero. If it wasn't for the PBY we may well have lost the Battle of Midway. They were the first to cite the Japanese carrier fleet. Okay maybe I should watch the video before making a comment
I made a point of watching to the end, but didn't hear any mention of the RCAF Catalina that discovered the Japanese flotilla headed for Ceylon, preventing another surprise attack like that on Pearl Harbour.
I have always considered this aircraft to be one of the most beautiful ever made. More than its beauty, was its inherent practicality as a night patrol craft and as a rescue craft for downed pilots. In its night duties, in its dull black livery, it was able to shoot many Japanese aircraft down. The unique versatility of the Catalina made it a favourite in the Pacific theatre.
Back in 1962 while on a trip to Alaska, I got to fly on one from Sitka to Ketchican. I sat near the starboard "bubble" and could look out. It was loud and slow on take off with a lumbering steady movement, unpressurized and cold....but wow! What a ride!
There's one here at the Pima Air Museum. Standing next to it and out of the water gives one the true sense of how big it is. The rotary engines are monsters.
During ww2 the “Cats” formed a major part of the Australian Air Force fleet, with about 150 of in service at that time. Operations included surveillance/reconnaissance/resupply/mining of harbours etc. with ops all over the Indian and Pacific oceans and up into Asia. Many of their operations were classsified and have only recently beeen released. The longest op they did involved flying for 34hrs.
And I was told by a family member of a WW2 Australian Cat pilot that they would drop empty beer bottles out of the window because it would whistle like a bomb being dropped.
They were used by "Z" Special Force operatives to land on Japanese occupied North Borneo
My grandfather was an intelligence officer in a PBY squadron based in far north Queensland, 1942-1944. Never said much about it but he did give me his RAAF cufflinks
@@maddyg3208 It is one of those unfortunate things about that generation, they didn't like to talk about things lest they be accused of 'line shooting'! Many families never heard the full story of what their family member got up to during the war. I have had the pleasure and the honour of meeting several veterans over the years, particularly while I was installing wardrobes and other built in furniture in homes. Once I had mentioned that I had served in the Australian Army Reserve, they would often open up to me because I had some knowledge about serving the nation. I met at different times a man and a woman who had both been involved with Z Force the WWII Australian Special Forces involved in sabotage operations as well as Coast Watching. The man had served on the 'far side of PNG' in the jungle behind a Japanese base, intercepting the radio traffic and then sending it back to Melbourne. This was where the woman was working in Signals at a temporary wartime camp set up in Fawkner Park, communicating with Z Force operators and then passing the message traffic on to Victoria Barracks on St Kilda Road, Melbourne.
Another veteran had been in the Navy and was off the beaches of Normandy for D-Day, June 6th 1944.
Then there was Bill who flew in the Cats as an Air Gunner/Airframe Rigger.
Mark from Melbourne Australia
PBY Catalina was one of the sleekest sexist airplanes ever made. Versatile, tough, and always there.
Truth
That design holds up even now. Anyone who would call it anything other than sleek and sexy doesn't understand design.
Sherman of the sky?
@@randomguyingasmask yep I like that analogy 👍
It certainly outlived the big Clipper' era of flying boats. I've had a model of it for years, but after reading up more on it, I now have a greater respect for the longevity of the PBY
I was lucky enough to live about 500 feet from the runway where these big beasts flew from, back around 1960. They were loaded with fuel oil and would fly out to whatever lake was nearest a Mid-Canada Line radar site and pump the oil ashore into 50 gallon drums. Later, H-21s from the squadron my dad was in charge of in Schefferville, Quebec, would fly to the site and sling in the drums of fuel to the radar site. It was awesome growing up around those PBYs and choppers!
There's nothing ugly about this plane. I think it is rather elegant. The PBY has been among my favorite war birds and I was fortunate enough to watch one land at the Millville NJ airfield during a fly in that also included a C130 and a B17.
My grandfather (RIP) flew a PBY, unsure what model but wasn’t in active combat. Took some video of an island that had recently been taken by US forces. Whenever I was over at his house I would be eyeing the little model he had of it. Such an iconic plane. Once ya see it & know what it looks like it’s stuck in your mind.
The Catalinas and Sunderlands fascinated me as a kid, it would still be an amazing experience to fly to a Pacific island or any island in one of these incredible planes.
I'm an alumni of 700 David Hornell VC Squadron Royal Canadian Air Cadets, Flight Lt Hornell VC was mentioned in this video. My step-grandfather flew Sunderlands for the RAF.
Lookup Flight Lt Hornell, this video doesn't even begin to tell the tale of how he earned that Victoria Cross. And, if you get the chance, there's a fully restored (to flying condition) 162 Squadron PBY-Canso (named after Hornell) at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ont, you can even book a flight aboard it, and a Lancaster Bomber too.
@@CasperDunning I'll look out for your illustrious kin. My step grandfather (more substitute grandfather, a grand uncle) was at Monte Casino, might have even been a Desert Rat but no one talked about these things then, only heard about MC by accident. I'm a Canadian who lives in the UK but from BC/Alberta so never been to Hamilton. Have a cousin who lives near one of the Great lakes so it's not out of the question. Where I live in the UK there are lots of airshows so we get free displays occasionally. I saw 3 Spitfires in formation about 3 days ago. Seen a Lancaster a couple of times, Hurricanes, Focke Wulf, lots of WW1 biplanes (when they all fly together it looks like the Wacky Races). Never a Sunderland though, I think there's at least one still flying in the UK.
@@jelkel25 There is only one airworthy example in the world, currently located in Florida but it has not flown in many years.
@@georgebarnes8163 The Sunderland? My information is about 30 years old, one was being refurbished in the north east somewhere, a civilian version (or conversion).I don't know what has happened to it recently.
@@jelkel25 A few of the brand new aircraft made at the end of the war were converted for civil use and were fitted with larger engines, these aircraft were renamed the Sandringham, most of the old aircraft and new aircraft were sunk at the manufacturing plant in Belfast Northern Ireland including my Grand fathers Sunderland which he flew out of Castle Archedale in Northern Ireland on the Atlantic patrols, he was not one bit happy about the destruction of these aircraft.
My dear old dad flew the PBY . His favorite was the PBM. He flew other A/C also. His best war stories were search and rescue missions. He flew combat missions but he didn't talk much of them
I was disturbed to have this remarkable piece referred to as ugly. I was a teenager during WW11 and we lived in a city which boasted a huge aircraft factory with handled every single type of aircraft used in the war. My memories of this aircraft are nothing but happy . I used to see this boat almost on a daily basis flying ever so low over our houses I could see the pilots. Many times I would see this aircraft actually stationary in the air and many time actually flying backwards. It was not of course stationary in the sense that a helicopter could be and neither was it flying backwards. The wind speed over the city was at times so high and just right that the conditions referred to were made possible. I loved this aircraft and will continue to do so for ever. The British name Catalina was totally proper and the Americans aught rightly to be ashamed of themselves in naming this magnificent piece the PigBoat. Anyone referring to this aircraft as ugly might rightly look into a mirror to know what ugly means. So there.
Catalinas had everything you'd find in a camper, drinking water tanks, cookstove, food storage, fold up bunks (cots), toilet, and more. Every need was provided for since it could stay aloft up to 34 hours without refueling. I believe that was the record.
real work horse
I believe the Navy bunk (cots) are called racks.
@@forcesightknight planes a girl i get it..chuckle
@@mgn5667 thatz just what you call a bed in the navy, because your stacked to the rafters.
@@forcesightknight Thanks.. my dad was sent too the south pacific in 42 ..u.s navy *****=======
******=======
The PBY was one of the prettiest aircraft in the sky, with its snazzie white and blue paint scheme.
Those big high wing engines, the wing tip floats that folded up in flight, the bomb -torpedo racks under the wings of what most thought was just a recon and rescue plane. It had quite a bite it could give the enemy if needed.
I've always loved the look of the PBY. And I knew they were instrumental in recusing pilots but I didn't know how important they really were! More to love now!!
My high school science teacher served in PBYs during WWll. His comment about it was,”Nice enough handling aircraft but over reliant on the curvature of the earth to gain altitude.”
When I got older, I learned to appreciate the nose art on the Cat at the National Museum of the US Airforce, 'SNAFU Snatchers.'
Thanks for this video. The PBY has a special place in my heart, I used to sneak into one at my local airport when I was a kid and sit inside dreaming of adventures.
The best seat for a view had to be in a side seat under one of those blisters for a full view of sky and sea.
Fly high. They can’t see us. Fly quiet. They can’t hear us. Our old PBY motto. 🇺🇸
My father was a radio repairman on PBY's for the 13th Air Force. They did air/sea rescue for the Army Air Corps as well as flying supplies in to occupied islands such as the Philippines. There is one in the Air Force Museum at Wright Patterson AFB with my Dad's squadron markings.
What a brilliant design! I had no idea that the pontoons swung up to become wingtips. And the way the side canopies flip open is very cool.
The perfect weapon at the perfect time. Would be a brilliant move by congress to authorize/fund the Coast Guard to equip a west & east coast squadron with a 21st century version for strictly long distance U. S. coastal patrol/rescues. Such a decision would do a lot to reduce the work load on the helicopter & cutter fleets.
That is a GREAT Idea, so many reasons too. Marketing to special missions, would be great to see.
@@Nixontheman You are walking point with that off the chain idea.
yeah but it wouldn't cost enough
My Dad was a Gunner's Mate in the Navy in WWII and served a short stint as a waist gunner in a PBY. He almost got a shot at a Zero that was returning to its base, but it didn't get quite close enough.
Spent a while living in New Plymouth where they still have one of these at an airstrip in working order, goes out flying on weekends. The engine noise of these things is really something else
Hell yeah my favourite aircraft thank you!
UGLY?! Are you fucking kidding me?!? PBY’s gotta be one of the most beautiful aircraft ever created.
Exactly!!!!
One of the greatest aircraft ever made. People are still flying them today. This was one hell of a winner.
My father was the radar officer in a Catalina squadron based in northern Australia from 1942-44, and flew them often too. They were mostly used for reconnaissance and mine laying. He claimed they spotted the Japanese fleet when it entered the Indian Ocean to attack Ceylon, although his memory was getting a little ‘creative’ by the end of his life.
Good to see one in that video with no wheels; they were a later addition that the flyers hated, as they added 1/2 ton of weight for no purpose in that very watery environment. They used to remove them!
Catalina's plane, it's with us on the shores of Saudi Arabia, when Thomas was taking a tour around the world, and the Saudi soldiers shot at the plane and stopped it, and until now it is on those beaches.
One of my absolute favorite AC of all time -- it is hard to imagine the Pacific Campaign without her.
And another fun fact, after the war when they were retired, a lot were sold off as surplus to veteran pilots. They were used as floating mobile homes. Fly down to Florida for the weekend and just land anywhere there was water.
One of my fave planes. I have always had a soft spot for the Catalina. Nothing else like it. Still see them at airshows. Always a treat.
Qantas PBYs still hold the record for longest commercial flights in time aloft with the 31-hour-long Double Sunrise flights between Perth and Ceylon during World War 2.
On a more somber note, it was also a Cat, called "Miss Macao", that was the first airliner to be hijacked, an event that resulted in a crash that killed everyone onboard except one of the pirates.
Wow, I requested this. You may not have made this vid in response to my request, but thank you nonetheless! This flying boat deserves recognition. It's one of the design successes of history.
The versatility of this planes was incredible. I'd love to ride in one today.
You can, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum has a restored Canso, in flying condition, named after Flight Lt David Hornell VC, if you can make it to Hamilton, Ont you can book a ride on it and a Lancaster. The Canso is restored to the colours and markings of Hornell's 162 Squadron.
My Dad flew in Black Cats. His co-pilot was Lou Conter, still very active, aged 100 September, 2021. My sister attended his massive birthday party. Also attending was Lou's wife.
A blaze aboard one PBY determined an ocean crash-landing, sinking a mile off an enemy-controlled island, saving the entire crew. A friendly native, associated with missionaries, greeted my Dad with, "You talk 'Jesus talk'?". A Patrol-Torpedo (PT) boat rescued them a week later.
Californian Lou Conter is widely celebrated as a USS Arizona survivor--turned PBY "Enlisted Pilot".
@@CasperDunning That's incredible. Thanks for the heads up. I'll probably never get there but I can dream.
I worked with a former PBY pilot in the early 2000's. He sank a U boat of the coast of Brazil and was awarded the Navy Cross. Great guy to talk to, came up from the ranks as enlisted. I asked him why he chose to fly the PBY after flight school he said he wanted to fly an airplane that would not fit on a carrier. We had a good laugh about that.
My very first flight as a young boy, was as a passenger, on a PBY Catalina from RNoAF, in 1960. My father was in the Air Force. We were seated in the "machine gun bubble", since the guns had been removed. Took of and landed on paved runways, so unfortunately no water take off or landing.
When I was little I called this plane Strawberry 5 because of the Battle of Midway movie. Ah the memories
great movie wasn't it !
No way! I did that too!
I remember the moment in the movie when they sighted what they thought was the 'Main Body.' And the pilot telling the radio operator to "Send it!" while they were in the clouds trying to evade detection.
A great movie! My late father never got to see the 2019 version, a worthy remake.
One of my favorite airplanes. I was lucky enough to fly along with one years ago, including a couple of dip and go's on the water. A spectacular experience.
I had a chance to ride in one ended by a rich property invested in the late 1980's. He had it fixed up like a fancy motorhome inside. My dad and a couple of older pilots were allowed to handle the controls for a few minutes each. Dad commented that it had heavy alerons.
Should be "owned by"
Damn keyboard! Also should be "rich property investor"
@@claythomas359 - You shouldn't worry, the Rev. Spooner's first attempt at rose growing turned out to be a Fismal Dahlia : )
Superb video on the PBY. One could add that an RCAF Catalina flown by SC Birchell, discovered the Japanese fleet in the Indian Ocean approaching Ceylon. Eventually, his flying boat was shot down as the crew sent detailed reports of the fleet averting an attack on the island.
The Catalina was a beautiful plane built on a simple design - nice big wing and dual engines to generate tons of lift with boat/plane slung below. One of the great airplane designs ever.
One of my top fives. As a kid I wondered where the floats went. Now after 40 years in aviation I still love it.
If your in AZ the Pima Air and Space museum in Tucson has one on display near the SR-71 Blackbird. Def worth seeing!
I can do you one better, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum has a restored Canso, in flying condition, named after Flight Lt David Hornell VC, if you can make it to Hamilton, Ont you can book a ride on it and a Lancaster. The Canso is restored to the colours and markings of Hornell's 162 Squadron. I just saw it in flight at the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto a couple of weeks ago.
Sr71 to pby “wanna race?”
@@davidbradley3227 "Sure, starting line is in the harbor..."
@@CaptainFrost32 yessssss. Checkmate
One of my favorite airframes of all times, I find it incredible beautiful and unique. I would love to recreate with an electric powertrain as recreation airplane.
Better find some really light batteries & while your at it isolate a backup battery so when the main batteries die you have another option rather than dieing too... I've watched a couple convert a sailboat to electric motors to replace the diesel used for when maneuvering in harbors & docking... They tried a few different motor/battery combos... Then they converted back to diesel...
One was in service from Timmins, Ontario in 1974 that brought me and family and all our worldly belongings from another village some 85 miles distant. We paid cash and the pilot had a pad and change in his pockets, such was the service that we thought was wonderful. A freighter canoe then brought us ashore. And I had flown for the first time in my life in another one (could it be the same?) in 1964 when we students were taken to Kuujjuaq from what was then called Sugluk. Long ride with some stops to some villages and we landed in the dark onto a runway! Amazing! For a 12-year old boy going on 13, it couldn't have been a better first plane ride.
It's a beauty, the Catalina always has been my favorite aircraft :D
But don't fall in love
As a proud owner of the plane I am glad there finally is a good video on it
Even though I'm a huge fan of WWII fighter tech, I've always liked the PBY. I wish birds like this were still produced and in use.
You would think the coast guard would have a use for flying boats right?
The PBY is being upgraded and reengineered for the US Navy today. It's on contract.
The more and more I learn about the PBY the more and more I love her ! ❤
These vids are usually pretty good. This one however, was spectacularly well edited and narrated. :)
Used to work at the Palm Springs Air Museum. I remembered that big old pig giving me much needed shade when it was displayed outside. Shame we never got her flying but she’s still there to this day. Last I saw our PBY was right next to the MiG-21 before the MiG got moved into the Vietnam era hangar
What do you mean ugly this is my favorite plane of all time ! I find it's curves really amazing, the water drop shaped glass canopy for the gunners, the cockpit with the very steampunkish look ! That thing is a beauty !
The Davis wing, used on earlier long distant aircraft, was the reason for its endurance. The laminer flow wing; B-24, B-26 and P-51 shared this concept. Hard, unforgiving stall characteristics made it an angel and a killer.