Consolidated PBY Catalina Long-Range Maritime Patrol Flying Boat - History, Specs and Pictures

Authored By Staff Writer | Last Updated: 12/5/2011

The PBY Catalina was the most crucial flying boat for the Allies in World War Two.

Follow Military Factory on Facebook:

Trending on Military Factory:

Compare Aircraft
You Know You Want To

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles of the World Listing

UAVs
Eyes in the Skies

Top 10 Fighters
The Best of the Best

World War 2 Aircraft
Age of the Metal Monoplane

World War 1 Aircraft
Of Canvas and Wood

Vietnam War Aircraft
Last of the Gunfighters

Korean War Aircraft
Dance of the Jets

Recent Articles:

Lightweight by no means, the 7.58cm Minenwerfer was the most portable of the German trench mortars of WW1

Amidst budget constraints, the French Navy has managed to lease the all-modern L'Adroit P725 patrol vessel

The M108 of 1952 preceded the more famous M109 Paladin self-propelled gun series and saw action in Vietnam

Born as the M1 during World War 2, this howitzer became the M114 in 1962 and saw widespread use around the globe

The German invasion of 1941 was eventually undone with Soviet artillery such as the 100mm M1944 dual-role series

The EX 41 from Naval Ordnance Station Louisville became an abandoned multi-shot grenade launcher project

Whether known as the Blooper, Bloop Tube, Thumper or Thump-Gun, the M79 grenade launcher proved its worth

Temporarily unable to net itself F-16s or F-20s, Taiwan moved on to develop its own F-CK-1 "Ching-Kuo" fighter

When losses to IEDs started to mount, the US military turned to such MRAPs as the Navistar MaxxPro

Maritime aircraft play an understated role, especially in that of war time. Fly boats came to pass, first in peace-time development as early as 1901, and ultimately in the First World War. Their development, with experience garnered in peace time between the two world wars, led to some impressive designs - most notably at the hands of British aviation engineers. With the arrival of the Second World War, the role of the flying boat extended to that of patrol, reconnaissance, search and rescue and anti-shipping with armaments as varied as bombs, torpedoes and mines.

The PBY Catalina series ("Catalina" would later become the generic term for all PBY derivatives) was an exceptional American-produced aircraft in the Second World War. Produced by the Consolidated Aircraft Company in the United States (and under license and through Lend-Lease in other countries) the PBY Catalina series would etch its identity into the page of aviation history.

The PBY Catalina was a twin engine aircraft capable of land and / or sea landings. The system was crewed from 7 to 9 members depending on the model type and could run the gamut of missions as utilized primarily by the United States Navy. The system first flew in 1935 as a prototype in which Consolidated beat out the Douglas aircraft company in trials for the USN. Production models would begin as the PBY-1 in 1936.

War time would see an increase in various powered-powerplants, defensive and offensive armaments and expanding of roles for the system. Tricycle landing gear tests on late PBY-4 systems would yield the truly amphibious PBY-5 and PBY-5A series models. Production of the PBY series would be undertaken by Consolidated in the United States, Canadian Vickers and Boeing of Canada in Canada, the Naval Aircraft Factory in Britain and state factories in the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease Act. In all, 2,398 PBY Catalina-based systems would be produced (the Soviet Union produced the system under the designation of GST, whilst Britain went with their tell-tale "Mark" Mk I series).

In all, flying boats would go on to serve a most pivotal role, particularly in a war that was not only fought in the skies and on land, but on the water and under it as well. Flying boats would see service up until the 1960's where more land-based maritime patrol aircraft would take its place. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.

View All Images (10)

Specifications for the
Consolidated PBY Catalina
Long-Range Maritime Patrol Flying Boat

Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: Consolidated, Boeing - USA / GST - USSR / Royal Aircraft - UK / Can. Vickers - CAN
Initial Year of Service: 1936
Production: 4,051

Focus Model: Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina
Crew: 9

Length: 63.81ft (19.45m)
Width: 104.00ft (31.70m)
Height: 20.18ft (6.15m)
Weight (Empty): 20,911lbs (9,485kg)
Weight (MTOW): 35,422lbs (16,067kg)

Powerplant: 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 14-cylinder Twin Wasp air-cooled radial engines generating 1,200hp.

Maximum Speed: 179mph (288kmh; 156kts)
Maximum Range: 2,545miles (4,095km)
Service Ceiling: 14,698ft (4,480m; 2.8miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 526 feet per minute (160m/min)

Hardpoints: 2
Armament Suite:
2 x 12.7mm machine guns in bow turret
2 x 12.7mm machine guns in fuselage blisters (one each side).
1 x 7.62mm machine gun in ventral tunnel section.

Bombload of up to 4,000lbs that includes 2 x torpedoes, bombs, depth charges or anti-ship mines.

Variants:
Model 28 - Base Prototype Model Designation

XP3Y-1 - Prototype Model Designation

PBY-1 - Initial Production Model featuring improved and more powerful R-1830-64 900hp engines; 60 produced.

PBY-2 - Modified United States Navy Model of which 50 were produced.

PBY-3 - Fitted with R-1830-66 1,000hp engines of which 66 were produced.

PBY-4 - Integrated the recognizable fuselage "blister" gun positions; name "Catalina" is utilized for the series; fitted with R-1830-72 1,050hp radial engines of which 33 produced.

PBY-5 - R-1830-82 or R-1830-92 radial engines capable of 1,200hp; export version for UK, Dutch East Indies, Australia and Canada; Tricycle landing gear testing implemented and integrated to final PBY-5 production models making the system completely amphibious; general improvements throughout.

PBY-5A - Full Amphibious Variant of which 761 were produced.

PBY-5B - Improved Amphibious Model

Mk I - RAF Coastal Command Designation of the PBY-5 model series.

Canso - Canadian designation of the PBY-5 model series as produced by Canadian Vickers and Boeing of Canada.

PBN-1 "Nomad" - Naval Aircraft Factory production model with taller fin and rudder systems; model supplied to the USSR; aerodynamic and hydrodynamic improvements to airframe.

PBY-6A - "Amphibians" with search radar installed.

OA-10B - United States Air Force Designation of the PBY-6A Catalina amphibians.

GST - Model Designation of PBY series as produced by the USSR; unknown production numbers.

Operators:
Canada; United kingdom; Soviet Union (GST); United States

ALL AIRCRAFT CATEGORIES

BY DECADE:

• 1900 to 1909
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• 2020 to 2029
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Aircraft