One of my favorite facts: a PBY made the only successful US aerial torpedo attack during the Battle Of Midway, hitting a Japanese tanker in the wee hours of June 4, 1942. Very cool planes.
I'm sure it was the most beautiful thing in the world if you'd been bobbing around on a life preserver for 12 hours fighting off hypothermia, sharks, and strafing.
The proper livesaving methods required for saving dying Hypothermia victims were not known early on in the war. Everything tried that seemed to be "logical" just killed them. Research on very brave human volunteers eventually determined that two of the major steps to save lives were to: (1) prevent the victim's exterior chilled body from warming up to room temperature. (2) "assist" the victim to breathe "warmed air".
Decades ago, when driving on a highway. I was overtaken by a Catalina. It flew low and slow, so I could watch it for some time. Learned later that it was on its final flight to the Swedish military aircraft museum. An unforgettable memory.
50 yrs ago, I worked my 1st Fire Season on a U.S. Forest Service Hot Shot crew. On a # of fires, Modified PBY's were used to water or other fire retardant onto the fire to help the hand crews gain control of the fire. The PBY could carry about 1,500 gallons of water or other retardant and lay the water on the advanced edge of the fire allowing the hand crews to punch through the fire line to encircle the fire. Only 2 planes could carry more water than the PBY. These were the B-17 and the California Air National Guard C-130. The B-17 carried 1,800 gallons, while the C-130 carried about 2,200 gallons. It was neat watching these "air shows" as they had a direct impact on our safety. On another tact, in the Pacific during WW2, there was a unit called the Black Cats. The PBY's were painted black and were used to interdict Japanese convoys attempting to resupply or deliver fresh troops onto islands our forces were either engaged in combat, or would soon invade. They did an awesome job. They were also used to hunt for army pilots or naval & Marine aviators that had been shot down, either while attacking Japanese held islands or after attacking the Imperial Navy. They saved many pilots and sailors.
It’s an amazing feeling to see history flying above you (or slightly to one side). I was driving up the A1 near Stamford and saw one of the last operational Vulcan bombers climb. Must have come from RAF Wittering, but I thought that was a Harrier base. So maybe I’m misrembewrong.
@@diskgrinder My story isn't as cool as yours, but I was riding my Harley through the Utah/Nevada (border) in the desert on some very lonely two blacktop doing close to 90 when an F-16 flew up behind me low and fast! It must have been only about 200-300 feet above me! Scared the bejesus out of me and I'm certain the pilot did it on purpose because I know I was the only one out there! He followed the road I was on for less than a minute and then headed north. What a rush!
John Cruikshank VC is (as of today 19th June 2024) still alive at the age of 103. Less than one in ten thousand men in the UK live to the age of 103 . That in itself is quite the achievement.
My grandfather was a bubble gunner on a cat in the pacific in WWII. He never spoke about his experiences, but he and his two brothers all came back (one was an F6F pilot, one was a tailgunner on a B-24.)
My dad was an AMM on a PBY crew, first stationed in the Caribbean hunting U-Boats, only saw combat once. Transferred to the Pacific in the winter of 45, stationed in Saipan. Their unit was on a new base in Okinawa when they dropped the bombs. Very fortunate, would have been running patrols along the Japanese coast if the US had gone with the invasion plans. He often spoke of the great camaraderie the men in his unit shared.
My paternal grandfather served in a PBY-5 Catalina for the RAAF in the Pacific. It’s always been an especially important aircraft to me my whole life. Thank you for making a video about it!
I had the privilege of seeing a PBY Catalina at the Aviation Heritage Museum in Perth way back in 2015. If you do get a chance, please take the opportunity. Well maintained static display.
If you ever go near Shellharbour, there's a flying black Cat at the HARS museum at Albion Park. Along with plenty of other great aircraft, many in flying condition.
My father was in the R.A.A.F in WWII as a aircraft mechanic and worked on many planes including the Catalina. He not only served in Australia but he was also seconded to the R.A.F. After the war he worked maintaining the Catalinas for Quantas out of Rose Bay in Sydney. Thank you for looking after one of these lovely flying boats, keep her in good shape. ❤
My Dad, also RAAF was ground crew working on Cats in Bowen , North Queensland. Few people know that the RAAF went from just a few obsolete aircraft pre war to the 4th largest airforce by WW2's end . 60 Squadrons operating 6000 aircraft, from a population of about 7 million. Australia had 168 Catalinas in operation during WW2
I built the model almost 70 years ago. When I was in the Navy - 70’s - my Division Chief crewed on a Cat as a waist gunner right out of boot camp. In the 50’s, my brother worked on the Cat owned by comedian/ commentator Herb Shriner. My brother got the job because our grandmother was Shriner’s babysitter.
My father, Jock Mercer, was a cook with the RAF based at Lake St Lucia on the Natal, South African coast. The Catalinas patrolling the Southern African coast in WW2 were based at Lake St Lucia. As children we were dismayed that he didn't fight in the war, but he replied, he fought to keep the pilots fed!
I think that's sort of the point though. She's underrated by the majority of people because so many simply haven't heard of her. "Catalina" doesn't occupy the same part of most people's brains as "Spitfire", "Hurricane", or "Lancaster".
I think the Catalina's versatility and numbers had a lot to do with her success. Catalinas seemed to be able to do anything, and there were enough of them that they "showed up" when needed.
I love the fact that that they cut down on drag by making the wing tip floats retractable. They definitely earned their keep and the crews feserved every award that came their way
Many years ago, in Northern Ontario and as a newly licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, I experienced the PBY 5A at very close quarters. My very first daily inspection and solo run-up was on one of these beauties. (CF-DFB) I remember the event clearly to this day, some 50 years later. Those were wonderful, glorious years, and the PBY, along with the DC-3, DeHavilland Otter and Beaver, remains dear to my heart. Thank you for the video!
This Catalina flew over my house in Switzerland on the 4th and 5th of May 2013. I know this because I went inside it at Farnborough in 2014 and one of the crew confirmed it was over the Vierwaldstättersee on those dates. Good video, nice to be reminded of her. One of my favourite WWII aircraft.
Cats saved many lives, a good example is a Catalina found the survivors of the USS Indianapolis in 1945 and radioed the position, then landed on the water and many men climbed aboard her. So many men climbed about she could not take off, but ut was safe for the men from the sharks.
@@Mcfunface I adored that show as a kid! And as I get older, I keep revisiting that show and realizing how well-versed in 1930s aviation it was (and in turn, it is what made me fall in love with the era). References galore for the well-read adult that kids would totally miss out on.
as part of a fixed wing drone course in college i built a cardboard drone inspired by the cat, i figured the boatlike hull would be suited to landing and taking off from powdersnow, and our drone was the only one to survive all testflights. I love the Catalina!
Back in the 1970's the Alberta Forest Service in Canada used them for fighting forest fires. I watched a group of them practicing. It was a very wet and rainy fire season. They would come over the skimming the lake as the filled with water .Gain some altitude turn and drop the water back in the lake. And do it over and over again. This went on for some time. It a great show of flying.
If it wasn't for a Catalina. I would have never been born. My father was saved by one after ditching his F6F Hellcat after taking flack damage over an airfield . Late in the war.
My dad joined the Navy in 1945, was part of the occupation of Japan and flew a PBY during the Korean war. I wish I could share this video with him. Living for 92 years, he never lost his interest in flying and pretty nurses.
The first aircraft in which I flew, when I was about five years old, was a Canso still in service with the RCAF. My family was being moved to an isolated radar base up the west coast. My strongest memory of that flight was that, when we landed on the water, the spray hit the underside of the window above my head. Years later, that memory prompted me to ask my father if that was the type of aircraft that carried us. Thanks for an excellent video.
I love that aircraft. I built a 1/72 scale model of it when I was a kid. When I was in Civil Air Patrol, I went to the annual Watsonville Fly-in a couple years and we provided safety watch, wing walkers and perimeter patrol protecting the aircraft. I got an incentive flight and the crew chief quietly suggested that I sit in the center strut seat for the flight so I could see out both sides. It was great.
My grandfather flew Cats for the USN in WWII. Nearly every room in his house had a painting or picture of the gorgeous birds. I still remember the first time I asked him about the pictures. That was the longest my eight year old self ever sat silent.
If I could own one plane, it would be a Catalina. Stunningly good looking, and can land wherever there's water. So good to see one being taken care of.
My father worked on the black cats in darwin. They did a bit of everything, supplying coast watchers, mining Japanese harbours, And rescue missions. Wonderful aircraft.
Well done! the gent doing the narration was spot on and well spoken. We are losing these men daily to time. thankfully we have places like youtube etc to preserve these moments
Had the pleasure of touring C-FNJE, RCAF Registration 11094. It was on tour celebrating Canada Day at Muskoka Airport. Crawling into cockpit and sitting in the pilots seat then crawling across the water tanks to exit aft really put into perspective what these men endured for our Freedom. Thank you for all that is done to honour these airmen.
The cat at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum was the first to make the the intercontinental flight from Australia to South America and back in ‘51. It’s truly revered here. Great video!
My grandad flew one for the RCAF, first on the Atlantic (not sure where he flew out of) and then for the remainder of the war, from Tofino BC - with 4 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron on Vancouver Island. Beautiful aircraft. I have a photo of him in the pilot's seat, taken from behind, a photo of his particular ship and one of his squadron, gathered on and around a Catalina
Dad flew PBY-5s in the South Pacific with VP-11, starting in '42. The squadron evolved into the "Black Cats", he got a lot of night flying in. The only rescue work he participated in was the extraction of 200+ Aussies from behind enemy lines on the Seipek river, New Guinea. In '44, he decommissioned his 5a at NAS Alameda...and took most of the galley bits home. My wife and I still use the USN marked flatware from the galley. Great video!
My gramps was a radio operator and sounded for the depth charges. He always loved to display his navy anchor tattoo and on his shoulder 4 swazzy with lines through them for sunken kills. He gave me a model to build back in the 80s and helped me detail the colors of his plane. Cool guy, passed in his early 50s of a pretty common surgery.
My Uncle Elmer Locke flew in one during WW2 in the Pacific Theatre. He was a radioman/gunner. I enjoyes listening to him about his experiences during the war. He was one if my hero's growing up.
Catalina is an island off San Diego and Orange County in California. It DID NOT have any factories. It was famous for the movie stars who would go there on weekends for weekend fun. The Consolidated factory was actually located at the current location of the San Diego International Airport which is not far from downtown San Diego.
PBY Catalina’s were delivered to the U.S. Navy by taxiing them across San Diego Bay to what is now Coronado N.A.S. The concrete ramp they used to taxi out of the water and onto Coronado is still there and is easily visible when sailing past.
I've never heard of the Catalina described as they most underrated in anything. Quite the contrary. Maybe not as well known as the usual suspects, but never underrated. One of my favorites actually ❤
I agree! But I think practically every follower of WWII history knows of it's reconnaissance mission and rescuing sailors and aircrews. I think the underrated part is it's record in combat.
From Sunderland in the UK. The Catalina is a great looking, functional and successful plane…obviously well loved by its crew and feared by its adversaries. But shout out to the Sunderland as well. Brave men, with massive amounts of stamina, flew them. Very moving.
Great video, thanks. The Catalina is beautiful in its perfection of design, one of my three favourite aircraft along with the Supermarine Spitfire and the Boeing 747.
On Thanksgiving Day, 23 Nov 1944, a PBY Catalina from the 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron rescued my father and three other survivors after their B-25 Strafer was shot down while bombing Japanese installations on the island of Cebu. After both engines were destroyed and most of the left wing was shot off, dad was able to ditch his aircraft in the bay off the coast of the island. His B-25 immediately sank, but within minutes, the PBY landed next to him and the remaining crewmembers pulling them through one of the side blisters. Dad was 22 years old. Greatest Generation.
A little known fact about the PBY5-a. Equipped with radar, torpedoes, and flying at night it sank more tonnage of Japanese shipping than any other plane in the Navy's inventory. They were called "Black Cats". My dad was a PBY pilot. He really loved the airplane. He flew almost every day from 1940 to 1945 and accumulated 4,000 hours
Beautiful Plane, I still remember seeing Catalina planes flying back and forth to her named island "Catalina" from Long Beach California. The last time I saw one flying that route was @1967, and from a boat it was a sight.
My father, Robert Clapp Aviation Metalsmith 2C, repaired PBY's at U.S. Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in the early part of the WWII. As a youngster I marveled at his stories of sometimes having to make a hull repair while swimming in the bay. On one occasion, he had dislocated the middle finger of his right hand. He went to Sick Bay to have it relocated. While there Medical Officers decided to remove his appendix just because. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!
My dad had occasion to fly in a Canso while he was in the RCAF, he noted that the hull took on a good deal of water while landing and he was very glad when they reached the shore!
I 1st went north in 1980, Whitsundays and more, we found quite a few abandoned Catalinas and around Darwin etc,an amazing plane for finding the enemy 😀 rescuing pilots etc, thanks USA 🇺🇸 for helping ❤❤❤❤😊
But you Brits gave us that outstanding Merlin Griffin engine, which was then fitted to the P-51 Mustangs, making them a much more powerful fighter! Thanks!!
Great presentation on a lovely plane. I see the tie between Consolidated in San Diego and Catalina Island. Never thought of Catalina as being off of San Diego. It's a day trip from Long Beach but quite a slog against wind and currents between San Diego and Catalina. Probably a difference in perspective between sailboats and flying boats.
The southeastern end of Santa Catalina Island is about 75 statute miles from the old Consolidated factory in San Diego. Long Beach is a good deal closer (roughly 30 statute miles).
I worked for a guy who was the Navigator on a Canso. The first story at 8:39 sounds a lot like what he told me about what happened. He deeply regretted the sinking of the U-Boat "50 men went down with that damn boat"
My dad flew his second tour of duty in Catalinas with 240 Squadron RAF, based at Red Hills Lake, India (his first tour was on A/S Rescue patrols in Ansons with 280 Sqn.). Most of his patrols were met flights, but his very last wartime patrol was eventful: He found the crew of an American bomber that had ditched in the Indian Ocean, and guided a destroyer to their dinghy to complete the rescue.
I live in Darwin Australia where there were two Catalina bases, also Sunderlands and a Qantas base before the war. There are a number of sunken Cats in the Harbor. There was for many years a derelict Catalina lying in the mangroves up what is known as East Arm of the Darwin harbor.
In the late fifties the U.S. Coast Guard flew the Cat up and down the SoCal coast. My brother and I would jump and scream when the PBY came drifting by and when there was a headwind we truly believed that it was hovering in zero speed and we were blown away. I don't see (outside of a war) how slow is a problem. I'm slow, yet I type. Thank you, mate.
Steward-Davis converted several Catalinas to their Super Catalina standard (later known as Super Cat), which replaced the usual 1,200 hp (890 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines with Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 engines of 1,700 hp (1,300 kW). A larger, squared-off rudder was installed to compensate for the increased yaw which the more powerful engines could generate. The Super Catalina also had extra cabin windows and other alterations.
@@frenzalrhomb6919 Ah, it's in the suburb of Bull Creek at the RAAF Aviation Heritage Museum. Unfortunately, not really near the water but it is a great museum. They have a Lancaster, Spitfire, Canberra and most recently a Tornado GR4. I'm very pleased to have it just down the road from me.
Catalina also the one that makes important discovery over Akutan, Aleutian Island. Spotted a intact Japanese Mitsubishi Zero fighter which help American a lot in how to design their future aircraft and employ new tactic defeat like what is weakness and it strength
My dad was a RAAF electrician during WWII. He worked on Cats at Gove(now known as Nulanbuy) in Australia’s Northern Territory. He absolutely loved them.
One of my uncles was radioman on a PBY in the Pacific during the war. One story he'd tell was of their plane landing at a small island that they thought was already captured, only to have to run like hell back to the plane and get in the air when they found out it wasn't.
i remember seeing the Catalina for the first time in Jacques Yves Cousteau's nature documentaries in the 70's, I thought it looked odd but learned to love it!
My USN Dad loved the Catalina. Flew it all over during WWII and later. He especially liked the overhead throttles! He was a real stick-and-rudder guy so the Catalina was perfect for him.
My dad was the mechanic for the PBY-5A and B-17 that were a part of the Air Search and Rescue team for the Air Force during the Korean War. He was stationed at the Panama Canal Zone, Hickam AF base. After his service he became an aerospace engineer and made great contributions to the Atlas-Centaur missile platform used by NASA to launch satellites into orbit and beyond. RIP, Dad ... love you!
Yesterday whilst waiting outside the home of one of my customers in Stubbington near Lee-On-Solent (Hampshire, UK) I heard and then saw what I think must have been a Catalina which had just taken off from the small airfield which lays between Stubbington and Lee. It was very noisy! A magnificent sight, but sadly my view was restricted by trees and buildings. Just along the coast at Tangmere (near Chichester, West Sussex) there are a few Spitfires which regularly fly along the coast, and I get to see them on a fequent basis. It's great that dedicated people such as the presenter of this video have chosen to restore and maintain these wonderful aircraft.
Just to let you and audience know that HARS (Historical Aircraft Restoration Society) has a PBY6A. Recovered from Portugal in 2003. It was flying up until 2 or 3 years ago. Great to see that you in Britain are also respecting your Catalina.
My father was part of the forgotten war up in Alaska during WW2. Due to the limited resources during this conflict the American forces were forced to become creative and created the black Cat which was a Catalina painted black and used as a dive bomber. After the war it was found that Japanese forces in Alaska had reported that the Americans had a gigantic new dive bomber that looks similar to a PBY.
Black Cats were used extensively out of Australia against the Japanese and were very successful in disrupting Japanese supply lines in the south Pacific. They flew long flights, from their bases in NSW and other locations in southern Australia, mainly at night and, being painted black, were virtually invisible to the enemy on dark nights. I heard one chap say that after the war they were lined up at Rathmines on Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, waiting for the scrap metal merchants to dismantle them. A fellow went from wing to wing hacking into them with an axe. What a bloody waste.
My father, a navy pilot, flew the Catalina over the North Atlantic and over the US west coast during WW2 and the Korean War. He said the Catalina was a plane that required the pilot to be hands on, flying it most the time. He said if they ever crashed in the North Atlantic and went into the water, they would be dead in minutes from hypothermia.
Know it well. Part of Cold War operations under Norad. The Canadian Navy operated out of Halifax, NS doing the same job in the North Atlantic, but with more modern aircraft.
My dad, a WW2 pilot, had a friend in San Francisco who bought one of these as surplus, took the wings off, converted it into a houseboat built a viewing port on the bottom with a light at night to sit and watch the fish go by. I was very young but I still remember!
I remember seeing a Cat converted to a houseboat on the Murray River, South Australia sometime in the sixties. The RAAF operated 168 Cats , they were withdrawn from service in 1950 so I guess quite a few were sold as surplus.
I was an avid aircraft model builder in my teenage years (I'm 65 now). My first one's this beautiful aircraft. It's beauty lies in it's "ugly" appearance because of its functionality. Kudos to the designers.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
When I think of the cat I think of how many lives they saved, plucking sailors and aviators out of the water. They did an incredible job.
Not just sailors, aircrews ditching their damaged or out of fuel aircraft!
@@petemitchell8525 Yeah..."aviators". :D
This. When I read "Left To Die: The Tragedy of the USS Juneau" as a kid, I was introduced to just how ballsy Catalina pilots had to be.
They were the rescue helicopters of WWII, truly one of the Great Planes.
@Bovara Saved as many lives as they took# PBYs
I still think the Catalina is one of the best looking aircraft of WW2 and it was so supremely useful in multiple roles.
One of my favorite facts: a PBY made the only successful US aerial torpedo attack during the Battle Of Midway, hitting a Japanese tanker in the wee hours of June 4, 1942. Very cool planes.
I love the way it looks. It's an oddly pretty plane
I'm sure it was the most beautiful thing in the world if you'd been bobbing around on a life preserver for 12 hours fighting off hypothermia, sharks, and strafing.
The proper livesaving methods required for saving dying Hypothermia victims were not known early on in the war. Everything tried that seemed to be "logical" just killed them. Research on very brave human volunteers eventually determined that two of the major steps to save lives were to:
(1) prevent the victim's exterior chilled body from warming up to room temperature.
(2) "assist" the victim to breathe "warmed air".
I also think it's a beautiful aircraft.
Decades ago, when driving on a highway. I was overtaken by a Catalina. It flew low and slow, so I could watch it for some time. Learned later that it was on its final flight to the Swedish military aircraft museum. An unforgettable memory.
Wow!!! It doesn't get much cooler than that these days!
Great story!!!
50 yrs ago, I worked my 1st Fire Season on a U.S. Forest Service Hot Shot crew. On a # of fires, Modified PBY's were used to water or other fire retardant onto the fire to help the hand crews gain control of the fire. The PBY could carry about 1,500 gallons of water or other retardant and lay the water on the advanced edge of the fire allowing the hand crews to punch through the fire line to encircle the fire. Only 2 planes could carry more water than the PBY. These were the B-17 and the California Air National Guard C-130. The B-17 carried 1,800 gallons, while the C-130 carried about 2,200 gallons. It was neat watching these "air shows" as they had a direct impact on our safety.
On another tact, in the Pacific during WW2, there was a unit called the Black Cats. The PBY's were painted black and were used to interdict Japanese convoys attempting to resupply or deliver fresh troops onto islands our forces were either engaged in combat, or would soon invade. They did an awesome job. They were also used to hunt for army pilots or naval & Marine aviators that had been shot down, either while attacking Japanese held islands or after attacking the Imperial Navy. They saved many pilots and sailors.
It’s an amazing feeling to see history flying above you (or slightly to one side). I was driving up the A1 near Stamford and saw one of the last operational Vulcan bombers climb. Must have come from RAF Wittering, but I thought that was a Harrier base. So maybe I’m misrembewrong.
@@diskgrinder My story isn't as cool as yours, but I was riding my Harley through the Utah/Nevada (border) in the desert on some very lonely two blacktop doing close to 90 when an F-16 flew up behind me low and fast!
It must have been only about 200-300 feet above me!
Scared the bejesus out of me and I'm certain the pilot did it on purpose because I know I was the only one out there!
He followed the road I was on for less than a minute and then headed north.
What a rush!
John Cruikshank VC is (as of today 19th June 2024) still alive at the age of 103. Less than one in ten thousand men in the UK live to the age of 103 . That in itself is quite the achievement.
He’s 104. He was born May 20th, 1920. Best of health to him.
@@MrRugbylane His VC citation is a good read. Long life to him
My grandfather was a bubble gunner on a cat in the pacific in WWII. He never spoke about his experiences, but he and his two brothers all came back (one was an F6F pilot, one was a tailgunner on a B-24.)
My dad was an AMM on a PBY crew, first stationed in the Caribbean hunting U-Boats, only saw combat once. Transferred to the Pacific in the winter of 45, stationed in Saipan. Their unit was on a new base in Okinawa when they dropped the bombs. Very fortunate, would have been running patrols along the Japanese coast if the US had gone with the invasion plans. He often spoke of the great camaraderie the men in his unit shared.
@@theusher2893 The tail gunner brother must be quite lucky, considering that was the deadliest position on the bomber.
My paternal grandfather served in a PBY-5 Catalina for the RAAF in the Pacific. It’s always been an especially important aircraft to me my whole life. Thank you for making a video about it!
Same (except it was my Maternal Grandfather) based in Kogala with the 205 Squadron.
I had the privilege of seeing a PBY Catalina at the Aviation Heritage Museum in Perth way back in 2015. If you do get a chance, please take the opportunity. Well maintained static display.
If you ever go near Shellharbour, there's a flying black Cat at the HARS museum at Albion Park. Along with plenty of other great aircraft, many in flying condition.
My granddad also was in an RAAF Black Cat squadron in FNQ, 1942-1944
My father was in the R.A.A.F in WWII as a aircraft mechanic and worked on many planes including the Catalina. He not only served in Australia but he was also seconded to the R.A.F.
After the war he worked maintaining the Catalinas for Quantas out of Rose Bay in Sydney.
Thank you for looking after one of these lovely flying boats, keep her in good shape.
❤
My Dad, also RAAF was ground crew working on Cats in Bowen , North Queensland. Few people know that the RAAF went from just a few obsolete aircraft pre war to the 4th largest airforce by WW2's end . 60 Squadrons operating 6000 aircraft, from a population of about 7 million. Australia had 168 Catalinas in operation during WW2
As an Aussie I Salute their service.
Made a model when I was a kid 40 years ago and this plane is still special to me :)
So did I was it an Airfix Kit ?
same here, Dad made it, but gave it to me
Me too. Very entranced with this special airplane
I built the model almost 70 years ago. When I was in the Navy - 70’s - my Division Chief crewed on a Cat as a waist gunner right out of boot camp. In the 50’s, my brother worked on the Cat owned by comedian/ commentator Herb Shriner. My brother got the job because our grandmother was Shriner’s babysitter.
My father, Jock Mercer, was a cook with the RAF based at Lake St Lucia on the Natal, South African coast. The Catalinas patrolling the Southern African coast in WW2 were based at Lake St Lucia. As children we were dismayed that he didn't fight in the war, but he replied, he fought to keep the pilots fed!
mans gotta eat
Well said. Too often we forget all the backup that goes into winning. The pointy end of a stick is useless without the rest of the stick.
Everybody did their part.
Our motto in the navy: Always look out for the cooks. An important and integral part of the system.
"An army travels on its stomach." General George S. Patton, US Army
I don't think that anyone who knows anything about the Catalina would ever have considered her to be underrated.
I think that's sort of the point though. She's underrated by the majority of people because so many simply haven't heard of her. "Catalina" doesn't occupy the same part of most people's brains as "Spitfire", "Hurricane", or "Lancaster".
I think the Catalina's versatility and numbers had a lot to do with her success. Catalinas seemed to be able to do anything, and there were enough of them that they "showed up" when needed.
@@cooperisedthey would be ignorant
I love the fact that that they cut down on drag by making the wing tip floats retractable. They definitely earned their keep and the crews feserved every award that came their way
Long range and loiter time. A welcome sight if your in the water.
Many years ago, in Northern Ontario and as a newly licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, I experienced the PBY 5A at very close quarters. My very first daily inspection and solo run-up was on one of these beauties. (CF-DFB) I remember the event clearly to this day, some 50 years later. Those were wonderful, glorious years, and the PBY, along with the DC-3, DeHavilland Otter and Beaver, remains dear to my heart. Thank you for the video!
For the record, you don't 'win' a VC, despite it being a common expression. You are _awarded_ a VC. You _earn_ a VC.
A VC is a *Victoria Cross,* right?
It took me a while to figure out what he meant by VC. (Assuming I'm correct.)
Yes, I'm an American.
@@ddegn Yes, you are correct, my friend.
Same thing regarding the Medal of Honor ( US military).
A very good explanation by someone who is clearly not only knowledgeable about the subject, but passionate about the aircraft too
Thanks for a brilliant story, expertly presented.
This Catalina flew over my house in Switzerland on the 4th and 5th of May 2013. I know this because I went inside it at Farnborough in 2014 and one of the crew confirmed it was over the Vierwaldstättersee on those dates. Good video, nice to be reminded of her. One of my favourite WWII aircraft.
I'm old enough to remember that Jacque Cousteau had one on the old National Geographic shows, I remember having the old Revell model kit as well.
I'm old enough too😂
It's surprising how much building a kit can teach you about an aircraft, and respect for its designers.
My brother built the Revell. I believe he still has it!
Yep I do too. Omg we are old.
Me too!
Thanks for preserving a LEGEND! The Catalina doesn't get the respect she deserves.
Cats saved many lives, a good example is a Catalina found the survivors of the USS Indianapolis in 1945 and radioed the position, then landed on the water and many men climbed aboard her. So many men climbed about she could not take off, but ut was safe for the men from the sharks.
I just had an airshow in my area on Father's Day and had a PBY Catalina flying over the house. Absolutely beautiful aircraft.
one of the most gourgeous planes ever made
@@big_bad_lynx reminds me of the cartoon Tailspin lol
@@Mcfunface I adored that show as a kid! And as I get older, I keep revisiting that show and realizing how well-versed in 1930s aviation it was (and in turn, it is what made me fall in love with the era). References galore for the well-read adult that kids would totally miss out on.
I took a ride in a PBY in Long Beach in 1972. There were a few during Navy day at the Long Beach Naval shipyard.
as part of a fixed wing drone course in college i built a cardboard drone inspired by the cat, i figured the boatlike hull would be suited to landing and taking off from powdersnow, and our drone was the only one to survive all testflights. I love the Catalina!
Back in the 1970's the Alberta Forest Service in Canada used them for fighting forest fires. I watched a group of them practicing. It was a very wet and rainy fire season. They would come over the skimming the lake as the filled with water .Gain some altitude turn and drop the water back in the lake. And do it over and over again. This went on for some time. It a great show of flying.
If it wasn't for a Catalina. I would have never been born. My father was saved by one after ditching his F6F Hellcat after taking flack damage over an airfield . Late in the war.
Did your father like the F6F? It had a good success record and good attention to Pilot Forward Looking visibility
My dad joined the Navy in 1945, was part of the occupation of Japan and flew a PBY during the Korean war. I wish I could share this video with him. Living for 92 years, he never lost his interest in flying and pretty nurses.
The first aircraft in which I flew, when I was about five years old, was a Canso still in service with the RCAF. My family was being moved to an isolated radar base up the west coast. My strongest memory of that flight was that, when we landed on the water, the spray hit the underside of the window above my head. Years later, that memory prompted me to ask my father if that was the type of aircraft that carried us. Thanks for an excellent video.
I remember seeing one in a hanger north of Kingston Ontario and was amazed at how large these flying boats actually were.
What a cool plane, Miss Pickup artwork, like the PBY Catalina, is a very lovely lady. She has found a nice home at the Imperial War Museum.
Excited to see a Canso (Canadian Catalina) in person for my first time this summer!
def one of the coolest planes of the war.
I love that aircraft. I built a 1/72 scale model of it when I was a kid. When I was in Civil Air Patrol, I went to the annual Watsonville Fly-in a couple years and we provided safety watch, wing walkers and perimeter patrol protecting the aircraft.
I got an incentive flight and the crew chief quietly suggested that I sit in the center strut seat for the flight so I could see out both sides. It was great.
I really enjoyed this video, beautiful aircraft with a crisp and informative video. Keep them coming!
My grandfather flew Cats for the USN in WWII. Nearly every room in his house had a painting or picture of the gorgeous birds. I still remember the first time I asked him about the pictures. That was the longest my eight year old self ever sat silent.
If I could own one plane, it would be a Catalina. Stunningly good looking, and can land wherever there's water.
So good to see one being taken care of.
My father worked on the black cats in darwin. They did a bit of everything, supplying coast watchers, mining Japanese harbours, And rescue missions. Wonderful aircraft.
I love the Catalina. Looks and sounds so graceful.
The PBY-5A. That's my idea of a sport-utility vehicle. Wonderful video. Thank you.
Well done! the gent doing the narration was spot on and well spoken. We are losing these men daily to time. thankfully we have places like youtube etc to preserve these moments
Had the pleasure of touring C-FNJE, RCAF Registration 11094. It was on tour celebrating Canada Day at Muskoka Airport. Crawling into cockpit and sitting in the pilots seat then crawling across the water tanks to exit aft really put into perspective what these men endured for our Freedom. Thank you for all that is done to honour these airmen.
The cat at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum was the first to make the the intercontinental flight from Australia to South America and back in ‘51. It’s truly revered here. Great video!
Catalina is an island far off the coast of Los Angeles, California, in the channel islands. Coronado is the island in San Diego Harbor.
My father in law RIP flew Cats during WW2 in both the Atlantic and Eastern theatres with the RAF.
Extremely interesting and very well presented. I love seeing the Catalina/PBY. Beautiful aircraft.
My grandad flew one for the RCAF, first on the Atlantic (not sure where he flew out of) and then for the remainder of the war, from Tofino BC - with 4 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron on Vancouver Island. Beautiful aircraft. I have a photo of him in the pilot's seat, taken from behind, a photo of his particular ship and one of his squadron, gathered on and around a Catalina
Dad flew PBY-5s in the South Pacific with VP-11, starting in '42. The squadron evolved into the "Black Cats", he got a lot of night flying in. The only rescue work he participated in was the extraction of 200+ Aussies from behind enemy lines on the Seipek river, New Guinea. In '44, he decommissioned his 5a at NAS Alameda...and took most of the galley bits home. My wife and I still use the USN marked flatware from the galley. Great video!
Great report cleared up a lot of questions I had about the Catalina.
My gramps was a radio operator and sounded for the depth charges. He always loved to display his navy anchor tattoo and on his shoulder 4 swazzy with lines through them for sunken kills. He gave me a model to build back in the 80s and helped me detail the colors of his plane. Cool guy, passed in his early 50s of a pretty common surgery.
Thank you for flying and educating us! I love this plane!!
The Catalina has been one of my favorite aircraft since I was a child. I would love to board or even fly one. Such a unique, beautiful plane!
My Uncle Elmer Locke flew in one during WW2 in the Pacific Theatre. He was a radioman/gunner. I enjoyes listening to him about his experiences during the war. He was one if my hero's growing up.
Great video! Beautiful plane!
Catalina is an island off San Diego and Orange County in California. It DID NOT have any factories. It was famous for the movie stars who would go there on weekends for weekend fun. The Consolidated factory was actually located at the current location of the San Diego International Airport which is not far from downtown San Diego.
PBY Catalina’s were delivered to the U.S. Navy by taxiing them across San Diego Bay to what is now Coronado N.A.S. The concrete ramp they used to taxi out of the water and onto Coronado is still there and is easily visible when sailing past.
I've never heard of the Catalina described as they most underrated in anything. Quite the contrary.
Maybe not as well known as the usual suspects, but never underrated. One of my favorites actually ❤
I agree! But I think practically every follower of WWII history knows of it's reconnaissance mission and rescuing sailors and aircrews. I think the underrated part is it's record in combat.
@@alecfoster4413the underrated thing is just for a clickbait
@@VIDEOVISTAVIEW2020 Probably true!
Always used to love the static display Catalina at Lake Boga in Victoria. Used to be a maintenance base in WWII.
Lovely, wonderful, life-saving aircraft. Great video; thanks.
From Sunderland in the UK. The Catalina is a great looking, functional and successful plane…obviously well loved by its crew and feared by its adversaries. But shout out to the Sunderland as well. Brave men, with massive amounts of stamina, flew them. Very moving.
It takes a special breed of person to fly long, boring patrols for hours and hours over sunlit, sparkly ocean.
these are such cool planes. . . always wanted a goose or widgeon but after learning more about the PBYs it moved to the top of the list.
Great video, thanks. The Catalina is beautiful in its perfection of design, one of my three favourite aircraft along with the Supermarine Spitfire and the Boeing 747.
On Thanksgiving Day, 23 Nov 1944, a PBY Catalina from the 2nd Emergency Rescue Squadron rescued my father and three other survivors after their B-25 Strafer was shot down while bombing Japanese installations on the island of Cebu. After both engines were destroyed and most of the left wing was shot off, dad was able to ditch his aircraft in the bay off the coast of the island. His B-25 immediately sank, but within minutes, the PBY landed next to him and the remaining crewmembers pulling them through one of the side blisters. Dad was 22 years old. Greatest Generation.
If I was insanely wealthy I would want a Catalina to fly around. It is just so cool and I love the amphibious nature of it.
Agreed 100% Also it's a very stable craft.
Saw this wonderful aircraft take flight at duxford 50th anniversary last year. What a sight to see
A little known fact about the PBY5-a. Equipped with radar, torpedoes, and flying at night it sank more tonnage of Japanese shipping than any other plane in the Navy's inventory. They were called "Black Cats". My dad was a PBY pilot. He really loved the airplane. He flew almost every day from 1940 to 1945 and accumulated 4,000 hours
Just an awesome aircraft. Thank you IWM for putting the spotlight on it. 👍
Beautiful Plane, I still remember seeing Catalina planes flying back and forth to her named island "Catalina" from Long Beach California. The last time I saw one flying that route was @1967, and from a boat it was a sight.
My father, Robert Clapp Aviation Metalsmith 2C, repaired PBY's at U.S. Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in the early part of the WWII. As a youngster I marveled at his stories of sometimes having to make a hull repair while swimming in the bay. On one occasion, he had dislocated the middle finger of his right hand. He went to Sick Bay to have it relocated. While there Medical Officers decided to remove his appendix just because. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!
Looks like someone's been reading my Quora answer about the Catalina as being the most underrated ww2 aircraft. Glad it inspired an informative video!
great video, many thanks to all involved with the catalina
My dad had occasion to fly in a Canso while he was in the RCAF, he noted that the hull took on a good deal of water while landing and he was very glad when they reached the shore!
The Catalina is one of my favorite aircraft of WWII. I think it’s beautiful.
I 1st went north in 1980, Whitsundays and more, we found quite a few abandoned Catalinas and around Darwin etc,an amazing plane for finding the enemy 😀 rescuing pilots etc, thanks USA 🇺🇸 for helping ❤❤❤❤😊
But you Brits gave us that outstanding Merlin Griffin engine, which was then fitted to the P-51 Mustangs, making them a much more powerful fighter! Thanks!!
Great presentation on a lovely plane.
I see the tie between Consolidated in San Diego and Catalina Island. Never thought of Catalina as being off of San Diego. It's a day trip from Long Beach but quite a slog against wind and currents between San Diego and Catalina.
Probably a difference in perspective between sailboats and flying boats.
The southeastern end of Santa Catalina Island is about 75 statute miles from the old Consolidated factory in San Diego. Long Beach is a good deal closer (roughly 30 statute miles).
I worked for a guy who was the Navigator on a Canso. The first story at 8:39 sounds a lot like what he told me about what happened. He deeply regretted the sinking of the U-Boat "50 men went down with that damn boat"
My dad flew his second tour of duty in Catalinas with 240 Squadron RAF, based at Red Hills Lake, India (his first tour was on A/S Rescue patrols in Ansons with 280 Sqn.). Most of his patrols were met flights, but his very last wartime patrol was eventful: He found the crew of an American bomber that had ditched in the Indian Ocean, and guided a destroyer to their dinghy to complete the rescue.
I live in Darwin Australia where there were two Catalina bases, also Sunderlands and a Qantas base before the war. There are a number of sunken Cats in the Harbor. There was for many years a derelict Catalina lying in the mangroves up what is known as East Arm of the Darwin harbor.
It is time to read " the sky beyond", Sir Gordon Taylor. Fantastic story of the Cat.
In the late fifties the U.S. Coast Guard flew the Cat up and down the SoCal coast. My brother and I would jump and scream when the PBY came drifting by and when there was a headwind we truly believed that it was hovering in zero speed and we were blown away. I don't see (outside of a war) how slow is a problem. I'm slow, yet I type. Thank you, mate.
Worked to restore one at the CAF in Duluth. Wonderful planes.
Excellent info sir, keep it flying!
Steward-Davis converted several Catalinas to their Super Catalina standard (later known as Super Cat), which replaced the usual 1,200 hp (890 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines with Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 engines of 1,700 hp (1,300 kW). A larger, squared-off rudder was installed to compensate for the increased yaw which the more powerful engines could generate. The Super Catalina also had extra cabin windows and other alterations.
Really liked to listen to jeff explain everything
Love the Cat. There's one in my neighbouring suburb in Perth, WA.
Sydney here. Where exactly is it in Perth. I'm guessing that it must be somewhere on the Swan River, of course. But where?
@@frenzalrhomb6919 Ah, it's in the suburb of Bull Creek at the RAAF Aviation Heritage Museum. Unfortunately, not really near the water but it is a great museum. They have a Lancaster, Spitfire, Canberra and most recently a Tornado GR4. I'm very pleased to have it just down the road from me.
Catalina also the one that makes important discovery over Akutan, Aleutian Island. Spotted a intact Japanese Mitsubishi Zero fighter which help American a lot in how to design their future aircraft and employ new tactic defeat like what is weakness and it strength
Excellent video. Very informative. Great aircraft.
My dad was a RAAF electrician during WWII. He worked on Cats at Gove(now known as Nulanbuy) in Australia’s Northern Territory. He absolutely loved them.
One of my uncles was radioman on a PBY in the Pacific during the war. One story he'd tell was of their plane landing at a small island that they thought was already captured, only to have to run like hell back to the plane and get in the air when they found out it wasn't.
Big Beautiful Cat ! Thank you for this presentation. Be safe and keep on flying !
i remember seeing the Catalina for the first time in Jacques Yves Cousteau's nature documentaries in the 70's, I thought it looked odd but learned to love it!
My USN Dad loved the Catalina. Flew it all over during WWII and later. He especially liked the overhead throttles! He was a real stick-and-rudder guy so the Catalina was perfect for him.
There is a Catalina at Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum, Victoria, Australia.
My dad was the mechanic for the PBY-5A and B-17 that were a part of the Air Search and Rescue team for the Air Force during the Korean War. He was stationed at the Panama Canal Zone, Hickam AF base. After his service he became an aerospace engineer and made great contributions to the Atlas-Centaur missile platform used by NASA to launch satellites into orbit and beyond. RIP, Dad ... love you!
This and the PBM Mariner are my two favorite planes at the Air and Space Museum we have here in Tucson.
Yesterday whilst waiting outside the home of one of my customers in Stubbington near Lee-On-Solent (Hampshire, UK) I heard and then saw what I think must have been a Catalina which had just taken off from the small airfield which lays between Stubbington and Lee.
It was very noisy! A magnificent sight, but sadly my view was restricted by trees and buildings.
Just along the coast at Tangmere (near Chichester, West Sussex) there are a few Spitfires which regularly fly along the coast, and I get to see them on a fequent basis.
It's great that dedicated people such as the presenter of this video have chosen to restore and maintain these wonderful aircraft.
Just to let you and audience know that HARS (Historical Aircraft Restoration Society) has a PBY6A. Recovered from Portugal in 2003. It was flying up until 2 or 3 years ago. Great to see that you in Britain are also respecting your Catalina.
It's incredible to see this aircraft flying! It looks great in it's current scheme.
My father was part of the forgotten war up in Alaska during WW2. Due to the limited resources during this conflict the American forces were forced to become creative and created the black Cat which was a Catalina painted black and used as a dive bomber. After the war it was found that Japanese forces in Alaska had reported that the Americans had a gigantic new dive bomber that looks similar to a PBY.
Black Cats were used extensively out of Australia against the Japanese and were very successful in disrupting Japanese supply lines in the south Pacific. They flew long flights, from their bases in NSW and other locations in southern Australia, mainly at night and, being painted black, were virtually invisible to the enemy on dark nights. I heard one chap say that after the war they were lined up at Rathmines on Lake Macquarie, near Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia, waiting for the scrap metal merchants to dismantle them. A fellow went from wing to wing hacking into them with an axe. What a bloody waste.
My Father was in the Navy during during the Korean War and stationed in Panama. He flew in a Catalina looking for submarines etc.
My father, a navy pilot, flew the Catalina over the North Atlantic and over the US west coast during WW2 and the Korean War. He said the Catalina was a plane that required the pilot to be hands on, flying it most the time. He said if they ever crashed in the North Atlantic and went into the water, they would be dead in minutes from hypothermia.
Know it well. Part of Cold War operations under Norad. The Canadian Navy operated out of Halifax, NS doing the same job in the North Atlantic, but with more modern aircraft.
@@billfarley9167 Now that you mention it , I remember my father telling me about having to land in New Brunswick N.S.
Great video, love a VC story as well 😄
My dad, a WW2 pilot, had a friend in San Francisco who bought one of these as surplus, took the wings off, converted it into a houseboat built a viewing port on the bottom with a light at night to sit and watch the fish go by. I was very young but I still remember!
I remember seeing a Cat converted to a houseboat on the Murray River, South Australia sometime in the sixties. The RAAF operated 168 Cats , they were withdrawn from service in 1950 so I guess quite a few were sold as surplus.
Saw one of these Giants at Air Show last year. Just awe inspiring
I was an avid aircraft model builder in my teenage years (I'm 65 now). My first one's this beautiful aircraft. It's beauty lies in it's "ugly" appearance because of its functionality. Kudos to the designers.
Functionality has a beauty all it's own.