Naval doctrine of the 1930s and 1940s used flying boats in a wide variety of roles that today are handled by multiple special-purpose aircraft. Navy contracted Consolidated, Martin and Douglas in October 1933 to build competing prototypes for a patrol flying boat. Flying boats had the advantage of not requiring runways, in effect having the entire ocean available.Īs American dominance in the Pacific Ocean began to face competition from Japan in the 1930s, the U.S. Navy in the 1930s invested millions of dollars in developing long-range flying boats for this purpose. With a mind to a potential conflict in the Pacific Ocean, where troops would require resupply over great distances, the U.S. The PBY was originally designed to be a patrol bomber, an aircraft with a long operational range intended to locate and attack enemy transport ships at sea in order to disrupt enemy supply lines. None remain in military service.ĭesign and development Background As of 2021, 86 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations in some parts of the world. The last military PBYs served until the 1980s. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. January 1957 ( United States Navy Reserve)ģ,308 (2,661 U.S.-built, 620 Canadian-built, 27 Soviet-built) Soviet Gidrosamolet Transportnii factory at Taganrog (GST)

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