Story Of The Black Cats | Stealth flying boat of the South Pacific (1944)

"News of the losses leak out. Radio Tokyo invents alibis, new American superplanes reported in the Pacific, surpassing anything known in speed and maneuveurability. Reverberations in the Japanese high command. New detachments of night fighters called up. Jap fleet adjustments made, more destroyers, cruisers, more convoy escorts. The attacker was an unidentified American plane, hitting at night..."
This 1944 United States Navy propaganda film was "written and produced in the Southwest Pacific. Dedicated to the Officers and Men of VP Squadrons, Commander of Aircraft, Seventh Fleet."
It describes the VP "Black Cats Squadron" of the US Navy.
ARC Identifier 12990 / Local Identifier 80-MN-4280B
archive.org/details/gov.archi...

[@lloydryan7716]

I have a 99 year old friend who was a gunner on a PBY Black Cat flying off Guadalcanal. He is deaf thanks to that service but I see he and his wife at Breakfast in Scappoose, Oregon every week. It is an honor to call him friend.

[@gordonhall9871]

much respect

[@Hoopaball]

Wish him a Merry Christmas for me, will ya?

[@nickmoloney9820]

Please send my thanks for his service . Respect .

[@rocketeerPM2500]

We salute and honour your aged friend, and thank him for his service. God bless him.

[@Idrinklight44]

I bet they were feared!!!!

[@David-ic4by]

Half the value of this film is the culture of the whole thing-background music, narration, editing. It betrays a mindset that is long, long gone.

[@michaelward9880]

Some would say too much "toxic masculinity. " We know who they are.

[@godwottery2552]

I'm 75, and I was a Navy SH-3D crewman anti-submarine sonar operator for 4 years in the 1960's-70's. My then-insurance agent had been a pilot in Navy PBY's on patrol off the Atlantic coast during WWII. It was amazing to compare the tools HE had in HIS time with those available in MY time.

[@4shink]

My Father-in-law, William M. Allen, flew PBY's in the SW pacific. He said he did primarily search and rescue and courier/freight flights but not black cat combat activity. When he was demobilized he took the instrument panel clock out of his last aircraft that he eventually gave to me. I became a private pilot and was excited to demonstrate my newly licensed skills to Bill who promptly but politely declined...I was apparently good enough for his daughter but not good enough to risk his own neck...a great guy who died in 1997 at age 97+.

[@tonyromano6220]

😂😂

[@jerrycallender-qm7zr]

My dad was a Catalina flight engineer, serving from the Aleutians to Midway to Tinian... His plane was Starboard the Catalina that first spotted the Japanese fleet at Midway and verified the sighting. He trained with the Marines on Tinian for the planned invasion on Tokyo.

[@j.dunlop8295]

The last military PBYs served until the 1980s. 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.

[@lunaticfringe8066]

Uncle flew Cats in the war hunting subs but never found one. He never felt his life was in danger until ordered back to the States to be an instructor in PBYs with bad students trying to kill him almost once a week.

[@briancooper2112]

Did he know a Mel Elias?

[@Paladin1873]

I believe you. When I was a kid a local friend of the family was a former B-17 and B-24 instructor pilot. He said they were given worn out bombers to train aircrews, so inflight emergencies were common. He said he once landed his plane on a golf course. Something similar happened on Dec 7, 1941 when a B-17E made a forced landing at Kuhuku Golf Course to avoid being shot down.

[@G_de_Coligny]

Well… it’s not like a sub would jump out of the water and pull a sharknado… or come in with a fighter escort…

[@lunaticfringe8066]

I'm sorry, my uncle passed many years ago. I don't know@@briancooper2112

[@marksprague1280]

​@@G_de_ColignyIt's a long swim home if your plane goes down.

[@tednordquist5266]

I knew a guy who was in a Black Cat squadron, he used to go to my gym. 80 years old then and would come in jeans and could still handle 45lb plates. He had a lot of great stories about that time. He loaned me a book about the PBYs. As bombers, they were terrible and took large losses. They resorted to turning their engines off and gliding over their targets and then drop the bombs. They weren’t really that effective, but there was nothing else they could do at the time.

[@robertthomas3777]

Great footage. Quite a dive angle that. We had these on our Swan River in Perth, Western Australia. A dedicated museum was to be built, but the local wealthy residents of Mosman kicked-up a ruckus. The ‘Cat’ will be on display at the Merredin Military museum out in the open. Cant understand why it wasn’t put at Bullcreek. Brave men. Lest we forget. 🦘🇦🇺👍

[@williambrooks6629]

The Australian Cats were serviced at Lake Bogan in Victoria, way out of reach of the Japs. Today there is a huge museum with a complete Catalina inside. It's worth a visit.

[@markfryer9880]

The Cats flying from Perth to Ceylon (Now Sri Lanka) on the "Flight of the Double Sunrise" were our only means of rapid communication between Australia and England. It was called the Double Sunrise because that was how long the aircraft was flying over the Indian Ocean for. They would take off on the Swan River, fly up parallel to the coast until they got to Broome and then turn and head out for Ceylon. Information related to me by my late mate Bill Clarke, Fairfield Victoria, who flew as Air Gunner/Air Frame Rigger in Cats. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@robertthomas3777]

@@markfryer9880 did they refuel at Broome before heading out to Ceylon? Amazing endurance.

[@markfryer9880]

​@@robertthomas3777As I understand it, the answer is no ! They just used the land formation around Broome as a definite navigation fix point before turning to head out over the Indian Ocean. They also had to be careful of any Japanese patrol aircraft flying from the then Dutch East Indies (Now Indonesia) as well as any Japanese ships that might report them.

[@markfryer9880]

​@@robertthomas3777You could check with your local libraries for a copy of the book "Flight of the Double Sunrise" which is about those Cat flights from the Swan River. Given that it is WA historical material I would think that at least one library in WA would have a copy.

[@Caratacus1]

Thumbs upped for the excellent rakish pirate beard sported by the squadron leader.

[@Milkman3572000]

That did not look up to spec. lol. War time that must be allowed.

[@matthewpalmer7184]

@@Milkman3572000 USN allowed beards until 1986. Plenty of pics of USN in both pre-war peacetime and wartime in WW2 with various facial hair, in everything from field to dress uniforms.

[@glendepasse1698]

I met a Black Cat flight engineer years ago, he sat up in the dorsal wing support to monitor the engines. He said one mission was over 15 hours long and mostly through very rough stormy weather. When they landed most of the black paint was worn off.

[@markfryer9880]

Australian Cats regularly flew missions from Northern Australia, up into the islands, land, refuel and load up with sea mines and then take off headed for the coast of China on the Inland Sea side of Japan to lay their mines and then hopefully return safely to Australia. Mission time 27 hours non stop. Source Australian Catalina Air Gunner that I knew personally. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@joshuacourville2903]

My great uncle would be 99...he was a radio operator on the cats in the south pacific...he would never talk of his time and would show no interest in pby's when he saw them...but his house was adorned with everything Catalina related...made no sense to me when I was young but now it does

[@markfryer9880]

Joshua, the reason why he never talked about it was because for his Generation talking about his war service could be seen as 'line shooting' or big noting themselves. On the other hand, I found that once ex-service persons found out that I had at least served in the Australian Army Reserve, that with some careful questioning, they would open up to me and tell me things that they hadn't told their own families. We are fortunate that there are books and documentaries that we can use to help us understand what they went through in a small way. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@paulhicks3595]

My dad was in the Australian Airforce in WW2. The only momento of his at home was a beautiful model of a Black Catalina which sat on the mantelpiece. Sadly, no one ever talked about it.

[@williambrooks6629]

He may have known my Father-in-law, Bob Quin who was a gunner in Catalinas. He never talked about it either

[@jamesscanlon5969]

This is from Wikipedia, about some of the Australian deployment of Catalinas: "The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also operated Catalinas as night raiders, with four squadrons Nos. 11, 20, 42, and 43 laying mines from 23 April 1943 until July 1945 in the southwest Pacific deep in Japanese-held waters, bottling up ports and shipping routes and forcing ships into deeper waters to become targets for U.S. submarines; they tied up the major strategic ports such as Balikpapan which shipped 80% of Japanese oil supplies. In late 1944, their mining missions sometimes exceeded 20 hours in duration and were carried out from as low as 200 ft (61 m) in the dark. Operations included trapping the Japanese fleet in Manila Bay in assistance of General Douglas MacArthur's landing at Mindoro in the Philippines. Australian Catalinas also operated out of Jinamoc in the Leyte Gulf, and mined ports on the Chinese coast from Hong Kong to as far north as Wenzhou. Both USN and RAAF Catalinas regularly mounted nuisance night bombing raids on Japanese bases, with the RAAF claiming the slogan "The First and the Furthest". Targets of these raids included a major base at Rabaul. RAAF aircrews, like their U.S. Navy counterparts, employed "terror bombs", ranging from scrap metal and rocks to empty beer bottles with razor blades inserted into the necks, to produce high-pitched screams as they fell, keeping Japanese soldiers awake and scrambling for cover.[30] There was a Catalina base on Drimmie Head on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory.[31]"

[@TheHandymanQld]

An old friend of mine now gone was a Sgt gunner 43 Sqn. He spoke about his time on them.

[@markfryer9880]

That is unfortunate for you both that your father's never talked about their service time. I found that having been in the Army Reserve in Signals that men and women of that generation would open up to me and tell me things that they hadn't told their own families. Part of it was not wanting to be accused of 'line shooting' or big noting themselves. There are a number of different books about the Catalina service in the RAAF. There is also the excellent Catalina Museum at Lake Boga near Swan Hill in Victoria. Well worth a visit or at the very least visit their website. A former neighbour of mine, now deceased, Bill Clarke from Fairfield, Victoria, flew in the Cats as an Air Gunner/Airframe Rigger and he told me many stories about his time in the RAAF. Everyone was either a Character or a Joker. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺 Former Australian Army Reservist '88 to '93

[@HootOwl513]

My nextdoor neighbor in the '70s was a Navy WWII veteran. He worked on PBYs in the Aleutians. Like in the clips, they had gantries suspended under the wings. He said he was always broke, because his toolboxes kept falling into the drink. Sploosh! You couldn't dive into the water to try recovering it either, the water was only just above freezing. Government Property came out of your own pocket if you lost it.

[@jacobrobinson175]

Really that's pretty lame had all the tanks and jeeps and planes get everything of but no backup tools to to fix anything that seems ironic

[@Dov_ben-Maccabee]

My best friend's dad was in Cats in the Aleutians too. Told story of taking Bob Hope on tour of installations and getting caught in a storm. Landed with 0 fuel in tanks.

[@edmacy51]

My father’s cousin was a mechanic stationed in Hawaii during WWII. He told the story of a flight of PBYs that almost sunk when they landed in the harbor due to poorly riveted belly plates. Sweet duty during a terrible war.

[@markfryer9880]

I would question that story as each individual Catalina was water tested in the factory by filling the hull with water. It is detailed in the video about Building the Catalina. It may have been the case that the aircraft were damaged on take off when leaving the US for Hawaii, but for a whole flight of Cats to have hull damage is suspicious. I suspect that that story was put about to cover the aircrews who wished to have a few extra days in Hawaii before heading out for combat duty in the Pacific. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@downunderrob]

My Mother would tell the how the take off run of PBYs would send them over 'the old neighbourhood'. With roofs and windows rattling. Thats Perth in Western Australia. 🇭🇲

[@shootfirst2097]

I was on a destroyer in the mid-'70s. We visited Bunbury in W. Australia, and when we arrived, there was about 100 young women waiting on the dock for us. (along with regular curious citizens) I don't know if they were looking for Yanks that did something other than drinking and fighting, but some of the guys on the ship got lucky that weekend.

[@downunderrob]

@shootfirst2097 The West Australian cities became important R&R destinations for the 7th Fleet from the mid-70s until the 90s. And whether it was a home cooked meal, some Good Beer or some horizontal refreshment, the people were ready and welcoming. Aside from the usual delusional anti-nuke trolls.

[@crypteiansentry1922]

It was interesting, the first Catalina shown flying has Australian markings. Both US and Australian Black Cats operated under the USN 7th fleet. Both had different roles in combat with the Australian records not released until the last ten or so years. That is the full release of what they did. My understanding of what the Australian pilots thought of the US pilots and also the reverse thoughts, was that each other had to be crazy to do what they did. There was a mutual respect for each others differing role and yet both being called Black Cats. There was a significant difference between the two in the tasking and the way it was carried out. My grandfather was a Catalina pilot during this time and he saw combat in the islands to the north of Australia, occupied by the Japanese. Bombing and mining harbours. Later he became an instructor on Catalina's training new pilots.

[@markfryer9880]

Try and get yourself to the Catalina Museum at Lake Boga near Swan Hill in Victoria. Well worth the effort to visit and in your case bring you closer to your Grandfather. Lake Boga was the Top Secret Flying Boat Repair Base during WWII because it was far enough inland to be safe from attack by Japanese Carrier aircraft. It is entirely possible that your Grandfather flew in and out of Lake Boga on one or more occasions. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@murraystewartj]

The Cat is at once ugly and beautiful at the same time. What a workhorse. Kudos those who flew them over those long patrol, rescue and attack missions. Great aircraft flown by the greatest generation. Cheers to you, lads!

[@beararms3703]

I knew one of these men in St Louis, Missouri during the early 2000's. He was also mentioned in the book "Black Cats With Wings Of Gold".

[@ScoutSniper3124]

If you're still lucky enough to have someone from the Greatest Generation living in your family, get them talking, and be grateful to listen. I love you Dad and miss you. EN3 Marcus Lee Rees, U.S. Navy Pacific Theater WW2 and Korea.

[@ClearedAsFiled]

Amen to that brother....my dad was a gunner on the SBD Duantless divebombers.....a marine Staff Sergeant.....miss you dad...😢

[@lavern007]

The first airplane model I ever built was a Black Cat PBY. I spent a lot of time “flying” my plane around the farm. More fun than a Corsair or P 38.

[@ClearedAsFiled]

Boy, those WERE the good ole days...

[@Dottydawes]

I’ve been in a B17 and B25. All I can say is those guys flying planes of that era had balls of steel. The skin on those things weren’t much thicker than a “tinnie” and wouldn’t have stopped one of Robin Hood’s arrows.

[@stevenhj3124]

At 12:03 American flag with 48 stars. I grew up with that flag. As we said in the Navy: "Well done." I was PN3, USS FOX (DLG-33) Vietnam 1967-68. ☮

[@ClearedAsFiled]

You are a hero in my books for your service ...THANK YOU and God Bless you.....

[@michaelpoynter7165]

This is 44. Black Cat squad was originally Aussie squad working for (as opposed to beside) the USN (only one is WW2) for highly covert and strategic mine laying night missions (ie harbour entrances etc) from 42 on till the end of WW2. Aussie's were trained in traditional and celestial navigation, the USN pilots weren't till later. This is why the PBY's were black, night works. High level bombing at sea was pretty useless. Low level a bit more effective and dive bombing a lot more effective, torpedo didn't work to begin with coz the early torpedo's didn't work properly (ie ficking near 9 outa 10 useless) and the US didn't fix it till later. PBY's only carried limited bomb load, but got lucky sometimes.

[@jf7243]

I saw an example of these beautiful machines in Temora NSW on a War Birds flying weekend. She flew in too and her crew welcomed visitors to peek inside. A fabulous early stealthy machine of less renown than she is worth.

[@Sandman253]

For any-one interested there a museum at Lake Boga in Victoria featuring Catalinas. The Lake was sused as maintaince base for them. It's worth a visit.

[@markfryer9880]

A Top Secret Service Base during WWII because it was far enough inland to be safe from attack by Japanese Carrier aircraft. We had found out the hard way when they attacked Broome and whiped out half of all the Allied flying boats that had survived the evacuation out of Java and Sumatra. Yes it is an excellent museum and a great little lake, caravan park not far from Swan Hill and the Murray River. You will need most of a day to do the museum justice. Consider a stop over if you have the time. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@Sandman253]

@@markfryer9880 I visited around 2000 when I did a Murray- Darling River run. At that time the catilana was mounted on a plinth out in the weather. I would like to revisit it again whe I can.

[@hootinouts]

One of my favorite WWII war birds. Had the opportunity to experience one flying in for an air show at the airfield in Millville NJ. After she landed and parked, I was able to walk right up to her for a good look. Beautiful plane indeed,

[@Oct14cya]

I got to see one fly during the WW2 Weekend at the Reading airport. If you’ve never been there it’s worth the trip. First weekend in June.

[@Bronson2024]

My father was a flight engineer on a PBM Y and during mission he was a 50 cal machine gunner. His initial training started in Banana River Fl. When he was in Florida his plane was one of the PBM's that searched for the lost squadron of fighters in the Bermuda Triangle. During the search the PBM in front of his plane went missing. They saw a flash!. I quizzed my dad on the disappearance. He stated the PBM was a flying bomb and thought something happed to cause it to blow to a million pieces. He also told me it was top secret at they time hat his plane had a radar system and they would do radar bombing runs at night and lay mines. People have told me that's bull. I have his flight logs which are fascinating to read and pictures of his plane and crew. The plane differently has a radar dome. I asked my dad what it was like to fly in Pacific in combat. He would never speak of the war. The only thing I ever got of of him on the topic was and I quote: " The chow was good" and " you haven't seen northing yet!" The PBM crews would meet in Banana River FL for reunions after the war.

[@stephenwalton9646]

My high school science teacher flew PBYs in WWll. He said they handled well enough but were over reliant on the curvature of the earth to gain altitude. Knowing how dangerous night operations in any seaplane are under the best of conditions, the feats these gentlemen accomplished are beyond amazing.

[@krimke881]

"..but were over reliant on the curvature of the earth to gain altitude. " What does that even mean?

[@stephenwalton9646]

@@krimke881 It means they could barely climb and if the earth wasn’t curved, hence falling away slightly with every mile, they’d never have gotten any altitude.

[@Milkman3572000]

VP-48 checking in. 88-91. Some great footage of what life was like, on the island.

[@stevenwiederholt7000]

CAF's Lake Superior Squadron is restoring a PBY

[@cratecruncher4974]

It takes some nerve to fly into a wall of ordinance in a slow moving Catalina even in the dark. Dad flew the Privateers which were converted B-24s assigned the same job of harassing Japanese shipping. The Privateer was able to throw a wall of ordinance back but the Japanese thankfully were about out of fight by then. His first assignment in the Navy was navigating the PBY Catalina off Florida sniffing out U-boats. It was a rugged craft with a life boat built in. A feature sorely missed by the Privateer crews facing 1000's of miles of Pacific ocean in all directions.

[@marcsmith7037]

My Father was an Enlisted pilot in VP-11, flying Black Cats in the Solomons and elsewhere, 42-44. I still have a small bag of fuse safety wire he sent home. They were tossing 25lb frag. bombs out the hatches at Japanese barges...pull the wire, toss out the bomb. I have his logbooks, mostly empty hours spent on recon flights. He flew on the Sepik river rescue, pulling a bunch of Aussies out from under the noses of the Japanese. We still eat using the USN marked flatware from his last decommissioned PBY-5 when he got a -5A. He retired with 30 in 1969. Died in 1982.

[@toddmoss1689]

As a former VP-11 aircrewman, I love reading these stories with much respect and appreciation for your dad’s and his felllow Pegasus squadron mates service.

[@Terry_weston4570]

My Uncle was with VP Patrol Wing 11. His plane was at Papua New Guinea and later he served on the double sunrise runs from Perth WA.

[@markfryer9880]

There is a book written about those missions and it is named Flight of the Double Sunrise. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@darrenharvey6084]

The RAAF also operated Black Cats doing mine laying around Indonesia Borneo and even Manilla bay . With a very low loss rate .

[@markfryer9880]

Even up to the Chinese coast of the Japanese Inland Sea. 27 hour missions. Leave Northern Australia, fly up into the islands, land refuel and load up sea mines, take off and head for the Chinese coast, lay the mines and then hopefully make it back to Australia. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@Raptorman0909]

While there were many notable planes in the Pacific Theatre the Cat was and is my favorite. At that time, and probably still somewhat true today, when you do not have a reliable paved runway or even a dirt landing strip, having a plane that can land on water, including the ocean, is a huge advantage. How many US and allied ships that were sunk had their crews rescued by Cats that could land in the ocean near the struggling men. It also has a functional beauty to it as well.

[@neilfoster814]

The Catalina, truly a great aircraft without a doubt. Today I learnt that the Cats carried a torpedo as well as bombs and depth charges.. Great video.

[@jasonellis5877]

Pretty sure the footage from the cockpit in the attacking aircraft is from an RAAF Beaufighter shot by Australian Damien Parer.

[@aegrotattoo9018]

Great watch ! Always appreciated.

[@Mariner311]

Amusing PacFleet film - nice to see the VP fleet represented - I grew up next to NAS Moffett Field in California with the 60s era VP squadrons (P-3 Orions), but many of the pilots had flown Marlins and such before off Viet Nam. I later joined hoping to be a VP Aircrewman, but ended up in helicopters because I SWAM too well . Flew 8 years in Seahawks, and then later flew in the Viking and Orion as an evaluator.

[@Chris_at_Home]

The squadron I ended up in was named the Seahawks. You never know where you will end up. I wanted to be in submarines but ended up working on the avionics on P-3s after I enlisted in 1971. I’m glad because VP squadrons are some of the best duty in the Navy. I never went on a ship and when not deployed overseas I lived off base. A cold beer after work, skiing on weekends in the winter, camping, fishing and riding our motorcycles in the summer in Maine. Good Times!

[@briancooper2112]

My grandmother's brother flew Catalina's in the pacific.

[@thegreatdominion949]

My understanding is that this was filmed at the PBY base on Samarai Island just offshore from Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.

[@pamelakinnane1863]

The RAAF Catalina Squadron 11 was also based in Port Moresby. Papua New Guinea.

[@DunedinMultimedia2]

Flown at night with that matte black paint scheme, the Cat was an early stealth bomber.

[@lescobrandon3047]

I was five years old when this film was made. I must have seen it perhaps a bit later but the “Black Cat” idea stuck somewhere in my memory. When I got older and was building plastic war planes, one of the first was a PBY-5y and I painted it black. What a great film it must have been for families back home.

[@kurtwillig4230]

Crews hated those. Loud, cramped, cold, impossible to move around in. They were always trying to transfer to units with the bigger Martin Mariner.

[@redskindan78]

Nice complement to ArmouredCarrier's British film of a Sunderland and a Cat flying for Coastal Command.

[@argus1393]

Catalinas old slow obsolete and.... MAGNIFICENT

[@briankorbelik2873]

My mom's brother Bill was the crew chief and a blister gunner in PBY's during the war. The Navy had them doing all sorts of things in the Pacific. My uncle Bill told me how they had them making night bombing raids on Indochina. He didn't tell too many stories because he had lost friends in the war. The main thing that I learned was that his aircraft was shot down twice during the liberation of ths Philippines, the second time he was badly injured, (which affected his health, his spine had to be fused, for the rest of his life), and his best friend was killed. He died at age 65.

[@j.dunlop8295]

The last military PBYs served until the 1980s. 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.

[@10toMidnight]

Love these old docs. Very interest thanks for the post.

[@thomasvelazquez9789]

Such a very underrated aircraft during WW2 with very brave men aboard

[@Ka9radio_Mobile9]

I have been looking for this video for a long time, Thank You for posting it. Merry Xmas!🎄 Happy New Year 2024!🎉

[@Idrinklight44]

Working on it while towing it, says they were serious about time!

[@jackrice2770]

One of my favorite planes as a kid. Built a Revell model of it. Cool video, great find.

[@johnnoble01]

Never knew they mounted torpedoes on the wing of the cat!

[@gerardhogan3]

My uncle was on Aussie black cats in Darwin during the War. He was ground crew and worked on Yankie air craft carrier aircraft engines as well.

[@yoke-munchan1813]

I like these old war government clips, how they have enemy perspective in the middle of an action.

[@givingisbetterthantaking..829]

There is a PBY at Pensacola FL, with a plexiglass section to enable tourists to see the interior, also alot of other great aircraft at the naval museun,no fee to enter.

[@CorePathway]

Evergreen Airspace Museum outside of Portland Oregon has a Cat as well as the Spruce Goose, a replica ME 262, a real A-10 and SR 71. Many others.

[@Master_Redi]

Awesome, thanks for sharing.

[@robertshaver4432]

Very Nice, I've been looking for this info. Another Historic note: The 1st American aircraft to hit a Japanese ship with an air launched/dropped torpedo is... The Catalina! Who'd a thunk? Thanks for this! Robert

[@guaporeturns9472]

When was that?

[@robertshaver4432]

@@guaporeturns9472I'm not exactly sure but it was more than likely to be very early in the war. I picked that fact up in another historic video. Hoping that he will look it up and double verify it with a dated and located occurrence which wasn't provided in the other vid. It does make sense though. Cheers: Robert

[@guaporeturns9472]

@@robertshaver4432 I’ll look into it , because I know Devastators hit the Shoho during the battle of the Coral sea.. I was just curious , not trying to bust your chops.

[@guaporeturns9472]

I can’t find anything American earlier than the Coral sea(in my short search) but I did learn that the first successful aerial torpedo attack was in WW1 by a British Short type 184 floatplane against a Turkish freighter (sunk) in the Agean sea and/sea of Marmara.

[@robertshaver4432]

@@guaporeturns9472 Awesome, I wish I could remember the videos title that I saw that information in.

[@jollyjohnthepirate3168]

Consoladated's masterpiece. Built in San Diego, California. The most vital workers there were all women. They were experienced seamstresses who sewed much of the Catalina's control surfaces.

[@edwardloomis887]

A Catalina found the Bismarck. The rest is history.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

@@ricogo2447 With an ‘illegal’ U.S. Navy pilot on board. May 1941.

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

@@ricogo2447 Yep after she sank the HMS Hood she was able to shake off her pursuers and break radar contact. The Catalina pilot interestingly was a US Navy pilot instructing RAF pilots on the new Cats being delivered. They spotted an oil slick and followed it right to the Bismarck. Hood had scored a hit on her fuel tank then reported her position. The US wasn't in the war at that time so he could have been the first active duty American to be shot in WW2 at by the AA fire.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

@@goodshipkaraboudjan Prince of Wales you mean, Hood hit nothing.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

He has a cameo speech here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpfUkmx7pJmIgpI

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 My mistake, I assumed Hood but from later memory she was accidentally targeting Prinz Eugen?

[@richardhindman1855]

I mistakenly thought I knew all about US aviation in WWII. Thanks for this.

[@crystalclearwindowcleaning3458]

The PBYs were very versatile aircraft.

[@briancooper2112]

Great video. Ive never seen this. Amazon has 2 great books about The Black Cats and crews!

[@davidmurphy8190]

Schiffer Publishing has great books, especially on WW2 and night fighters and bombers.

[@harleyb.birdwhisperer]

Good stuff. My mom was Rosie the Riviter at Consolidated in San Diego building PBY’s. Good to know where her labor went.

[@freedomforever6718]

They really did a great job making this film. Thanks for showing it.

[@jgonzalez101]

Amazing Navy Aviators! ❤️🇺🇸

[@Buck1954]

No AI voice here. It's a relief to see these old films have not been taken over by AI.

[@phensriwood8081]

Seen the ramp in Arnhem Land NT and a regular visitor to Lake Boga in Victoria.

[@covercalls88]

I have three radio control PBYs all good fliers, as the engines were near center line, a one engine out did not cause excess yawing. I had one with lines of lights along the top and bottom the wing and fuselage needed to fly at night.

[@Pedroisanickname]

I was not aware that pby had this kind of role in the Pacific. I thought it was just reconnaissance search and rescue an island hopping . Really excited to see the next generation of pby is flying again

[@tonyriordan2853]

That's a RAAF PBY with the mechanic working on the port engine

[@SS-ec2tu]

It is interesting to see the very secret acoustic homing torpedo under the wing of the PBY in the film. It is one of the reasons the cats and liberators were so successful.

[@davidmurphy8190]

No Mark 24 Mine (actually an early passive acoustic homing torpedo) in movie. All were straight-running steam torpedoes of the Mark 13 variety.

[@SS-ec2tu]

Nope, the U.S. developed an anti submarine acoustic homing torpedo, but kept it top secret. It was only used in the open ocean with the uBoat under water so the deployment could not be observed. It was called a mine as part of the secrecy.@@davidmurphy8190

[@garyhooper1820]

Thanks , Really enjoy your videos .

[@BrentHottle-gi2pe]

We’ve got one of the last few flying PBYs here in town. I’ve been working several years to get a ride.

[@kimyseock]

08:20 black cat unboards black cat

[@richpontone1]

It was an American PBY that made the first sighting of the Japanese Carriers at the battle of Midway, allowing the Americans to make the first strike at them and sighting of three of the Japanese carriers which were sunk.

[@seanwiley558]

My Grandfather flew the Black Cat PBY throughout WWII. Lt. Stanley Klien.

[@FrankFischer-td4og]

The Navy cats saved many an airman and sailor during the war, too.

[@billmccormack3048]

There is a Catalina at Lake Bulga Victoria Australia that has been restored at the Catalina Museum

[@markfryer9880]

Lake Boga. The Cat is only a reassembly from numerous scrapped Cats so it will never fly but you can get a look through the aircraft as it hangs from the ceiling.

[@mikecook8712]

My Grandpa was Winton Friend...he was a pilot for the black cats

[@MrSabram07]

"Press the pickle, lay an egg"

[@MrSabram07]

Great video

[@Allan_aka_RocKITEman]

Great video. Subbed...👍

[@TheEudaemonicPlague]

I always knew the PBYs were awesome, but I don't recall reading about them doing this. I probably did, but the writing may have just been a bit vague. Thinking about how hard it seems it was to shoot down attacking aircraft in daylight, it had to have been a real nightmare at night, especially when they're black. What did they look for, to aim?

[@richardrichard5409]

Four years old!!! They really did have nine lives

[@pinetree9343]

Scenes used in Victory at Sea!

[@tonysigsby870]

Dad was a radio man his pictures of a sub on the side of the Catalina get some payback

[@edwardhuster8466]

My father worked on Catlina flying boats.

[@Hoopaball]

Nice thumbnail. How the heck is the guy working on the engine while under way? The story of PATWING-10 (in Manila on December 8th) is legendary.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

The answer to your question was provided in another thread (now hearted to keep it near the top) @rayfairall4126 • 3 hours ago It's not what it seems. The pic is well known and the Cat is an RAAF aircraft. Because of the high octane fuel the two spark plugs in each of the 14 cylinders of the P&W R1830 had to be cleaned before each flight, often on the water at the mooring. The platform was a standard feature. There was a persistent but elusive miss in one cylinder and the crew were doing a fast taxi to enable the mechanic to find it and it's cause.

[@Hoopaball]

@@ArmouredCarriers yes, here in the States, we have films of John Goddard pioneering early rocketry development by strapping jato bottles onto PBY-4s at the David Taylor research center in Annapolis MD, and launching them up the Severn River in the late 1930's. Some of the horizontal stabilizers got cooked. Interestingly enough, the bow gunner of a PATWING-10 PBY-4 scored the first Air to Air victory for the USN in WWII, on December 8th, 1941.

[@Hoopaball]

Samarai Island, Papua New Guinea, is the filming location of this video btw

[@gorbalsboy]

They had a beer before taking the poor wounded guy to hospital! Harsh times ,only joking ,😊these films are great, an amazing generation of men and women,more honour to them

[@glennledrew8347]

The in-cockpit shots of attacks were from Beaufighters.

[@rustycann6887]

("lol they were old planes some were as much as 4 years old" )...tell it too a B52 ...

[@iffracem]

Yeah, but 4 years in constant operations in the pacific isn't a joke.

[@davefellhoelter1343]

Pa Pa Paul M started as a Wing Man as he FIT INSIDE the PBY wings for repairs, think he finished as an EWO and ended with NASA and realestate

[@thegreatdominion949]

The date of this film should be 1944, not 1942. USN Black Cat operations from Samarai Island did not begin until January 1944.

[@ArmouredCarriers]

Thanks. The associated documentation said 42. But I was deeply suspicious because of the tech on the PBY's. I'll change it.

[@johnnynephrite6147]

People must have had different hearing 80 years ago cuz the music in this video is downright painful.

[@edwardgoering1237]

A Sad Truth towards the end of the War the Japanese piled our POW's in their Cargo ships and took them closer to the mainland and many of these Cargo were sunk packed with POW's like sardines w/ very low amount rescued

[@casparberends2719]

It appears these are the ones without their own retractable landing gear?

[@markfryer9880]

All models prior to the PBY-5A were standard flying boats. The 5A denotes that it was Amphibious. It had retractable undercarriage.

[@nomadmarauder-dw9re]

Sardines and orange juice?!???!

[@hud86]

People were better back then