PBY Catalina

[RGrew176]

Here for your enjoyment is a little WWII History and a story of PBY-5A CATALINA Strawberry 5?s discovery and restoration for the US Navy museum in San Diego. It was the only remaining intact PBY 5 Catalina remaining in the World, and it was discovered in South Africa.
PBY "STRAWBERRY 5" WAS THE PLANE THAT FOUND THE JAPANESE CARRIERS AT THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY WHICH BECAME THE TURNING POINT IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF WWII.











http://www.nxtbook.com/fx/media/ooy...fvifrlA#ooid=l5cnRrbjoBGoU3i9mNk2WnlSwfvifrlA

 

[K-2]

Very cool piece of WW2 history!
I flew many times on PBY's and Grumman Gooses in Alaska when I was a kid. Many first time passengers got scared silly, they took off from land then landed in water,,they had no idea they were going to land in the water. Some towns had like a wide boat launch ramp, they landed in the water and just taxied right up the ramp, other towns had a dock they pulled up to . Paved airports, jets, the Alaska Ferry System pretty much did in the sea planes .

http://www.alaska.net/~avtech/ACA-PBY-Petersburg-Ruotsala.gif

Seems like more than 1 surviving:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_surviving_Consolidated_PBY_Catalinas

 

[Gyrene]

I believe a PBY was the plane that spotted the survivors of the Indianapolis after it was sunk and started the rescue from the sharks.