WOW331 Consolidated PBY Catalina

Description

The PBY Catalina 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. With a mind to a potential conflict in the Pacific, where troops would require resupply over great distances, the US Navy in the 1930s invested millions of dollars in developing long-range flying boats for this purpose. Flying Boats had the advantage of not requiring runways and in effect having the entire ocean available for landing if required.

Although slow and ungainly, Catalinas distinguished themselves in World War II, Allied forces used them successfully in a wide variety of roles for which the aircraft was never intended. PBYs are remembered for their rescue role, in which they saved the lives of thousands of aircrew downed over water. Catalina airmen called their aircraft the “Cat” on combat missions and “Dumbo” on air sea rescue missions.

The Catalina scored the U.S. Navy’s first verifiable air-to-air “kill” of a Japanese airplane in the Pacific War. On December 10 1941, the Japanese attacked the Cavite yard in the Philippines. Numerous U.S. ships and submarines were damaged or destroyed by bombs and bomb fragments. While flying to safety during the raid on Cavite, Lieutenant Harmon T. Utter’s PBY was attacked by three Japanese Zero’s. Chief Boatswain Earl D. Payne, Utter’s bow gunner shot down one, thus scoring the U.S. Navy’s first kill. Utter as a commander, would later go on to coordinate the carrier air strikes that lead to the destruction of the Japanese battleship Yamato.

Our 1/32 scale all wood hand carved model with full interior is VP-44, the one that spotted the Japanese fleet approaching Midway in 1942, radioed the position of the Japanese fleet and helped determine the course of the battle that was ultimately an American victory. For those of you interested in the dimensions the wingspan is around 100cm and the fuselage is some 60cm in length, so a big bird.