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Consolidated PBY Catalina
The most famous flying boat of WW II, the PBY Catalina was built in large numbers, and some are still in use today. While it was slow by contemporary standards, the PBY more than made up for its lack of speed with its reliability and great range, as well as the fact that as a flying boat it could land on the water for rescue missions. Its long range made it an excellent reconnaissance aircraft over the world's oceans. It could be used as a bomber when other aircraft were unavailable, and Catalinas attacked targets at sea with bombs, depth charges, and even torpedoes

                                                         

Type:           Amphibious Patrol Bomber (Flying Boat)
Crew:           seven
Armament:       two .50 cal machine guns
                            three .30 cal machine guns
                            up to 4,000 lbs. of bombs or depth charges

Specifications:
        Length:         63' 10.5" (19.47 m)
        Height:         20' 2" (6.5 m)
        Wingspan:       104' (31.70 m)
        Weight:         35420 lb

                                                                                         (British PBY)
Propulsion:
        Engines: 2
        Powerplant:     Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp
        1200 hp each

Performance:
        Range:          2545 miles (4096 km)
        Speed:          179 mph (288 km/h)
        Ceiling:        14700 ft (4480 m)

Click here for more pictures of the PBY Catalina