In Australian Service – Catalina

During 1933 the United States Navy ordered prototypes from both Consolidated and Douglas of a new monoplane flying boat to replace the P2Y and P3M. Douglas’ XP3D-1 was not successful and did not proceed beyond the experimental stage. Consolidated on the other hand with Isaac M. Laddon as the designer, submitted the innovative Model 28. This had a parasol Wing mounted on a large centre pylon supported by two slender struts on either side. To reduce drag, the two floats under the ends of the wing retracted sideways and upwards in flight to form the wingtips. Power was provided by two Pratt & Whitney A-1830·58 engines of 825 hp each. The Navy placed an order on 28 October 1933 and construction took place at the Buffalo factory. After a maiden flight on 28 March 1935, the prototype XP3Y-1 so impressed the Navy during subsequent tests, that an initial order was signed during the following June for 60 aircraft known as the PBY-1. Production of these ensued at Consolidated’s new plant at San Diego in California.

The prototype XP3Y-1 was reworked to production standard and was changed In several ways. The more powerful P&W R-1830-64 of 900 hp were installed and the fin and rudder were redesigned. Such was the promise of the aircraft that further contracts were obtained In a relatively short space of time. These were for 50 PBY-2s during July 1936, 66 PBY-3s the following November and 33 PBY-4s during December 1937. Externally these aircraft were very similar but principally differed in their power plants, the R-1830-66 of 1000 hp in the PBY-3 and the R-1830-72 of 1050 hp in the PBY-4. By the middle of 1938, 14 squadrons were equipped with the PBY including 5 at Pearl Harbour.

Like so many other fine aircraft, the outbreak of the war in 1939 was to have a profound influence on PBY production. Several allied countries had an urgent need for an efficient patrol aircraft and large orders were placed by Australia, Britain, Canada and the Dutch East Indies. In December 1939, the USN ordered 200 aircraft of the improved PBY-5 version powered by the P&W R-1830-92 of 1200 hp. It was this power plant that was to be used in the majority of PBYs. A major milestone was passed on 22 November 1939 when the prototype amphibious version, the XPBY-5A made its flying debut. The extremely neat retractable tricycle undercarriage added 2800 lb to the aircraft’s weight and imposed a performance penalty, but greatly enhanced the operating sphere. Additional orders for the PBY-5 and PBY-5A were not long in coming. It was during the end of 1941 that the name Catalina, suggested by Consolidated and adopted by the RAF, was also to enter use with USN.

The surge in orders led to a spread of production to other manufacturers. In the United States, the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia built 156 aircraft designated the PBN-1 and subsequently called the Nomad. The Canadian aircraft industry made a substantial contribution and 307 were manufactured by Boeing of Canada, 312 by Canadian Vickers and 57 by Canadair. Several of one of the Boeing versions, the P82B-2 were later to be seen in Australia. By the time production ceased in 1945, a total of 3431 aircraft, 2029 flying boats and 1042 amphibians, had been delivered. In addition, an undisclosed number was produced in the Soviet Union known as the GST. With such a large number of Catalinas in service, it goes without saying that they were a big help in the war effort. The usual bomb load consisted of 4 x 1000 lb bombs, two torpedoes or 4 x 325 lb depth charges. The gun layout differed on various marks but generally, one or two .303 guns were mounted in the nose and one 0.50 gun in each of the side blisters. Numerous submarines fell victim to Catalinas and the final and 196th U-boat to be claimed by Coastal Command was sunk by a Catalina on 7 May 1945, 120 miles north-east of Sullom Voe.

They had become a familiar sight throughout the war over all oceans.

The Australian association with the Catalina extends from 1939 to this day. It was the pioneer Australian aviator, P.G. Taylor who first found a practical use for the Catalina’s long range. During 1938 he suggested to the Australian Government, the desirability of a reserve air route across the Indian Ocean to maintain the air link with Britain, should the Singapore route be severed in any future war. None of the British flying boats offered the range required, so Taylor turned his sights to the US and eventually decided that the PBY was the aircraft to do the job. It was most fortuitous that the US registered PBY, N-777 ‘Guba’ was being used by Richard Archbold in the New Guinea region, during a search for fauna for the American Museum of Natural History. Although the initial charter was arranged by P. G. Taylor, the Australian and British Governments assumed control of the flight and appointed him to conduct the survey. Richard Archbold and his crew accompanied Taylor for the flight. His pilot, Captain Lon Yancey assisted as the navigator. On 3 June 1939, ‘Guba’ made a non-stop flight of 2500 miles from Sydney to Port Hadland for an early morning arrival. Later the same day a course was set for Cocos Island. However appalling weather intervened and they were forced to divert to Batavia where they waited for two days before attempting the flight to Cocos. After departure from Batavia, ‘Guba’ flew over Christmas Island and headed for Cocos 550 miles further to the west. The landing was made at Cocos Lagoon without incident and the crew stayed for a week inspecting the Island for possible sights for both land-based aircraft and flying boats. On the evening of 14 June, they flew to Diego Garcia where further surveys were carried out, prior to departure for Mahe in the Seychelles where similar inspections were made. The final leg of this historic flight was to Mombasa in Kenya. The events of the past 44 years underline the importance of this survey flight. ‘Guba’ became G-AGBJ on 13 December ‘1940 and went to the Ministry of Aircraft Production carrying the serial SM706. She was sunk off Pwllheli in 1944.

After the outbreak of the war, the RAAF along with other allied air forces selected the Catalina for use as a patrol aircraft. Accordingly, an initial purchase was made in 1940 and the delivery of the first batch of 18 aircraft is an interesting story in itself. The Department of Civil Aviation approached Qantas to fly the aircraft to Australia as only they had the trained crew to fly so many aircraft over such a large overwater distance. As the US was not at that stage involved in hostilities, from a diplomatic viewpoint it was necessary for the flights to be made on a civil basis. One of the conditions of purchase was that the Catalinas be under US command as far as Honolulu and only after that point could they become Australian property. These aircraft were allocated RAAF serials A24-1 to A24-18 and also carried Australian civil registrations of VH-AFA and VH-AFC to VH-AFS.

When the first Australian crew arrived at the Consolidated factory in San Diego there was a rapid change of plan. None of the Australian aircraft were ready for delivery, but four British aircraft almost identical to those ordered by the RAAF were. The British were persuaded to allow the Qantas crew to have one of their aircraft in exchange for the first Australian Catalina when it became available. This was agreed to and the aircraft was prepared for flight. The crew on departure from San Diego comprised 1 O personnel including three Americans. After take-off at 1540 hours on 25 January 1941, the Catalina set course for Honolulu on an indirect route covering about 3000 miles, brought about by weather on the direct track. 22 hours and 5 minutes later the aircraft alighted at Honolulu. The remainder of that first delivery flight was flown to Honolulu-Canton Island Noumea-Sydney. The total flying time for San Diego-Sydney was 60 hours 16 minutes and elapsed time was seven days. The crew was an extremely experienced one comprising Captains L.J. Brain, G.U. Allan, O.D. Denny and P.G. Taylor. When the Catalina arrived in Australia it was only the third aircraft to have crossed the Pacific. It had been preceded by the· Southern Cross from east to west and Lady Southern Cross from west to east, the latter aircraft was also flown by P.G. Taylor. The final delivery flight of this batch of Catalinas left Honolulu on 18 October 1941.

By the time the RAAF had taken delivery of its final Catalina, a total of 169 had been received. They rendered yeoman service throughout their careers ranging far and wide. After the war, several Catalinas were sold by the Commonwealth Disposals Commission for 1000 pounds each and eventually came onto the Australian Civil Register.

It was during this wartime period that Qantas carried out one of the most dramatic regular air services anywhere in the world, which is virtually without parallel to this day. This extraordinary feat was the operation of the vital Indian Ocean air link between Australia and Ceylon. The service was devised to maintain a speedy communications bridge to South East Asia carrying Diplomatic Mail and VIPs. Prior to the commencement of Qantas services, several exploratory flights were carried out by 222 group, RAF Ceylon, operating Catalinas from Koggala Lake in Southern Ceylon during mid-1943. Koggala although of limited size was considered ideal as it was free of sea swell and had no large obstructions in its vicinity. The Australian connection was at Nedlands on the Swan River at Perth.

The Catalinas for the run were all British registered and the first four aircraft were flown from England to Ceylon by BOAC pilots and handed over to Qantas. A fifth aircraft was delivered later. Qantas gave each aircraft the name of a star used for celestial navigation, the details are as follows.

To say that the manner in which the service had to be carried out was quite daunting, would be something of an understatement. The distance between Perth and Koggala is 3060 nautical miles (351O statute miles) and Qantas decided that the flight should be carried out non-stop. Additionally, radio silence was maintained except for the first and the last two or three hours of the journey. The Catalinas took off in an overloaded condition with an all-up weight of 35,000 lb compared with the usual peacetime weight of 29,000 lb. To save weight an effort was made to divest the aircraft of any unnecessary equipment and fittings. Amongst the items to go were armour plating, de-icing equipment and any protruding bolt heads. The result of all this effort was a usual payload of 1000 lb for these flights.

One of the main causes for concern were the consequences of an engine failure soon after take-off. Because of the high all-up weight it was impossible to maintain height on one engine. It was also conceivable that a landing at this weight would cause a structural failure with the possible loss of the aircraft. To alleviate the problem, dump valves were fitted after the first months of operations which enabled fuel to be dumped at a rate of 100-130 gallons per minute. On take off, 1980 gallons of fuel were on board. Prior to dumping, chemicals were introduced into the fuel to minimise the chance of explosion or fire. Dumps of fuel were made on at least six occasions following serious engine trouble which necessitated a return to base. When one considers that a fully laden Catalina would have to fly for up to nine hours before attaining a safe alighting weight, the dumping gear was of vital importance. It is proof of the airframe’s strength, that three alightings were made at 35,000 lb on sheltered water without damage. The takeoff time varied from 50 seconds into a 15-knot headwind to 115 seconds on a glassy calm surface.

Because or the substantial distance to be covered, Qantas devised a long-range cruise plan which fitted in well with their operational requirements. The following table gives an idea of how they went about this.

This gave an ultimate range of 3616 nm in 31.5 hours in still air or 3070 nm in a 15-knot headwind. As can be seen, the power was reduced periodically to maintain a constant speed which gave progressively greater economy.

The inaugural QEA service was flown on 10 July 1943 in ‘Altair Star’ by Captain R.B. Tapp from Koggala to Perth in 28 hrs 9 mins. Not long after on 22 July, Captain Tapp made the first QEA western flight taking 28 hrs 56 mins for the journey.

On 15 October the weekly frequency was increased to three flights a fortnight. BOAC later requested that the service be extended to Karachi and this was done on 4 November 1944 in ‘Altair Star’. The crew for the Indian Ocean flights consisted of a Captain, First Officer, Second Officer, Radio Officer and Flight Engineer.

On the engineering side, the engines were allowed 600 hours between overhauls. After removal, they were sent by rail to RAAF workshops at Kalgoorlie. Eventually, some engines manufactured at the Department of Aircraft Production annexe at Lithgow, N.S.W. were installed in the Catalinas. These were the Pratt and Whitney R-1830-92 of 1200 hp. Qantas erected a small hangar and constructed a slipway at Nedlands Bay where airframe maintenance was carried out. Prior to this, Qantas did this work at the USN base at Crawley Bay.

To give passengers a fascinating memento of the journey, Qantas awarded them a certificate with the title ‘Secret Order of the Double Sunrise’. This was to signify that they had flown on a continuous air service greater than 24 hours duration and had twice witnessed the rising of the sun. It appears that only once was the trip completed in less than the obligatory 24 hours when one Journey took ‘just’ 23 hours 45 mins. The longest crossing took 31 hours 45 mins while the average was 27 to 28 hours.

The introduction of Liberators onto the run flying from Colombo to Exmouth Gulf signalled the end of Catalina’s Indian Ocean exploits. The final Perth-Koggala journey was made on 12 July 1945 and in the other direction on 18 July. During the approximate two years of service, 271 crossings were made carrying 90,793 lb of war priority cargo, 207,260 lb of mail and 858 passengers over an aggregate of 1,380,119 miles. The sad postscript to this is that under the Lend-Lease terms in which the aircraft were supplied, they could not be sold or used for purely civil work. Consequently, the five Catalinas were towed out to sea and scuttled. ‘Altair Star’, ‘Antares Star’, ‘Rigel Star’ and ‘Vega Star’ were sunk off Fremantle on 28 November 1945 and ‘Spica Star’ off Sydney in March 1946. During their faithful period of service, no serious mishaps occurred and the outstanding success of the operation reflected great credit on both men and machines.

In the buoyant post-war years when so many ex-military aircraft became available, the Catalina amongst others, was sought after by civil operators. Qantas was to remain the predominant Australian user, although the circumstances were less demanding and dramatic compared with the Indian Ocean saga. Qantas acquired 14 Catalinas from the RAAF via the Disposals Commission between 1946 and 1950. Seven were to enter commercial service while the others were dismantled for spare parts. To prepare them for commercial use, 14 seats were installed and observation port holes were fitted. A small washroom was there for creature comfort although the galley arrangement was primitive. A crew of four was used and although 14 passengers were carried on the Pacific Island services the capacity was increased to 22-31 passengers in New Guinea.

The first Catalina survey was carried out to Lord Howe Island by VH-EAW on 20 November 1947. The initial regular flight to Lord Howe on 3 December had to return to Sydney without alighting owing to bad weather. A few days later on the 9th, the weather was kind and the first successful flight took place. Gradually the network spread to Fiji during January 1948 and to the New Hebrides in October. The New Guinea-based Catalinas commenced operations in May 1949. By March 1950, Short Sandringham had replaced the Catalinas on the Pacific Island routes and the remaining Sydney-based Catalinas were withdrawn to New Guinea. These latter aircraft were based at Port Moresby and operated on all types of duties to virtually anywhere they were needed and could operate into. The last Qantas Catalina was withdrawn in November 1958 and was replaced by the DHC Otter amphibian VH-EAW.

However, these Catalina services were not without their share of mishaps. Because of the exposed moorings they were sometimes compelled to use, it made them fair game for the effects of foul weather. On 23 June 1949 VH-EAX broke her moorings at Lord Howe Island during a storm and was driven