An RAAF Catalina of No. 11 Squadron landed on a beach awaiting maintenance in 1943.
The PBY Catalina was widely utilized by the
Royal Australian Air Force
in the
Pacific Theater
. In keeping with the trend set by the
Royal Air Force
, the aircraft was commonly known as the Catalina while in Australian service.
[3]
The Royal Australian Air Force ordered its first 18 PBY-5s in 1940, intending to use them for naval patrols.
[8]
However, following the declaration of war on the
Japanese Empire
by the
British Empire
and its Commonwealth, the Catalinas were pressed into a number of different roles. The initial Japanese offensives in Southeast Asia were immensely successful, with the
Fall of Singapore
in February 1942 leading to the abandonment of the
Singapore strategy
and the adoption of a policy of general withdraw being enacted by the
Australian armed forces
. This turn of events isolated tens of thousands of Allied soldiers and civilians from Allied controlled territories. In response, RAAF Catalinas (among other aircraft) formed a rapid evacuation service from
Java
for hundreds of evacuees who were ferried to the port of
Broome, Western Australia
. During the last weeks of February 1942 more than 7000 people were successfully transported to Broome.
[2]
Concerned with the evacuations and seeking to limit Allied bomber activity, the Japanese
attacked Broome
on 3 March 1942, destroying eight Catalinas along with 14 other aircraft. The attack led to a period referred to as the
Western Australian emergency of March 1942
, during which Catalinas were deployed to scout for a possible Japanese invasion force.
[2]
After the
Fall of Rabaul
in February 1942 the Catalina squadrons became the RAAF's only offensive weapon against the Japanese.
They were soon attacking Japanese targets in
Lae
,
Salamaua
and Rabaul. On 27 June, each squadron contributed an aircraft to a four-hour raid over Lae and Salamaua during which, as well as bombs, the RAAF crews of
No. 20 Squadron
dropped empty beer bottles to disrupt the Japanese soldiers' sleep.
Catalinas had a reputation for being confused with the Japanese
Kawanishi H6K
flying boat. In one instance, a Catalina returning from a bombing mission was mistaken for a H6K by the pilot of a USN
Grumman F4F Wildcat
fighter and attacked. The American pilot later stated that the red markings of the standard RAF roundel (which was still used by the RAAF at that time) confused him into believing that the aircraft was Japanese. This incident led the RAAF to remove the red from the British roundel, and in doing so created the modern RAAF roundel.
[11]
[12]
The PBY Catalina was also employed by the RAAF as a long range bomber and mine-layer.
[7]
The Catalinas excelled in the latter role, for while their low speed made them vulnerable to
fighters
, it also allowed them to accurately lay mines while flying.
[7]
Four squadrons laid mines from April 1943 to July 1945 in the southwest Pacific.
[2]
These operations blockaded ports and shipping routes. They also forced Japanese shipping into waters where American submarines were present. RAAF mining missions were often conducted at night to minimize the risk of interception and were hazardous, with some aircraft flying as low as 200 feet (61?m) above the surface to perform an accurate drop.
[2]
These operations could last over 20 hours.
[2]
In 1944 RAAF Catalinas flew missions to the Philippines and laid naval mines in
Manila Bay
to interdict the Japanese navy and prevent their intervention in the
Battle of Mindoro
.
[3]
The motto of the crews who conducted these operations was "The First and the Furthest."
[2]
Aerial photo of a rendezvous between the British submarine
HMS
Telemachus
and a Catalina of No. 112 Air Sea Rescue Flight RAAF in the Banda Sea, Netherlands East Indies, 23 March 1945. An engineer officer, injured in an accident, was transferred from the submarine to the Catalina by dinghy and flown to
Darwin
, Australia.
Taking advantage of the long range of the aircraft, the RAAF used the Catalina as a passenger and mail carrier during the war. The Fall of Singapore to the Japanese Army in 1942 cut Australia's air connection to Britain.
To reestablish communications, an extreme range flight route was planned. Former Qantas Airlines pilots were employed to fly a 5,632-kilometre (3,500?mi) nonstop route from
Perth
to
Ceylon
in modified Catalinas, a route which was at that time the longest flight path in history without refuelling.
[14]
The modified Catalinas had their crews reduced to three and were loaded with extra fuel and 69 kilograms (152?lb) of diplomatic and armed forces mail. Dubbed
The Double Sunrise
, these top secret flights remain the longest-duration nonstop commercial flights at 32 hours 9 minutes.
[2]
[5]
Like their American counterparts, Australian Catalinas were employed in
search and rescue
operations to recover downed aircrews.
[15]
Australian Catalinas also played an important role during the Pacific War in deploying Australian built military folboats (
folding kayaks
), namely the Hoehn MKIII. These were used for rescue, commando raids and reconnaissance operations because the Catalinas had the advantage of being able to easily approach remote coastal regions, then crew could erect these small craft on the large horizontal wing area and load the required gear, whether it be munitions, signal or aid equipment from the large hold.
Following the
Surrender of Japan
in September 1945, RAAF Catalinas were used to deliver medical supplies to liberated
POW
camps before flying survivors back to Australia. On 30 August 1945 a flight of 9 RAAF Catalinas landed in Singapore bearing medical supplies and documents in preparation for the Japanese surrender, becoming the first allied forces to enter the island since 1942, days before the commencement of
Operation Tiderace
.
[2]
In total, Australia operated 168 Catalinas during the war.
[2]
A Catalina preparing to land in Tol Anchorage. One of the advantages of flying boats such as the Catalina was the ability for them to land in isolated outposts too small for runways.
The aircraft continued to be used in immediate post-war period, being used to assist with the repatriation of former prisoners of war from Singapore to Australia. In 1948 No. 11 Squadron was still operating Catalinas for courier and search and rescue tasks. In April 1950 the last two aircraft were withdrawn from RAAF service.
RAAF PBY Catalina squadrons
edit
A restored Catalina in RAAF "Black Cat" livery. The black served to camouflage the Catalina during night operations.