Rare color photo of a Black Cat, on the island of Guam in April 1945. Note the late-war
radome above the cockpit. This photo has also been identified as a photo ship for VMD-354
on Okinawa, with the aircraft being a PBN-1 (the equivalent of a PBY6-A, manufactured by
the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia). (photo: William Derby, Jr.)
(Source: "Golden WIngs 1941-1945" by Jim
Sullivan and Dave Lucabaugh)
A Cat is gassed up while being overhauled for its next mission. (U.S. Navy)
(from the archives of the San Diego Aerospace Museum)
A VP-54 PBY-5A sits on Henderson Field on the island of Guadalcanal, in 1943. It has a
torpedo rack installed in the port wing. Note the several U.S. Marine TBF Avenger torpedo
bombers in the background. (E. Leiser collection)
(from the archives of the San Diego Aerospace Museum)
A Black Cat warms up its engines on a Caroline Island atoll prior to begining its next
mission, May 1945.
(from the archives of the San Diego Aerospace Museum)
Black Cat on the island of Guadalcanal, 1943. (M.O. Malley collection)
(from the archives of the San Diego Aerospace Museum)
In April of 1944, a crewman squats beneath the hood of his PBY's engine to work on it
while it is run up by the pilot. His squadron is listed as the "Fly-by-Night"
squadron, which sank 58,000 tons of enemy shipping (and damaged an additional 20,000 tons)
in a four week period.
(from the archives of the San Diego Aerospace Museum)
A late war PBY6-A Black Cat at Lunghwa Airdrome, Shanghai, November 1945. Number painted
on the hull is R007. Note prominence of AN/APS-3 radome above the cockpit that combined
many of the functions of the different radar antennae that sprouted from earlier PBYs.
(Source: Airpower magazine, November 1994)
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