The Consolidated PBY is the most readily recognized and widely produced flying boat design ever made. The aircraft, which came to be known as the Catalina, has it origins in Consolidated's 1932 Model 28. The US Navy began taking deliveries of the PBY-5A in October 1941 and then placed orders for over 600 more following Pearl Harbor. During WWII, PBYs conducted anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escort, search-and-rescue operations, and cargo transport. Some PBY-5As went to the US Army and others to US Allies - Australia, Britain, Canada and the Free French forces. This book presents a comprehensive view of the Catalina with 170 photographs, color profiles and detailed line drawings.