Consolidated PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American patrol flying boat that first flew in 1935 and became the U.S. Navy's most successful flying boat of the Second World War. Its range and durability suited it to maritime patrol, anti-submarine work, night attack and air-sea rescue in every theatre. Production by Consolidated and its licensees reached 3,282 by August 1945, a record for flying boats, and the type flew on with other air forces and as a fire bomber for decades.