Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina, BuNo.2360 14-P-5, Vp-14, US Navy, NAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, Post Pearl Harbor Raid, Late 1941 / Early 1942
<p>Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina<br>BuNo.2360 14-P-5, VP-14, US Navy, NAS Kaneohe Bay,<br>Hawaii, Post Pearl Harbor Raid, Late 1941 / Early 1942,<br>America prepares to strike back<br>As the Japanese naval Task Force prepared to launch its devastating surprise<br>attack against multiple US military targets around the massive naval base<br>at Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, their main targets may have<br>been the huge warships moored in Battleship Row, but they were<br>acutely aware of the threat posed by another American machine.<br>The Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats based on the<br>Island of Oahu possessed the range to detect the<br>Japanese ships and could alert American forces to their<br>presence, not only undermining the effectiveness of the strike,<br>but also placing the ships in danger of attack themselves. With<br>a strong force of Mitsubishi Zero fighters retained to protect the<br>task force from air attack, pilots performing this role knew that<br>if a Catalina strayed too close, they would only have seconds to<br>destroy the aircraft, before it could relay details of its discovery<br>to naval headquarters, where a coordinated attack could<br>immediately be launched. As it was, a US Navy Catalina did detect the<br>Japanese raid prior to the first bomb falling, but that of a midget submarine<br>approaching the entrance of the harbour. Immediately launching an attack on the<br>vessel and reporting their discovery to headquarters via coded message, the main<br>attack had already started before military officials had time to plan their response</p>
