Jerry Sanson
Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum
May 2026
While Louisiana is often remembered for the Louisiana Maneuvers or as the site of a network of training camps during World War II, the state’s businesses contributed to the war effort as well. Industrial war production focused mainly on urban areas and included New Orleans, Shreveport, Lake Charles, Lafayette, and Baton Rouge. This post focuses on New Orleans’ role as an aircraft manufacturer of the Consolidated Vultee PBY Catalina.
Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation was formed in 1943 by the merger of two earlier airplane manufacturers. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the company built several airplanes for military use during the war including the PBY Catalina. Catalinas were produced in Buffalo, New York; Norfolk, Virginia; Philadelphia; San Diego; and New Orleans as well as in Cartierville, Quebec, and Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada; and Taganrog, Rostov Oblast in the Soviet Union. Some reports indicate that Consolidated Vultee built around 5,000 Catalinas in its New Orleans facility located near the New Orleans Naval Air Station. The United States Navy, Army Air Corps, Coast Guard, the British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and Soviet Air Forces used Catalinas during the war, as did France, the Netherlands, and Brazil.
The Catalina’s story began during the early 1930s when Navy planners realized that they needed a long-range amphibian patrol aircraft for ocean reconnaissance, identifying enemy fleets and sending reports on their location that would allow American forces to strike first.
The Catalina’s mission was modified several times during its service, and the first change called for additions to the aircraft. Navy officials, including Rear Admiral Ernest King, envisioned an offensive role for the aircraft and PBYs were modified to fulfill it by adding bombing and torpedo armaments. Modifications allowed it to carry about two tons of bombs, anti-shipping mines, and four depth charges. It was usually protected by three 30-caliber Browning machine guns, two in the nose and one in the ventral tail hatch, plus two 50-caliber machine guns in waist gunner “blisters,” one on each side of the plane. Additional armor protecting the pilots gave hope that the plane could return from missions even if hit and damaged. PBYs could now supposedly both find and attack enemy forces.
Except, Catalinas were 63 feet long and 10 feet 2.5 inches wide with a wingspan of 104 feet. Maximum takeoff weight on land was just over 35,400 pounds on land and about 34,500 pounds on water under optimal conditions.
Engineers and designers expected two Pratt & Whitney R-1830 14-cylinder radial engines producing 1,200 horsepower each to lift and maneuver this weight around. The resulting slow rate of climb and lack of quick maneuverability left PBYs as easy targets for enemy fighter planes. As one PBY commander commented they could not “outrun or outfight the attackers.”
Despite these limitations, Catalinas proved their usefulness at the Battle of Midway in 1942 by identifying enemy vessels, carrying out attacks, and rescuing sailors and aircrews floating in the ocean.
PBYs also flew night missions to disrupt Japanese transport of men and supplies to Guadalcanal. Crews painted their Catalinas with a mixture of soap and lamp black to make them nearly invisible during night attacks as they flew close to the ocean. “Black Cats,” as they were known, reportedly sank about 2.8 million tons of Japanese naval and commercial shipping by the time the operation ended.
“Mad Cat” Catalinas in the European Theater equipped with Magnetic Anomaly Detectors dropped their devices in offensive operations against German submarines in an effort to relieve pressure on Allied supply lines in the Atlantic threatened by German U-Boats. The plan looked good in theory as the Detectors were designed to follow any metallic surface within 400 feet and deliver an antisubmarine rocket to its intended target. It did not work well in practice, however, because German submarine commanders learned to submerge and disappear when detected by the MAD system in open water.
Catalinas outfitted as “Dumbos” created one of the enduring images of the airplane. People compared the 104-foot wingspan of the aircraft to the famous Walt Disney flying elephant character with extra-large ears who was prominent in popular culture after the animated movie Dumbo premiered in 1941.
These Catalinas capitalized on one of the airplane’s main strengths: it could land on water and take back off. “Dumbo” Catalinas added another dimension to the plane’s wartime service. In addition to scouting and attacking, it could now rescue downed pilots and troops from dangerous conditions while in open water.
While not as ubiquitous as the Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (Higgins Boats) also built in the city, New Orleans’ PBY Catalinas played significant roles in the War. Whether they gathered intelligence, attacked Japanese vessels, tried to sink U-Boats, or rescued troops needing to escape shark-infested waters, Catalinas dependably served a purpose far beyond their original plans.
The Louisiana Maneuvers and Military Museum includes a model of a PBY Catalina built by late volunteer Don Armand in its airplane collection and a photograph of the plane in its “Made in Louisiana” exhibit under development.