VH-1 Miscellaneous
BOOKs: Title: Eyes of the Fleet: Cloaked by jungle foliage, the unheralded seaplane tenders operated ahead of the Fleet, like the Navy's famed PT boats. As Halsey's South Pacific, MacArthur's Southwest Pacific, and Spruance's Central Pacific forces advanced toward Japan, these ships served as afloat-bases for patrol planes referred to as the "eyes of the fleet." The large fabric-clad PBY "Catalinas" and later PBM "Mariners" combed the seaways for Japanese forces and carried out bombing, depth charge, and torpedo attacks on enemy ships and submarines. Nighttime anti-shipping operations-"Black Cat" or "Nightmare" missions-were dangerous and daytime combat operations even more so, when encounters with more maneuverable and heavily-armed fighters necessitated hiding in clouds to survive. The Japanese were keen to destroy the scouts and their floating bases, and seaplane tenders often lived a furtive existence, particularly early in the war. Pilots, plane crews and shipboard personnel received scores of awards for valor, including the Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Silver and Bronze Star Medals. A few VP Squadrons mentioned include: VP-1, VP-11/VPB-11, VP-12, VP-13/VPB-13, VP-14, VP-16/VPB-16, VP-18/VPB-18, VPB-19, VPB-20, VP-21/VPB-21, VP-22, VP-23/VPB-23, VP-24, VPB-25, VPB-26, VPB-27, VPB-28, VP-32, VP-33/VPB-33, VP-34/VPB-34, VP-41, VP-42, VP-43, VP-44, VP-45, VP-51, VP-52, VP-53, VPB-54, VP-61, VP-62, VP-63/VPB-63, VP-71/VPB-71, VP-72, VP-73, VPB-74, VP-81, VP-82, VP-83, VP-84, VP-91, VP-92, VP-94, VP-101/VPB-101, VP-102/VPB-102, VPB-103, VPB-104, VPB-105, VPB-106, VB-106, VB-108, VPB-109, VPB-110, VPB-111, VPB-112, VPB-114, VP-115, VPB-116, VPB-117, VPB-118, VPB-123, VPB-130, VB/VPB-137, VPB-142, VB-143, VPB-146, VPB-151, VP-202/VPB-202, VP-204, VP-205, VPB-208, VP-216/VPB-216, VD-3, VH-1, VH-2, VH-3, VH-4, VH-6, VS-1D-11, VS-1D-13, VS-1D-14 and VT-3. A few Seaplane Tenders mentioned include: USS Absecon, USS Albemarle, USS Avocet, USS Ballard, USS Barataria, USS Barnegat, USS Belknap, USS Clemson, USS George E. Badger, USS Goldsborough, USS Osmond, USS Ingram, USS Bering Strait, USS Biscayne, USS Casco, USS Castle Rock, USS Chandeleur, USS Childs, USS Chincoteague, USS Cook Inlet, USS Coos Bay, USS Corson, USS Cumberland Sound, USS Currituck, USS Curtiss, USS Duxbury Bay, USS Floyds Bay, USS Gannet, USS Gardiners Bay, USS Gillis, USS Greene, USS Greenwich Bay, USS Half Moon, USS Hamlin, USS Heron, USS Hulbert, USS Humboldt, USS Kenneth Whiting, USS Langley, USS Lapwing, USS Mackinac, USS Matagorda, USS McFarland, USS Norton Sound, USS Onslow, USS Orca, USS Pelican, USS Pine Island, USS Pocomoke, USS Rehoboth, USS Rockaway, USS Salisbury Sound, USS San Carlos, USS San Pablo, USS Shelikof, USS St. George, USS Suisun, USS Swan, USS Tangier, USS Thornton, USS Thrush, USS Timbalier, USS Unimak, USS Valcour, USS William B. Preston, USS Williamson, USS Wright and USS Yakutat. The U.S. Navy's Seaplane Tenders and Patrol Aircraft in World War II is now available from Heritage Books: http://www.heritagebooks.com/. Contributed by CDR David D. Bruhn commanderbruhn@gmail.com [30APR2016]
BOOKs: Title: Consolidated PB2Y Coronado by CAPT. Richard Hoffman USN (Ret.) dickdot@san.rr.com. The PB2Y Coronado was a large flying boat patrol bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft. After deliveries of the PBY Catalina, also a Consolidated aircraft, began in 1935, the United States Navy began planning for the next generation of patrol bombers. Orders for two prototypes, the XPB2Y-1 and the Sikorsky XPBS-1, were placed in 1936; the prototype Coronado first flew in December 1937. After trials with the XPB2Y-1 prototype revealed some stability issues, the design was finalized as the PB2Y-2, with a large cantilever wing, twin tail, and four Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines. The two inner engines were fitted with four-bladed reversible pitch propellers; the outer engines had standard three-bladed feathering props. (However, note the three-bladed prop on the inner engine in the picture at the left.) Like the PBY Catalina before it, the PB2Y's wingtip floats retracted to reduce drag and increase range. 192 pages of history, drawings and photos. Copies can be ordered from: Copies can be ordered (as can copies of the P5M Marlin book) from Steve Ginter, 1745 Warfield Cir., Simi Valley, CA 93063, Phone: (805) 584-9732 - http://www.ginterbooks.com. Squadron's mentioned include: FAW-2, FAW-3, FAW-5, FAW-14, VP-1, VP-4, VP-13, VP-15, VP-100, VP-102, VR-2, VR-6, VR-8, VE-1 and VH-1. [26APR2010]
BOOKs: Title: The Fighting Flying Boat: A History of the Martin PBM Mariner by Richard Alden Hoffman dickdot@san.rr.com.
Squadrons, Tenders, etc. include: VP-13, VP-16, VP-17, VP-19, VP-20, VP-21, VP-22, VP-25, VP-26, VP-27, VP-28, VP-32, VP-55, VP-56, VP-73, VP-74, VP-98, VP-100, VP-104, VP-111, VP-117, VP-119, VP-120, VP-201, VP-202, VP-203, VP-204, VP-205, VP-207, VP-208, VP-209, VP-210, VP-211, VP-212, VP-213, VP-216, VH-1, VH-3, VH-4, FAW-3, FAW-5, FAW-9, FAW-11, FAW-12, FAW-16, USS Albemarle (AV-5), USS Pocomoke (AV-9), USS Casco (AVP-12), USS Chincoteague (AVP-24), USS Pocomoke (AV-9), and USS Chandeleur (AV-10).
The Fighting Flying Boat mentions each and every PBM squadron in both WW2 and Korea as well as details of the RAF, RAAF, Dutch, Argentine and Uruguayan service. Also USCG and commercial activities in US, Colombia and Portugal. Also includes every PBM casualty by name, details of every PBM vs Uboat engagement and every PBM vs Japanese fighter and Korean era vs MIG engagements. [22OCT2004]
"VH-1 Summary Page"
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