Episode Details

During World War II, the PBY Catalina became one of the Allies’ most important long-range patrol aircraft—hunting enemy submarines, protecting convoys, and rescuing downed airmen. But few surviving Catalinas have a story as remarkable as PBY-5A BuNo. 2459.

Accepted by the U.S. Navy just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, BuNo. 2459 was among the first PBY-5A amphibians ever built. It was soon deployed to Iceland for combat operations over the North Atlantic, where it became the first PBY credited with sinking a German U-boat. By the end of the war, the aircraft had accounted for three U-boats destroyed.

In this episode of CAF Warbird Tube, Rob Collings, President of the American Heritage Museum, shares the extraordinary history of BuNo. 2459 and the years-long effort to return it to its authentic 1942 wartime configuration.

From reconstructing its nose turret and locating exceptionally rare original equipment to recreating its historic combat markings, the award-winning restoration required painstaking research, craftsmanship, and dedication.

Discover the story behind this remarkable aircraft, and what it takes to preserve a warbird that didn’t merely witness history. It helped make it.

You can watch this video at https://youtu.be/SL1dPz35wKg.

• Aired on: September 2, 2026
• Guest: Rob Collings
• Host: Steve Buss
• Producer: Bob Score Jr.
• Produced by: Commemorative Air Force

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