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| The XPBM-1 prototype flying-boat patrol bomber was originally ordered by the US Navy in 1936. Before it was built, a quarter-size prototype (Model 162A) was constructed and flown. The full-size aircraft was flown for the first time in February 1939.
The production PBM-1 - fitted with two 1,192 kW Wright R-2600-6 radial engines, a dihedral tail and retractable wingtip floats - was ordered in 1938 and 20 of these went into Navy service in 1941. A single XPBM-2 was ordered at the same time as a long-range version specially strengthened for catapult take-off.
The PBM-3, with two 1,267kW Wright R-2600-12 engines, was ordered in quantity in 1940 and deliveries began in 1942. In this version the crew was increased from seven to nine, the armament was revised and the fuel capacity increased. The retractable wingtip floats of the PBM-1 were replaced by fixed floats. In 1942 the PBM-3 was adopted also as a naval transport carrying 20 passengers or 3,629-4,082kg of cargo (PBM-3R). Twenty-six PBM-3B patrol bombers were also used by RAF Coastal Command, delivered under Lend-Lease. At the end of the war a specialised anti-submarine version was also developed as the PBM-3S.
The final two production versions of the Mariner were the PBM-5 and PBM-5A, powered by 1,565kW R-2800-22 and R-2800-34 engines respectively. The last PBM-5A was delivered to the US Navy in April 1949. This version was basically an amphibious version of the PBM-5 and ended its career as a general utility aircraft.
| CREW | 7 |
| ENGINE | 2 x Wright A-5B, 1250kW |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 25400 kg | 55998 lb |
| Empty weight | 14660 kg | 32320 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 36.0 m | 118 ft 1 in |
| Length | 34.4 m | 113 ft 10 in |
| Height | 8.4 m | 28 ft 7 in |
| Wing area | 130.0 m2 | 1399.31 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 325 km/h | 202 mph |
| Cruise speed | 240 km/h | 149 mph |
| Ceiling | 6150 m | 20200 ft |
| ARMAMENT | 8 x 12.7mm machine-guns, 2000kg of bombs |
| ROBERT E. KUBICEK, JD, e-mail, 27.06.2011 20:14 AT THE END OF WW11 I WAS ON SAIPAN WITH VPB 18. ITS MISSION WAS TO FLY AIR /SEA RESCUE FOR THE B-29'S RUNNING UP AND DOWN THE MARIANNA CHAIN IN BOMBING RAIDS ON TOKYO. WE MADE NO RESCUES. THE WAR HAD JUST ENDED. BUT WE DID FLY UP TO TOKYO BAY CARRYING FRIEGHT AND SEVERAL NAVAL OFFICERS ABOUT A MONTH AFTER SURRENDER. THE HIGHER RANKING OFFICERS WANTED TO SEE "DOWN-TOWN" TOKYO. OUR DESTINATION WAS YOKOSUKU AT SOUTHERN END OF THE BAY. THEY INSISTED A "SLIGHT" NAVIGATIONAL ERROR COULD PUT US AT NORTHERN END OF BAY. OBLIGINGLY, AND WITH AS MUCH INTEREST AS THEY, WE FLEW OVER TOKYO BUT CAREFULLY AVOIDED FLYING OVER EMPEROR'S PALANCE (AN UNAUTHORIZED NO NO) WAS SURPRISED AT THE DEVASTATION. NO BUILDINGS STANDINGS EXCEPT THE JAPANESE DIET BUILDING (ANOTHER NO NO )OUT OVER THE BAY SAW THE SUNKEN JAP SUPER BATTLESHIP SCUTTLED IN SHALLOW WATER AND LANDED AT SOUTH END OF BAY. OUR ONLY CONTRIBUTION TO THE WAR EFFORT!!
NAVY HAD A 6 MOS ROTATION SYSTEM AT TIME EVEN THO WAR ENDED CREWS AND PLANES HAD TO BE BROUGHT BACK STATESIDE. GOING BACK LOST STRB ENGINE AND LANDED AT ENIWETOK ATOLL FOR REPLACEMENT ON WAY BACK TO KANEOHE. ANY ONE REMEMBER THAT TIME ? reply | | Jean Coleman, e-mail, 14.06.2011 02:53 I was a crew member on sugar able 7 from 1950-51 I enjoyed flying in them especially the bow turret. Great views!! reply | | Bruce Barth, e-mail, 08.05.2011 00:33 Aviation historian would like to hear from anyone who served with CASU(F)-18 on Ebeye (Kwajalein) in 1944 or 1945 doing maintenance on Martin PBM Mariners. Any information on (PBM) maintenance actives would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help. reply | | John A. Emerson, e-mail, 20.04.2011 16:52 I was a pilot in VP-46 for two tours to WestPac duiring Korea. Would like to hear from any squadron mates reply | |
| | Joe Harper, e-mail, 20.04.2011 09:05 My name Joe Harper and I flew in Squadron 28. Would like to find anyone living or relatives of the deceased crew members. reply | | Joe Harper, e-mail, 19.04.2011 16:06 My name Joe Harper and I flew in Squadron 28. Would like to find anyone living or relatives of the deceased crew members. reply | | Myron East, e-mail, 28.03.2011 19:06 My dad, Myron East, Sr., was a PBM Co-Pilot in WWII. After Basic and Advanced Flight Training in Pensacola, FL, he was engaged in Florida Operations at Banana River, FL, Texas Operations at Corpus Christi, TX, and then was with Squadron 99 in Adameda, CA, Squadron 100 in Kaneche, HI, and Squadron 26 in Tokoyo. Dad died at 45 in 1966. I was young and disinterested in his militay service before dad died. Of course, I've a thousand questions for him now. I remember a story of his flying through a Tyhoon and another of his being amoung the first US servicemen to occupy Japan after the war, landing in Tokoyo Bay. Anyone out ther know him or serve within the same units about the same time? Thanks. --Myron East, Jr. reply | | Doc, e-mail, 14.03.2011 01:51 I forgot to add to my previous msg. that we were training to go to No. Africa and the planes were PBM-5D' as I recall. So many guys had been discharged that thw plane maintence (A&R?) were on port and starboard liberty. When they airliftd me to JAX Naval Hospital, I lost a lot of gear. reply | | Doc, e-mail, 14.03.2011 01:39 I was an ARM3 /cand re-upped on 1 /2 /46. Got my first boot leave when I re-enlisted. Yes, there were some boots who didn't to go home. After leave, I was stationed at Banana River NAS. On a training flight in April, we made an unexpected, hard landing, sprung leaks, got me in the hospital with two spinal fractures. I was discharged 7 /1 /46. Our crew there was C13. reply | | Donald Courtney, e-mail, 28.02.2011 03:18 VP-731: I served as radio operator (AL-3) on SF3 on my first overseas tour of duty with VP-731 and as first radio operaton on SF-9 during my second tour of duty. Philapines, Okinawa, Peskadores, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea reply | | George Fogg, e-mail, 27.02.2011 06:57 VPB-21(VPMS-11) Islands,China, Japan, 45 early 47. Will miss Pensacola reunion this year. Hope it's a great one. Not many of us left. reply | | c. frank inabinet, e-mail, 12.02.2011 18:44 I was stationed in Trinidad with vp-34 1950-1952. AD2. Once changed an engine in the bay San Juan, Puerto Rico..Made lots of 10-12 hr flights to Norfolk, Bermuda, Argentia. All things considered it was a great aircraft! reply | | Hubert (Smitty) Smith, e-mail, 10.02.2011 18:22 Does anyone but me remember when "my bird" Sugar Easy 7 in VP-50 came in from night ops at Iwakuni and got hung up on the breakwater. High tide. Water smooth between higher parts of the wall. (Radar Op thought it was the opening to the harbor) Over confident radar operator. Good thing it got hung up because it was going nowhere but down with a 20 ft gash in the hull. reply | | Paul Wright, e-mail, 09.02.2011 03:15 My father "Lloyd F Wright" 91 years old from Findlay Illinois and still living was a turret gunner on a PBM flying missions along the China coast ( served 1943 / 1946 ).......My E-mail is pwgunner@hotmail.com.... feel free to contact me. reply | |
| | Ray B Jones, e-mail, 04.02.2011 00:32 I served as aircrewman /flight engineer with VP47 on a PBM 5 We were at Sangley Point when the Korean war started we immediately deployed to duty in the Korean area for the next six months. After returning home we returned for a second tour of missions.Our plane sunk in a storm in the Pescadories Islands.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone that were in VP47 during the Korean War time reply | | JERRY KAMIYA, e-mail, 02.02.2011 11:49 I flew in ATU-501 from 1958 to 1962. When I arrived in Corpus Christi, TX they were just phasing out the PBM'S and bringing the P5M's of which I flew as crewmember. I remember training Argentinian Pilots, who had purchased the PBM'S. to fly and land the planes. I remember watching one Argentinian trainee coming in to land, dropped to fast and bounced off the water and flipped in the bay. Search and Rescue guys had to pull crew members out from under water, luckily no one got killed. Our primary mission in the P5'S was training navy navigators, flying all over the gulf coast. My most memorable time was when Pres. Kennedy ordered the Navy to surround Cuba in the first red alert warning for Russia to stop bringing in missles to Cuba. Sooo impressie to see the entire island surrounded by Navy Ships and seeing U.S. aircraft from Navy and Air Force flying all around the island. As we taxied into the bay, I also got to see the first nuclear submarine the Nautalis silently cruise by our plane. WOW, just sooo impressive. reply | | Reid Kirk, e-mail, 18.01.2011 02:20 I served in 1956 at NAS Corpus Christi. I was an AD2 assigned as a flight engineer on a PBM-5 in a training squadron....ATU 501. Flew many trainig hops, as we trained new pilots to mulit-engine aircraft. Hour after hour of touch and go landings. Navigation hops that took us to Gitmo, Key West and Floyd Bennet Field Brooklyn NY. Lost an engine on one of those hops, had to make an emergency landing at Tampa Bay CGAS. Flew in parts, made the repair (one cylinder and valve change) and made it back to Corpus.
I was too young to know we hardly knew what we were doing mechanically.....but the old girl flew us home. reply | | John Preston, e-mail, 01.12.2010 23:53 After WW2I flew PBM's out of Kaneohe Bay NAS, returning them to San Diego via Alameda NAS.On our pre-transpac test flights we would fly out to French Frigate or down to Palmyra and overnight. At Palmyra we'd put one float on the beach and tie up to a palm tree. Ah, them was the days. reply | | john c. preston, e-mail, 01.12.2010 23:46 I was a combat aircrewman during ww2. After the war I flew in PBM's and went to the Antarctic on the seaplane tender Currituck. We flew specially fitted PBM-5s mapping the coastline. Our counterparts on the Pine Island lost a PBM.(Google uss currituck antartic photos /crash of george one. reply | | Hubert (Smitty) Smith, e-mail, 18.11.2010 19:58 I was one of the first AMs to fly as a crewman (ECM operator) in a PB-M. Flew from 53 to 56 in VP-50 and until last flight at Alameda. Truely one of the most interesting parts of my life and filled with love /hate. I loved flying and being a crewman. I hated operating sea anchors in freezing water and cranking a flywheel starter in 15 degree weather. reply |
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