Black Cat Squadrons example essay topic

Black Cat Squadrons and the Double Sunrise Service Both the Black Cat Squadrons and those involved in "The secret order of the Double Sunrise Service" operated one of the most famous planes in aviation history, the Catalina. Starting in 1943 and ending the operation of the route in 1945, QANTAS crews flew the Double Sunrise Service using the Catalina. The Black Cat Squadrons flew the Catalinas in WWII on various missions throughout the war. The Double Sunrise Service, introduced in June 1943, was a QANTAS service operating between Perth and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

The trip took an average of 28 hours to complete, therefore the crew came across two sunrises, here lying the reason behind the name. Spanning 5,652 km each way, the service was the longest non-stop regular passenger flight ever attempted in the world. To maximise their range and endurance, the aircraft were stripped of all non-essential equipment, and auxiliary fuel tanks were installed. The weight of large fuel load limited the Catalina to only three passengers and 69 kg of diplomatic and armed forces' mail.

The flight path was maintained through celestial navigation, as it was conducted during wartime, making radio silence essential to remain undetected whilst cruising over waters patrolled by enemy aircraft. The five Catalina's used for the service were named after the stars that guided the trip. Those being - 'Rigel Star', 'Spica Star', 'Altair Star', 'Vega Star' and 'Antares Star'. The first flight took place on 29 June 1943 under the command of Captain Russell Tapp. During the years of operation the flight carried VIP's and important freight without fail. On August 6, 1945, when a Boeing B-29 Super fortress dropped an atomic bomb over Hiroshima to effectively end the Pacific war.

This spelled the end for the world's longest regular airline sector, and on April 5, 1946, the departure from Perth of a Liberator bound for Colombo brought the curtain down on the Double Sunrise service. Flying from the island of Guadalcanal during World War II, a squadron of Catalina flying boats wrote another chapter in U.S. Naval aviation history. These black Catalinas were known as the "Black Cats". Their victories led the way to other Black Cat squadrons, who were also very successful. On a dark night the black look made them almost invisible to surface ships or the occasional floatplane fighter.

This camouflage made them very effective and gave an enormous advantage to the allied crews on board. Heavy ordnance was loaded on the wing racks, while smaller anti-personnel bombs were stashed wherever room permitted inside the aircraft. All night they flew sorties across enemy lines, sometimes making a single drop and sometimes letting their weapons go in batches. After each pass the Catalina would depart the area for a time, suggesting to the enemy that all was clear. Then it would return to repeat the performance on the unsuspecting enemy. The RAAF also flew Catalinas in World War two, and as the war progressed they too were given the famous black paint job, and joined the Black Cat Squadron ranks to harass the enemy at night.

Nearing the end of the war in 1944, the Black Cats, who were once all the allies had, had become obsolete by the introduction of new aircraft such as the Mariners and Liberators. By the beginning of 1945 the now battered and bruised war veterans were making their way home across the Pacific ending the now service of the now famous Black Cat Squadrons. The Catalinas played a major part in aviation history, as can be seen by these two examples of the many jobs carried out by "Flying Cats". What may seem a large cumbersome bird now, played a vital and integral part in not only the war, but also in general aviating and therefore deserves its place in aviation folklore.