Aircraft History
Delivered to Qantas with civil registration number VH-AFD. It was received by the RAAF at Rose Bay on February 27, 1941. Assigned to 11 Squadron on May 30, 1941. Assigned to 20 Squadron on May 14, 1941. Allotted STF (Seaplane Training Flight) January 8, 1942. Reassigned to 11 Squadron on January 19, 1942.

Wartime History
On the night of February 3, 1942, this Catalina piloted by Captain P/O B H Higgins, 400620 and co-pilot P/O T Duigan, 400082. One of five Catalinas (this aircraft, A24-5, A24-18, A24-14, A24-17) that participated in a night raid against Japanese shipping in Simpson Harbor off Rabaul. This Catalina was attacked by A5M4 Claudes of the Chitose Kokutai (operating in tandem with the searchlight crews) over the target, and damaged, received several bullet holes in the hull and the radio operator was wounded in both ankles. The aircraft escaped further attacks by diving into cloud cover at 4,000' and returned to Fairfax Harbor at 2010Z/3.

Wartime History
On February 28, 1942, this Catalina was moored at Napa Napa, in Fairfax Harbor. Attacked by strafing A6M2 Zeros of the 4th Kokutai, setting it on fire and sinking it. Also sunk was Catalina A24-6.

Wreckage
The presence of a wreck at this location has been known since the war on harbor survey maps. In early 2003, a PBY Catalina sunk off Napa Napa was rediscovered by the POMSAC (Port Moresby Sub-Aqua Club) during the construction of the InterOil Refinery and dock.

PBY Catalina sunk off Napa Napa has never been positively identified, but is either A24-3 or A24-6, one of the two Catalinas sunk on February 28, 1942. Aboard the wreck were twelve 250kg bombs. MilSearch was contracted to remove the ordnance.  The bombs were taken 10 miles out to sea and dumped. Also, wreck's machine guns were removed, angering the local dive community.

In addition, divers also located fragments of another wreck, probably the other Catalina near where the InterOil dock was constructed. According to staff of the company, during the construction of the dock, this wreck was covered with fill, and was not further investigated.

References
11 Squadron diary for February 3, 1942
Consolidated PBY Catalina by Michael McFadden

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Last Updated
October 6, 2009

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