PBM Mariner | |
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General information | |
Type | Patrol bomber flying boat |
National origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Glenn L. Martin Company |
Primary users | United States Navy |
Number built | 1,366 |
History | |
Manufactured | 1940–1949[1] |
Introduction date | September 1940 |
First flight | 18 February 1939 |
Retired | 1964 (Uruguay) |
Developed into | Martin P5M Marlin |
The Martin PBM Mariner is a twin-engine American patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and PB2Y Coronado in service. A total of 1,366 PBMs were built, with the first example flying on 18 February 1939, and the type entering service in September 1940, with the last of the type being retired in 1964.
A Mariner, otherwise noted for its WW2 and post-War service, was the type that vanished searching for Flight 19. Flight 19 vanished in the Bermuda Triangle, it and the Mariner that searched for it were never found with its 14 crew, though it was thought to have suffered a mid-air explosion. Another noted crash was the 1946 Antarctica PBM Mariner crash in December 1946.