Boeing is not a firm known for military flying boats. In fact, their most famous flying boat was the globe-girdling civilian 314.
However, before they built the record-setting 314, they worked on this far less well-known precursor.
Design studies were begun initially on a commercial venture but the customer, Pan American, bailed. Fortunately the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics became interested and ordered a service-test batch straight off the drawing board.
Development time was necessarily protracted due to Boeing's far more lucrative B-17 contracts. By the time the five Boeing long-range patrol flying boats were delivered, they'd already been made obsolete by the Consolidated PBY Catalina.
The five XPBBs were duly assigned to long-range Patrol Sqn. 5 (Test) conveniently based in that secretive U.S. Navy enclave near Seattle, Washington. The tough crews put them through their paces even though it was a given no more of these aircraft would be ordered.
Known as the XPBB Brigantine in official U.S. Navy parlance, the Boeing aircraft's stiff, heavy controls led to exhausted crews calling it the "Brig" as it was less like flying and more like serving a sentence imposed by court martial.
Things went by rote for this obscure Navy test squadron who continued submitting progress reports on the Boeing XPBB which were apparently circular-filed in the upper echelons of BuAer. Long-range test flights out past the coast and over the vast Pacific continued with yawning regularity that would make milk of magnesia proud.
That would all change in the war panic that took hold of the country after December 7, 1941. From then on, every serviceable aircraft was needed to hunt the enemy who were rumored to be preparing an invasion. Thus the five Boeing XPBB "Brigs" were alerted for action.
Enemy submarine activity was reported in a proportion far exceeding their actual numbers off the American west coast. Looking back over these voluminous reports, modern historians have determined Keokuk, Iowa may have been the only major U.S. metropolitan area
not to file a sub sighting.
Of course the vast majority of these panicked reports would come from the area closest in proximity to the perfidious enemy, the U.S. Pacific North West which included the Seattle-Portland-Pacific defense zone. Press of the day offered breathless coverage.
The brave, sore crews of long-range Patrol Sqn. 5 (Test) put in many long hours scanning the vast expanse of ocean for the enemy. Most searches would prove utterly fruitless yet these determined men persisted, intent on defending their shores from attack.
Finally on March 3, 1942 one of the "Brigs" made contact with the enemy. While bombing was ineffective, the crew returned with vital photographic intelligence captured during the brief action.
The Navy quickly mobilized to take out the threat. All five "Brigs" from VP-5 (Test) flew sorties attacking the enemy. Even though no hits were recorded, it's possible such aggressive tactics spoiled the enemy's plans.
This would be the high point of not only the enemy's submarine onslaught but of the Boeing XPBB's service as well. Sightings tapered off through the spring of 1942 and by the time of the Battle of Midway, ended almost entirely.
The strain of constant ops and long flights took a toll on the "Brigs" and by the fall of 1942, they were grounded for structural fatigue as the more capable PBY Catalina replaced them in service.
Nothing exists today of what would be Boeing's last navy flying boat except this obscure 1/144 scale model kit, only one of which is known to have been ever been produced or built.
Still, for one brief, brave moment the XPBB "Brigs" defended the U.S. west coast from the enemy under the most dire of circumstances even if the so-called "experts" deny the whole heroic story as just another whale of a tale.
Brian da Basher