The PBY’s Finest Hour: The Lethal Edge of the Black Cat Catalina. The "Black Cat" squadrons of World War II represent one of the most innovative and effective uses of the Consolidated PBY Catalina in the Pacific Theater. While the Catalina is famous for its long-range reconnaissance and air-sea rescue capabilities, the Black Cat units transformed this slow, lumbering flying boat into a deadly night raider. Painted entirely flat black to vanish into the night sky, these aircraft prowled the Solom