PEGASUS
Navy PBY Catalina Squadron of WWII
This is the site of the VP/VPB-11 Association



Dedication
This website is dedicated to the memory of those who gave their lives for their country, while serving in VP/VPB-11 during World War II. The purpose of the site is to tell the mostly-untold story of this PBY Catalina squadron prior to and throughout WWII.

Salute to VP/VPB-11
VP/VPB-11 was a veteran of Naval campaigns from Kaneohe Bay to Leyte Gulf over a 35-month period. A summation of their accomplishments includes the following:
Received the first shots of WWII from the Japanese and probably suffered the first U.S. casualty of the Pacific theatre
Flew an estimated 48,000 hours in combat areas
Had 31 who lost their lives or were missing in action
Had 9 taken prisoner by the Japanese - two died while in prison
First complete Patrol Squadron to be deployed to the South Pacific
First to arrive for second deployment
Fine-tuned the traditional U.S.Navy seaplane patrol mission
Introduced new innovations that led to the Black Cat night operations and fine-tuned the technique
Successfully performed the longest torpedo attack against the enemy in history (900 nautical miles)
Spent the longest time, and completed more missions (traditional patrol and Black Cat) than any other squadron
21 (estimated) survivors rescued from the open sea; 17 (estimated) by landing in sheltered waters; 25 wounded Marines and the crew of a C-47 saved by sacrificing a PBY on reef until a destroyer arrived
219 Australians evacuated from behind enemy lines with 17 river landings
Probably ranks among the top 3 Patrol Squadrons in tonnage of enemy shipping destroyed or disabled

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Unless noted otherwise, the material contained herein belongs to the members of the VP/VPB-11 Association and may not be used without permission.
Send comments to Eric Mitchell