PEGASUS
Navy PBY Catalina Squadron of WWII

Photos: William A. Barker Collection

Hangar 1 at MCAS (formerly NAS) Kaneohe, taken during the 1991(?) reunion. At the time of the attack on Dec-07, VP-11 had the left side (nearest the water) of the hangar and VP-12 had the right. The walls parallel to the water's edge held the squadrons' various shops - ordnance, radio, metalsmith, mechs, etc. The far hangar wasn't there yet; a smaller hangar stood about where the right half of this hangar stands. Beyond the new hangar is the barely-visible hangar (like Hangar 1) occupied by VP-14. Three of VP-14's PBYs were aloft. Three more (ready planes) were moored in the bay. Several were in the hangars getting new self-sealing fuel tanks. The rest were parked facing the hangar doors. The first wave of Japanese fighters came in across the bay, destroying most of the planes. Although the new base didn't yet have any kind of alarm, most of the squadron members had made it down to the hangars in time to fight the second wave of fighters. The bombers then came down the apron from the VP-14 hangar heading toward the VP-11/12 hangar (as you can see in the captured Japanese film of the attack). A few fighters then mopped up, trying to set afire one or two remaining (fuel-less) planes. One was shot down, crashing into the hill past the right edge of the photo. Everybody was pouring lead into this plane, including John Finn (VP-14) who received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in fighting the attack. (Photo courtesy of National Museum of Naval Aviation)