Martin PBM Mariner

The Martin PBM Mariner is a twin-engine patrol bomberflying boat designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Glenn L. Martin Company. It was active during both the World War II and the early Cold War era.

Developed during the late 1930s, the Mariner was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and PB2Y Coronado then in service with the United States Navy (US Navy). To prove the company's performance projections in the face of scepticism, Martin produced a three-eighths scale flying model, the Martin 162A, in addition to the full-scale prototype, designated XPBM-1. Unusually, the US Navy opted to place an initial production order for the type prior to completion of this prototype, which performed its maiden flight on 18 February 1939. The Mariner entering service with the US Navy in September 1940; it was the principal customer for the type, of which 1,366 flying boats were built. In addition to the US Navy, various other operators for the type emerged, including the United States Coast Guard, Royal Australian Air Force, and the Argentine Navy.

Initially used by the US Navy to conduct Neutrality Patrols in the Atlantic, Mariners commenced anti-submarine patrols following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, resulting in the type being credited with the sinking of numerous U-boats. It was used heavily during Pacific War, operating from locations such as Saipan, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, and the South West Pacific. The United States Coast Guard also used Mariners during the conflict, acting as the backbone of the service's long-range aerial search and rescue efforts into the mid-1950s. The US Navy deployed its Mariners during the Korean Wars, where it performed long patrol missions. Several examples were lost on operations, such as while searching for Flight 19 in 5 December 1945 and amid a blizzard in Antarctica in December 1946. Furthermore, an enlarged four-engined derivative of the Mariner, the Martin JRM Mars, would also see small-scale production and adoption by the service.

During the mids 1950s, the US Navy opted to withdraw the Mariner in favour of newer types, such as the Martin P5M Marlin and the Grumman HU-16 Albatross. Several surplus flying boats were acquired by other operators and saw use for a time, such as the Royal Netherlands Navy deploying the type in Netherlands New Guinea up to 1959. The final operator of the type, the National Navy of Uruguay, withdrew its last Mariners in 1964. Only one fully-intact example has been preserved.