Martin P5M Marlin

The Martin P5M Marlin, called the P-5 Marlin after 1962, is a twin-engined maritime patrol flying boat designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company and the last flying boat operated by the United States Navy. It was derived from the World War II Martin PBM Mariner and developed in the late 1940s, with more powerful Wright R-3350 radial engines, a new hull for safer operation from rough seas and a single vertical fin. The XP5M-1 prototype first flew on 30 May 1948 and the P5M-1 entered Navy service three years later, followed by the improved P5M-2. The Navy used the type for maritime surveillance in the Vietnam War before withdrawing it in the late 1960s, the French Navy bought it to replace its Short Sunderlands, and 285 flying boats were produced.