PBY Catalina
The most famous flying boat of WW II, the PBY Catalina was built
in large numbers, and some are still in use today. While it was
slow by contemporary standards, the PBY more than made up for its
lack of speed with its reliability and great range, as well as the
fact that as a flying boat it could land on the water for rescue
missions. Its long range made it an excellent reconnaissance
aircraft over the world's oceans. It could be used as a bomber when
other aircraft were unavailable, and Catalinas attacked targets at sea with bombs, depth
charges, and even torpedoes.
This is part of a
series of 23 caches dedicated to the American Aircraft of
WWII. Each cache is
dedicated to a particular aircraft model and can be logged as an
individual find. The
series consists of 16 regular caches and 7 mystery
caches. The series will
be divided into 5 sub-series, one for each category of aircraft
(Fighters, Bombers, Seaplanes, and X-series Prototypes) and a final
series consisting of three of the most recognizable aircraft of
WWII. (P51 Mustang, B17 Flying Fortress and B29
Super Fortress).
This cache is part of the SEAPLANES
sub-series. The log contains a code used to find the final of this
sub-series:
American WWII Aircraft-SEAPLANES (GC16759).
SEAPLANES =
N40 G21A.G44 W074 JF2.PBY
This cache is located along a portion of the Randolph
Trails. These
trails are well maintained and easy to walk. There is parking for this cache
located at N40 49.336 W074 34.867. Trail
maps are readily available at most of the trail
heads.
Randolph’s trail system runs a 16-mile course
traversing five parks, the Clyde Potts Reservoir Watershed
and 2,000 acres of pristine open space. The trails link
together schools with neighborhoods and connect to Patriots’
Path at Combs Hollow and Old Brookside. Randolph’s trails should be
viewed as a work in progress as the township continues to
pursue easements and funding to expand our trail network. The
township funds 90% of design and construction costs through
state grants and developer contributions. Over $1.5 million
in state grants and developer contributions has been invested
in Randolph’s trails. Open year round, the trails
can be used from dawn to dusk and are closed at night. During
the winter months, there is no snow or ice removal, providing
a wonderful opportunity for cross-country skiers and snowshoe
enthusiasts.
The cache is located along the
WHITE BLAZED TRAIL accessed from the
powerlines.