Hall PH Flying Boat
The Hall PH flying boat was a development of the Naval Aircraft Factory PN-11. The initial XPH-1 first flew in December 1929. The US Navy ordered nine PH-1s which equipped VP-8 from 1932.
The PH-1 was replaced by the Consolidated PBY-1 Catalina in 1937.
In 1936 the US Coast Guard ordered seven PH-2s. These were similar to the PH-1 but with more powerful 750 hp Wright R-1820F-51 engines. Armament was omitted on the PH-2. In 1939, an additional seven PH-3s were ordered. These added an enclosed cockpit for the pilot and re-instated the armament.
The Hall flying boats were used by the Coast Guard for search and rescue duties and were fitted with specialized equipment for this role. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States entry into World War II, the remaining PHs were painted in U.S Navy Grey Green colors to replace the previous bare metal finish, armed, and used for anti-submarine patrols (particularly during the Operation Drumbeat U-boat attacks off the East coast of the United States in 1942) as well as continuing search and rescue operations. The Coast Guard continued operating the PH-2 and -3 until 1944.
