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Martin P5M Marlin

🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1948· patrol aircraft

🎖️ military 2× piston retired
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. U.S. Coast Guard Martin P5M-2G Marlin in flight on 28 January 1958 (NNAM.2001.261.012): Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
  2. 2. Crewman stands guard on a P5M in Cam Ranh Bay: JOC R.D. Moesser· Public domain
  3. 3. Martin P5M-1 Marlin in San Francisco Bay, in July 1953 (NNAM.2011.113.136): Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
  4. 4. Martin P5M-1 Marlins of VP-56 in flight, circa in 1954 (NNAM.2011.003.145.017): Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
  5. 5. Martin P5M-2 in flight with open bomb bays: U.S. Navy· Public domain
  6. 6. Martin P5M-2 Marlin VP-40 in flight: U.S. Navy· Public domain
  7. 7. Martin SP-5B (135539) VP-48 (4998514071): Bill Larkins· CC BY-SA 2.0
  8. 8. Martin SP-5B Marlin of VP-50 is offloaded from the fantail of USS Salisbury Sound (AV-13) in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, 15 March 1966 (428-GX-743-K31222): JOC Robert D. Moeser, U.S. Navy· Public domain
  9. 9. Martin SP-5B Marlins of VP-45 and VP-49 at NAS Bermuda, in September 1962 (2016.18.01): Wikimedia Commons· Public domain
  10. 10. Martin XP5M-1 Marlin prototype in flight on 23 June 1948: U.S. Navy· Public domain
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Martin P5M Marlin, photo 1 of 10
1/10 Wikimedia Commons· Public domain

what is it?

The Martin P5M Marlin (P-5 Marlin after 1962) is a twin-engined maritime patrol flying boat designed and built by the American aircraft manufacturer Glenn L. Martin Company. It would be the final flying boat to be operated by the United States Navy (US Navy). Derived from the successful World War II-era flying boat, the Martin PBM Mariner, the Marlin was developed during the late 1940s.

How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · 35.7 m wingspan

base stats

  • speed 404 km/htop speed
  • range 3,298 kmwithout refuelling
  • size 35.4 tmax take-off weight
  • built 1,366made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

  • First flew 78 years ago, in 1948.
  • Top speed is 3.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Wingspan of 35.7 m: about 8 cars parked nose to tail.
  • Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 6 African elephants (~6 t each).
  • Range of 3,298 km: 18× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight
1948-05-30
introduced
1952
retired
1967
status
retired
number built
1,366
role
patrol aircraft
origin
🇺🇸 United States
makers
Glenn L. Martin Company
engines
2× Wright R-3350-32WA Duplex-Cyclone
crew
11
length
30.7 m
wingspan
35.7 m
height
10 m
max take-off weight
35.4 t
top speed
404 km/h
cruise speed
241 km/h
range
3,298 km
ceiling
7,315 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q26878, Wikipedia: Martin P5M Marlin (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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