Just before World War II, a Coast Guard PBY-5, V189, was specially outfitted at Air Station San Diego with a nine-lens-camera for mapping coastal regions around the country. While the arrangement worked well in the lower 48, after two mapping trips to Alaska the camera was transferred to a newer PBY-5A (PBY BuNo 08055) that had landing gear, making it more versatile in the extreme environment of Alaska. Remains of Coast Guard PBY BuNo 08055 on Mount Moffett, Adak, Alaska, July 18, 1943.
