The early Catalina NC777 Guba (I) was bought by the USSR (URSS in French) to search for the airmen of URSS-N209, commanded by Hubert Wilkins. The photo source says the image may have been taken on the Mackenzie River near Aklavik, NT, but another source suggests search missions were flown from Coppermine (now Kugluktuk in Nunavut). Wilkins continued the fruitless search from Russia in January 1938. The flying boat became CCCP-N243. It was destroyed by gunfire from a German U-boat at Nova Zembla on 27 July 1942. Photo from: Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada

The first civilian Catalina, NC777 Guba (I), seen at North Beach, NY after flying non-stop from San Diego in 17 hours. The flying boat had been purchased by the American Museum of Natural History for use by naturalist Richard Archbold, but was sold to the USSR in August 1937 to participate in the search for URSS-N209 of Sigizmund Levanevsky. Archbold got another NC777 Guba, c/n C-3. Photo from: Life