Yeah it carried torpedoes, but I gave up on hitting anything with them long ago.
I personally think it would be very good for anti-CV defense.
You could put it out at a PT spawn, get it going 60+ MPH, but not flying, and approach, when you get up, rev it to full power (either max speed, or cruising is like 180, still VERY slow) and just drop the torps when you get close.
Here's what wiki says:
Performance
* Maximum speed: 196 mph (314 km/h)
* Cruise speed: 125 mph (201 km/h)
* Range: 2,520 mi (4,030 km)
* Service ceiling 15,800 ft (4,000 m)
* Rate of climb: 1,000 ft/min (5.1 m/s)
* Wing loading: 25.3 lb/ft² (123.6 kg/m²)
* Power/mass: 0.034 hp/lb (0.056 kW/kg)
* Lift-to-drag ratio: 11.9
Armament
* 3× .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine guns (two in nose turret, one in ventral hatch at tail)
* 2× .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns (one in each waist blister)
* 4,000 lb (1,814 kg) of bombs or depth charges, torpedo racks were also available
But I get max speeds of everything from 175-185 to even 200+ on some other sites.
Heres 179 from Warbird Alley:
Specifications (PBY-5A):
Engines: Two 1,200-hp Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp radial piston engines
Weight: Empty 20,910 lbs., Max Takeoff 35,420 lbs.
Wing Span: 104ft. 0in.
Length: 63ft. 10.5in.
Height: 20ft. 2in.
Performance:
Maximum Speed: 179 mph
Long-Range Cruising Speed: 117 mph
Ceiling: 14,700 ft.
Range: 2,545 miles
Armament:
Five 7.62-mm (0.3-inch) machine guns
Up to 4,000 pounds of bombs or depth charges
http://www.warbirdalley.com/cat.htm