On 20 December 1944, the industry was asked to enter a design competition for a 105,000 pound patrol boat powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-2800 radials. In January 1945, the proposal was amended to include anti-shipping, anti-submarine, and air-search and rescue. Ultimately, the project was cancelled when the submitted designs were deemed marginally superior to existing aircraft. The concept was resurrected on 27 December 1945 in the form of a 165,000 pound flying boat with improved hull design and four turboprop engines to significantly improve performance....