In the late 30' Pan Am put its eye on the Atlantic. For that reason Pan Am needed an airplane which could carry passengers and payload at an exeptable level. Boeing won the competition an Pan Am ordered six of the new aircraft. The first one got into service on January 1939, two years after Boeing had prmised. Pan Am had theese famous seaplanes for only 6 years. They were overtaken by the new landplanes wich were much mor easier to handle.