Canadian Naval Aviators since 1914

RCYC The Shellbacks

20 November 2019
Bill Bialkowski, NAC
In memory of: Lt. Robert Hampton
“Hammy” Gray RCNVR, VC, DSC
- Nelson, BC
- The RCN’s only Victoria Cross
- Celebrated by Royal Navy
as one of 2 FAA VC’s of WW II of WW II
- Canada’s most illustrious
Naval Aviator
 Naval Aviators - Context
• Like ‘Hammy’ Gray, naval aviators are sailors who fly from carriers
• Canadians volunteered to fly with the Royal Navy up to 1945
• From 1946 to 1969 Canada had its own carriers and Naval Air Arm
• There are no Canadian Naval Aviators serving today.
• I will tell the story via a set of vignettes and few select people
• As a keen flyer, I hope I can make their love of flying come alive
 Outline

1. WW I – Flying in the Royal Naval Air Service

2. WW II – Flying in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
3. 1946 to 69 – Canadian Cold War carriers
4. 1969 to 2018 - Sea Kings
5. 2018 – Sea King to Cyclone
Focus:
• The people, aircraft they flew, & ships they flew from
• joys and sorrows of flying.
 Sources
1. “Canada’s Naval Aviators”, J MacFarlane & R. Hughes
2. “History of Canadian Aviation”, J.D.F. Kealy & E.C. Russell
3. “The VX-10 Story”, by Peter Charlton
4. “Hands to Flying Stations”, (Vol 1 &2) Stuart E. Soward
5. “The Bonnie” , Allan Snowie
6. “RCN Aircraft Finish and Markings 1944-68”, Patrick Martin
7. “Royal Navy Aces of World War 2”, Andrew Thomas
8. “Certified Serviceable From Swordfish to Sea King”
9. “Banshees in the Royal Canadian Navy”, Carl Mills
10. “Biography of Raymond Collishaw”
11. “Biography of Bill Atkinson”
12. “A Formidable Hero - Lt R. H. Gray”, Stu Soward
13. “Court Martial” by Geoffrey Craven
14. Conversations with test pilots: Joe Sosnkowski and Dave Tate
15. “Wings over the waves” biography of Roy Baker-Falkner
 Focus

• Some 2,000 names

• 300 RNAS WW I
• 570 RN WW II
• 970 post war
• 168 died while
flying
WW I
 Raymond Collishaw 1893-1976

Flight Commander Raymond Collishaw with his pilots and Sopwith Camels
of #3 Squadron RNAS. The photo after RAF formed
 Raymond ‘Collie’ Collishaw 1893-1976
1. CB, OBE (Military), OBE (Civilian), DSO & bar, DSC and bar, DFC, M.I.D. (4 times), Croix de
Guerre(Fr), Order of St. Vladimir (Rus)
2. Born in Nanaimo B.C. 22/11/1893
3. In 1914 the RCN did not want him, so he volunteered for the
Royal Naval Air Service
4. Commanded all-Canadian ‘Black Fight’ in 1917 – Sopwith Triplanes:
“Black Maria, Death, Sheep, Prince, & Roger” - 87 victories in 2 months
5. 60 victories in WW I, second only to Billy Bishop’s 72
6. 1929-32 OIC HMS Courageous Air Group: Flycatchers, Fairey IIIF’s, Blackburn Darts – the fist
Canadian to fly from a carrier flight deck

7. Retired from RAF at age 50 in 1943 as OIC ‘The Desert Air Force’
8. The Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame citation reads: “No airman has served on more enemy
fronts with greater distinction…”.
9. Nanaimo-Collishaw Air Terminal at Nanaimo airport.
WW II
 10/4/1940 Norway - Sink the Konigsberg

• German Cruiser Konigsberg sunk alongside at Bergen by

800 & 803 NAS Skua dive bombers from Orkneys
• Pilot of Skua ‘8H’ was Lt Alexander Fraser-Harris RN/RCN,
diving at 60o his 500 lb bomb hit the bow
 Alexander Fraser-Harris 1916-2003

• Born in Nova Scotia

• RN Naval cadet 1930
• Wings 1939
• 803 NAS (Skua) 1940 Konigsberg sunk
• CO 807 NAS (Seafire) 1942, HMS Furious
• CO HMCS Nootka – Korea 1951
• CO HMCS Magnificent 1956
• CMDR, Vice-Chief of Naval Staff, 1965
• Logbook: 29 aircraft types flown
 26/5/1941 Sink the Bismarck

• 2 days ago Bismarck sunk HMS Hood and escaped into the Atlantic
• 19:10 -Ark Royal launched 818 Squadron Swordfish armed with torpedoes
• 20:47 - S/Lt Terry Goddard, RN/RCN observer in Swordfish ‘5A’ saw his
torpedo strike Bismarck’s stern
• 23:30 all are back on-board and two hits were claimed. These were
discounted until Bismarck was observed to be steering in circles
• The damaged rudder led to Bismarck being sunk by Home Fleet gunfire
 Terry Goddard 1922-2016
• 1940 S/Lt (O) 818 Sqdrn
(Swordfish), HMS Ark Royal
• 1948 LCDR (O) RCN
CO 826 Sqdrn, HMCS
Shearwater
• Vintage Wings, Gatineau
Swordfish and stamp
3/4/1944 Sink the Tirpitz – Opn. Tungsten

• Operation Tungsten: strike by 6 carriers, 120 aircraft

– Victorious, Furious, Emperor, Pursuer, Searcher, Fencer
– 40 Barracuda dive bombers (brand new, secret & fearsome)
– 80 fighters: Corsairs, Hellcats, Seafires and Wildcats
• Strike organized and led by LCdr Roy Baker-Falkner
• Four Canadians flew Corsairs
• The Tirpitz suffered 16 direct bomb hits but did not sink
 The Barracudas were led by
LCDR Roy Baker-Falkner of Saanich BC
• Roy Baker-Falkner tamed the hard to fly
Barracuda, stopping it flipping on its back
and diving into the sea
• He led the whole strike
against the Tirpitz
• On 18 July 1944 this
intrepid leader failed to
return from a night A/S
patrol
• “Wings over the Waves”
written only in 2010
 Four Canadian fighter pilots

• S/Lt’s Barry Hayter, Don “Pappy” MacLeod, Don Sheppard

• “Hammy” Gray not shown
 Escort Carriers Nabob & Puncher 1943-45

• Canada manned: HMS Nabob & HMS Puncher 2 of the 43 US escort

carriers delivered Britain under Lend-Lease
• The air groups were the RN 852 Avenger & 821 Barracuda Squadrons

• 3 Canadians Don Cash , Ches. Kite, Terry Goddard flew in these

 Pacific 4/1/1945 Don Sheppard - Ace

• S/Lt Don Sheppard of 1836 NAS (Corsair) from HMS Victorious

claimed his 5th “Oscar” over Medan, Sumatra (4 victories + 2
shared) He was born in Toronto
 Pacific 4/1/1945 Leslie Durno - Ace

• S/Lt Leslie Durno of 1834 NAS

(Corsair) from HMS Victorious
claimed his 5th “Dinah” over Medan,
Sumatra (1 victory + 4 shared)
• On 29/1/45, he was forced to bail
out. His body was never found
 Pacific 25/7/1945 Bill Atkinson - Ace
• On the night of 25/7/45 S/Lt William
Atkinson of 1844 NAS (Hellcat night
fighter) from HMS Formidable claimed
5 “Grace” over Medan, Sumatra (5
victories + 2 shared)

• Bill Atkinson became the RCN’s highest

scoring WW II ace
• He was born in Minnedosa, Manitoba
 “Andy” Anderson, 9 August, 1945

• Lt G. A. ‘Andy’ Anderson’s Corsair hits the round-down,

just drops of fuel short – he was killed instantly
• Last Naval Aviator to die in WW II
 “Hammy” Gray, 9 August, 1945

Hammy Gray’s last moments – run-in on IJN Amakusa – Onagawa Bay

 “Hammy” Gray, 9 August, 1945
• The day of the Nagasaki A-bomb, Hammy Gray
led 8 Corsairs from Formidable to attack Onagawa
Bay
• The IJN Amakusa lay at anchor. Gray led attack

• Return fire damaged his starboard wing and 500 lb bomb

• The port bomb struck Amakusa amidships – she sank
• Gray’s Corsair then inverted and dove into the water
• He died on impact. His remains rest there today
 Robert Hampton Gray 1917-1945
• VC, DSC, MID
• His sacrifice is remembered by:
– Parliament Hill bronze bust
– Onagawa Bay, Japan, 2006 monument overlooking his crash
site - the only monument in Japan to an Allied airman
– Nelson BC, monument in Gyro Park and “Gray Building”
– “Gray’s Peak” in Kokanee Glacier Prov. Park
– RH Gray Memorial School, at CFB Shearwater
– Vintage Wings (Gatineau) restored Corsair ‘115’
– HMCS Robert Hampton Gray Arctic Patrol Vessel
OPV 435 yet to be built
– His Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame citation reads:
"His winning of the Victoria Cross in aerial combat
must be regarded as one of the most outstanding
contributions possible to Canadian aviation."
1946-69 Canadian Cold War carriers
31/3/1946-HMCS Warrior – Canada’s 1st Carrier

1. Warrior arrived in Halifax on March 31, 1946, the last of the WW II

Colossus class light fleet carriers to commission for the warm Pacific
2. Aboard were 803 Squadron Seafires and 825 Squadron Firefly I’s which
flew off to RCAF Station Dartmouth, soon to become RCNAS HMCS
Shearwater
3. Warrior would prove not suitable for east coast operations having been
intended for the Pacific war. She was exchanged for Magnificent in 1948
 Fireflies and Seafires

1. The Firefly Mk I was a sturdy 2-seat fighter-reconnaissance

aircraft of modest performance
2. The Seafire XV was the naval version beautiful Spitfire – BUT it
was a deck landing accident waiting to happen – long nose,
dainty/bouncy undercarriage, high stall speed
3. To make matters worse the Seafire developed an engine defect in
1946, which prevented further flight deck use
 1946 Pilots – Bob Falls, Stu Soward

1. Bob Falls (later an Admiral & Chair of NATO) in his

Seafire and on Warrior flight deck
2. Stu Soward - having a spot of trouble with his firefly
plowing into the barrier stanchion. He is the author of
the two Volume “Hands to Flying Stations”
– Log book: 13 A/C, 3,900 hrs, 367 deck landings (46 night)
 1/6/1948-HMCS Magnificent (Maggie)

1. Magnificent arrived in Halifax on June 1, 1948. She was the 2nd of

the Majestic class, an improved Colossus class
2. Maggie brought 803 Squadron Sea Furies (27) and 825 Squadron
Firefly IV’s (12), plus 4 Firefly trainers
 Firefly I’s
The leftover Firefly I’s went to 826 Squadron and served till 1950
 1950 Maggie’s Fireflies ‘attack’ the USN

1. On 16/3/1950 Maggie was exercising off Cuba, with the US carrier Philippine Sea,
battleship Missouri, 5 cruisers & 16 destroyers. Stu Soward recalls:
– a Canadian impersonating the USN fighter controller on the USN radio
frequency ‘ordered a 180’ for a swarm of 40 Bearcat fighters, leaving the
Philippine Sea temporarily undefended
– This allowed Maggie’s 8 Fireflies to ‘attack’ the Philippine Sea at masthead
height , her flight deck full of refueling aircraft – the ‘perfect carrier strike’.
2. The US Admiral was enjoying his breakfast as the fireflies zoomed over.
He was apoplectic!
3. The sky now black with attacking Bearcats chased the Fireflies all the way home
 Seafires
The leftover Seafires went to 883 fighter Squadron, and the Training Air Group

The last user was the Seafire Exhibition Flight, known as ‘Watson’s Circus’ at the
CNE in 1949 - Bob Falls was one of the pilots. “Clunk” Watson the leader, tragically
died in a Seafire mid-air collision at the CNE
 ‘Dave’ Tate – extraordinary pilot
1. Born in Edgeley, SK, September, 1931
2. Awarded Wings as a Midshipman in 1950
3. 1952 Maggie, 871 Sea Furies
4. Flying instructor 1955
5. Farnborough Test Pilot School, 1957
6. RAF Boscombe Down test pilot for naval aircraft, 1957
7. VX -10, 1958
8. OIC of CP-140 Aurora acceptance trials 1980
9. Log Book: 70 A/C, 6,000 hrs, 245 deck landings, (19 night)
10. He died in October, 2015
 The Superb Hawker Sea Fury FB XI

1. David Date’s 1st love (he admitted sheepishly!)

2. Arrived in Maggie in 1948 & served till 1956
3. In 1948 the Sea Fury was the peak of piston engine fighter development –
2,500HP, 12,500 lbs, 4 cannon, 2000lb bombs, 470 mph, 34,000 ft, 600 nm,
4. 74 Sea Furies served with 870, 871 and VX-10 Squadrons. It was an inspiration to
fly with reasonably good deck landing qualities
5. Shot down Mig-15 jets in Korea. Our 871 NAS was preparing for Korea when the
war ended
 Sea Fury pilot - “God it was fun”
From Soward (Ref 4, p203) a Sea Fury pilot (871 CO LCdr Ron Heath)
during a Med Cruise in Oct 1952:
• “A Sea Fury range at dawn. Shadowy hands clutching the chocks, exhaust
stubs rosy red, wands beckoning, right wheel on the centre line, stick all the
way back, fingers clenched, full throttle, all needles up.
• Green wand, off brakes, lift, jink, up gear & flaps, 130 knots, 20,000 feet,
seven Sea Furies behind, the wind out of Tripoli, the sun rising over Cyprus,
below Malta, Lampedusa, Sicily, and off to the east USS Wasp with a belly full
of Bearcats who are going to catch hell if we get them at the right altitude.
• God it was fun!”
 But Sea Fury landings were not all smooth

1. Bob Falls barrier crash 1952

2. Dave Tate goes straight-in after an engine failure on final – becomes first pilot to
be rescued by helicopter at sea
 Fairey Firefly 4’s & 5’s

1. 12 Firefly FR IV’s replaced FR I’s in 825 Squadron in 1948

2. In 1949 NATO formed and Canada was tasked with a 100% ASW navy to combat
the large Soviet submarine fleet with nuclear capabilities
3. The FR IV’s were exchanged for 18 AS 5’s
4. The Firefly 5 however was disappointment as its payload was poor, and it could
not carry many sonobuoys
5. In 1950 the USN payed off its TBM Avenger fleet. Canada bought 125 of them
6. CWH Museum flies a Firefly in 825 NAS markings
 TBM Avengers

1. The Avengers arrived in USN midnight blue and were put into service immediately
2. Fairey Aviation at Eastern Passage fitted new ASW gear resulting in the Avenger
AS-3, repainted in RCN dark/light gray.
3. 8 were TBM 3W ‘Guppy’ (AEW) with a massive APS-20 radar. This allowed ASW
search, as well as the radar signal could be ‘beamed down’ to ship’s PPI’s
4. Many modifications were added later: ECM cans, MAD boom, better visibility
5. Avengers Squadron: 880, 881, VU-32, VU-33, XV-10 & VC-920 (Reserve) Squadrons
6. The CWH Museum is about to fly a restored RCN Avenger
 Avengers & the Fabulous Fifties

Arrival of the Avengers ushered-in the ‘Fabulous Fifties’ when the RCN’s Naval Air Arm
started its journey to become the most highly skilled ASW force
 June 1953 - Coronation Fly-past

1. The Coronation review saw HMC Ships Magnificent, Quebec, Ontario, Sioux, La
Hulloise, Swansea, along with 871 Sea Fury and 881 Avenger Squadrons
2. LCdr Bill Atkinson led 881 Avenger squadron in the flypast and attended Prince
Philip's post fly past cocktail party
 23 Sept 1953- “The Great Fog Incident”
1. Operation Mariner was the largest NATO Exercise ever, with 300 ships
2. Maggie was part of Carrier Division Two under Admiral Goodwin USN along with
carriers USS Bennington and Wasp, all heading for Iceland on 23 September.
3. At 1130 a strike of 52 aircraft was launched. A fog bank developed (where Labrador
current meets Gulf Stream and warm & cold waters mix)
4. At 1420 Admiral Goodwin recalled all A/C, but now “ceiling and visibility ZERO”. All
stores jettisoned, orbiting at max endurance speed. 10 A/C managed to make
successful landings – 42 left – 65 souls aloft (9 Canadian Avengers, 27 souls).
Greenland 450 nm too far.
5. At 1700 sub. USS Redfin (100 nm north) reports ceiling 100 ft Vis. 2 nm, 12 ft seas
6. 1705 Adm Goodwin ordered mass ditching of all A/C close to Redfin
7. At 1710 fog starting to thin, sun has set, but some pilots not night qualified.
8. Ken Meikle made his first night landing without any training (terrifying?)

9. At 1828 with estimated fuel remaining long gone, the last A/C was safely down,
including a Skyraider on Maggie
10. At 1830 fog thickened and the Vis zero – the patch of warm water gone
 24 Sept 1953- “The Great Fog Incident”

1. Skydaider pilot was Ensign Jim Elster USN

2. Aboard the ‘dry’ US carriers “medicinal brandy’ was served to the aircrew.
3. Maggie’s wardroom saw a party like no other, as Commodore Rayner donated a
case of whisky to help it along.
4. Jim Elster was presented a gift by Commander Abrams before taking off the next
day. His blood alcohol gave off enough fumes to fly to USS Bennington!
5. His Skyraider now had a red Maple Leaf & “Maggie” painted on the stars and
stripes – this decoration was never painted over for the rest of that Skyraider's
service life – a badge of honour !
 Plans for the 60’s - the die is cast by 1954
1. Canada had purchased HMS Powerful, Majestic Class hull #3 , and work was in-hand to add the
latest carrier developments: angled deck, steam catapult and mirror landing sight, thus
allowing her to operate jet aircraft. She was re-named HMCS Bonaventure

2. The MacDonnell F2H-3 Banshee jet fighter was selected as a Sea Fury replacement, and 60
had been ordered. But, the government re-negged on the contract, and we ended up with 39
well worn Banshees with only some 1,000 airframe hours left lasting only to 1962
3. The Grumman S2F Tracker was selected as an Avenger replacement, and a manufacturing
licence was signed between Grumman and DHC Aircraft of Dowsnview. One Tracker was
purchased and 99 manufactured
4. Both the Brits and Americans told us that we were crazy to operate jets from such a ‘tiny’
carrier, as the safety margins were ‘nil’.
 1955 Banshees arrive

1. 870 Squadron re-equipped with Banshees starting in 1955. Above Bob Falls in
command is shown in 1957

2. 871 Squadron transitioned to the Banshee starting in 1956,

LCdr Jeff Harvie in command
3. The Banshee was armed with Sidewinder air-to-air missiles
 1956 Trackers arrive

1. The first DHC CS2F-1 Tracker was delivered in October 1956. It was a huge
advance over the Avenger: 2 engines, 2 pilots, 2 sensor operators, good radar, a
search light, MAD boom, ample sonobuoys, Julie, Jezebel, ECM, large payload, 6
hour endurance
2. Last mark CS2F-3 was claimed to be as effective as the huge RCAF Argus
3. VX-10 was the first operator, followed by VS-881, VS-880, VU-32 and VU-33
Squadrons
 Bonaventure Flight Trials April 2-12, 1957

1. Bonny started flight trials on April 2, 1957 off Portsmouth

2. VX-10 flew 2 Trackers and 2 Banshees from Shearwater to RNAS Ford (near
Portsmouth) via St Hubert, Goose Bay, Greenland, Iceland and Scotland
3. CDR Jim Hunter was OIC Fight trials with Ken Nicholson & Shell Rowell flying
Trackers, and Jake Birks & Doc Schellinck flying Banshees
4. CDR Air “Pop” Fotheringham flew the 1st Jet (borrowed Sea Hawk) aboard
5. Trials were completed successfully on April 12 and celebrated in the wardroom
Feb 1958 “Carquals” 871 Squadron off Florida

1. Carrier Qualification’ or ‘Carquals’ required 6 carrier landings & take-offs

2. On Lt Joe Sosnkowski’s last landing, the wire broke (2015 talk). Miraculously he
recovered and flew the damaged Banshee to NAS Mayport.
3. Deck landings were suspended. The 5 airborne Banshees flew to Mayport. Two
days later (foggy) they flew to Bonaventure, but Barry Troy lost contact, ran out
of fuel, crashed and died
4. In 2017 after Hurricane Irma, his parachute harness washed up near
Jacksonville. It was returned to the Shearwater Aviation Museum with great
ceremony
 1958 Grey Ghosts Aerobatic Team

• The Banshee Aerobatic Team, ‘The Grey Ghosts’ was led by LCdr
“Wally” Walton, CO of VF-870
• Flew at CNE in 1958, and many other air shows in 1959

• Wally Walton(lead), Walter Sloan (#3), Alec Fox (#2), Ed Hallett

USN (slot), Geoff Craven (solo) – author of “Court Marshal”
 Sonobuoys – ASW passive listening devices

• Sonobuoys are used to detect

submarines
• A sonobuoy is tube dropped
by parachute
• It has a float, a radio and a
hydrophone
• It radios the sound of the
submarine as well as its
bearing
• It did not get the range
 Explosive Echo Ranging - 1956
• ‘Explosive Echo Ranging’ got the range of the submarine. It made a passive buoy
active by dropping a Practice Depth Charge (PDC) near the buoy. The resulting
explosion causes a ‘ping’ of sound waves which bounce off the submarine. Timing
of the return echo gives the submarine range.

• Sound travels in water at 5,000 ft/sec, so

the ‘range’ of the submarine from the
sonobuoy can be calculated from the
explosion to the return echo

• Actual Avenger used in ‘explosive echo

ranging’ trials
 Explosive Echo Ranging – Julie 1956
• The navy found the term ‘Explosive Echo Ranging’
an awkward and cumbersome mouthful
• Late one night in a Key West night club it was
discovered that ‘Miss Julie Gibson’ had the
mysterious power to make a passive boy active.
• Perfect!
• Explosive Echo Ranging was henceforth renamed
‘Julie’
• Julie Gibson received an award for her significant
contribution to Ant-Submarine Warfare
 April 1959 ASWTNS in Tracker 1507
• ‘Julie’ involved dropping a sonobuoy, then flying a very tight
circle and bombing it with a PDC. The resulting ‘ping’ gave
the submarine range. A second buoy drop gave the
submarine position. But , hand plotting this info during
violent flight maneuvers was a nightmare.
• VX-10 developed ASWTNS ‘ASW Tactical Navigation System’
to automatically plot ‘Julie’ contacts
• ASWTNS was installed in Tracker 1507 - a screen and dials
between the two pilots.
• In July 1959 the USN invited VX-10 to demonstrate it
aboard the USS Valley Forge, Task Group Alpha Hunter
Killer Force, under Rear Admiral John S. Thatch (the
inventor of “Thatch Weave” fighter tactic, Midway, 1942)
• The attacker was brand new nuclear attack submarine
USS Skipjack (SSN-585 20 knots + submerged)
• This event was Dave Tate’s proudest moment in which he
flew 360’s in 40 seconds (standard rate turn is 2 minutes)
 April 1959 ASWTNS in Tracker 1507
• Tracker 1507 achieved the first real-time tracking of a
fast nuclear submarine, thanks to CO LCdr Dickie Quirt’s
use of ASWTNS and Dave Tate’s crisp flying
• Skipjack was held for 52 consecutive minutes (old
record: 5 min) at varying depths and at very high speeds
even inside the destroyer screen. This resulted in the
following signal:
From: COMHUKFOR
To: CO VX10 DET VALLEY FORGE
RADM THACH SENDS X A PLEASURE SEEING
A VISITING PROFESIONAL IN ACTION X WELL DONE
• RADM Thatch insisted on hearing the cockpit voice
recording including all the colourful language
• The USN adopted ASWTNS as AN/ASN-30 only months
later. It took the RCN 5 years to adopt it as the
AN/ASN-501.

• Tracker 1507 is
preserved today at
CFB Borden
 November 1959 Sidewinder Shoot

• The Banshee carried two AIM-9 Sidewinder heat seeking missiles

• The RN offered, the chance to test our Sidewinders at their Bristol Channel missile
range, plus six Firefly target drones (at no cost).
• 870 CO Wally Walton was dispatched with 8 Banshees for the Sidewinder shoot
• The RN expected the Firefly drones to survive Canada’s assault
• LCdr Alec Fox flew strike #1 - his shot missed. He dove past the Firefly and reported that
no light was seen from wingtip heat sources. The next Five Fireflies were all shot down!
• The RN submitted a $25k bill for 5 Firefly drones. It was returned unpaid.
• In 1962, the Banshees were time-expired and were retired with no fighter replacement
• Until then, Nova Scotia in the 22nd NORAD sector with missile armed Banshees regularly
placed first in NORAD intercept competitions
 Oct 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
• JFK’s speech on Oct 22 declared that Soviet nuclear missile launchers were in Cuba
• Oct 24 US in Defcon-2 with armed B-52’s airborne – one step from nuclear war
• Oct 24 The US deployed 100 ships, including 7 carriers, and 100 aircraft to implement the
‘quarantine’ of Cuba. There were 4 concentric rings of carrier task groups around Cuba.
• The northern ring was HMCS Bonaventure plus 13 DDE’s, 18 Trackers,
10 Helicopters, under CMDR Robert Welland.
• CDR Bob Falls was Commander Air, CDR “Pappy” MacLeod was CO VS-880
• Tracker landing during the Crisis

• Oct 28, Khrushchev announced on Radio Moscow that the missiles will be removed from
Cuba. The immediate crisis was over
• The American Neptune's carried nuclear depth charges. A few RCN Trackers had been ‘wired’
for USN nuclear DC’s, but we did not have nukes. 6 Trackers were flown to Shelburne, NS. If
ordered, they were to fly to Brunswick, Maine, pick up the NDC’s and fly to Bonaventure. This
order never came.
May 1964 A4 Skyhawk to replace the Banshee?
• Test pilots Dave Tate and Joe Sosnkowski, were to evaluate the
compatibility of the A4E Skyhawk and Bonnie’s flight deck
• They were sent to Moffett Field NAS to qualify on the A4E
• Bonaventure proceeded to Norfolk, VA for trials
• But insurance policies forced the flight trials to be flown by USN pilots

• In the end nothing came of it – except the Royal Australian Navy

adopted the Skyhawk for HMAS Melbourne (a near sistership)
• Geoff Craven’s 2015 novel “Court Marshal” is a fictional account
 Timing is everything!

1. Normally the catapult shot is timed just as the bows are rising
2. This one did not work well
3. The drenched Tracker flew a circuit and landed unharmed
1969 Last Carquals - End of Fixed-Wing Aviation
1. In August 1969 CDR Dave Tate assumed command of VS-880 Squadron. Bonaventure
was to leave in September for her last cruise before paying off (only 3 years after her
mid-life refit). This was the last chance for Carquals
2. All willing pilot were given the chance and 72 ‘Carqualed’ . A total of 1, 224 arrested
landings took place between Aug 21-26 - 20 per hour, 10 hrs/day for 6 days

On final going by LSO platform picking up a wire

 12/12/1969 End of Fixed-Wing Aviation
• Bonnie returned from her last cruise. A Tracker was catapulted-off right in Halifax Harbour. But then
the catapult went U/S.

• It was decided to free-launch the last four Trackers in Bedford Basin with the ship steaming at
speed round and round.
• The last off was CAPT “Pop” Fotheringham & Shell Rowell, both were 1st on Bonnie in 1957

• As Bonnie was taken in tow to come alongside, VS-880 Trackers flew a mournful final fly-past over
the Angus L. McDonald Bridge – they now were land based only.
• Naval aviation is over - now only Sea Kings go to sea in DDH’s, AOR’s and Frigates
 1990-1 Gulf War – Sea Kings
• HMC Ships Athabaskan, (DDH 282), Protecteur (AOR 509), and Terra Nova (DDE
269) left for the Gulf War on August 24, 1990
• 5 Sea Kings were embarked for patrols, boarding’s and inspections
under the command of LCOL Larry McWha.
• Logbook: 25 A/C, 6,000 hrs, rotary wing deck landings 1,576
• They flew with sand laden desert winds blowing, sometimes at
50oC and all came home a year later still operational

The Sea Kings all had

nick names:
404: “Persian Pig”
410: “Chicken Hawk”
412: “Hormus Harry”
413: “Lucky Louie”
417: “Big Bird”
1990-1 Shawn Byrne - Gulf War Naval Aviator
• Shawn Byrne, CAPT RCAF flew CF-18’s with 409 Squadron from Doha,
Qatar in 1990 as part of the Canadian Gulf mission
• In 1991 he was seconded to the USN, converted to F/A-18C Hornet,
Carqual’d with VFA-106 NAS and deployed aboard the USS Saratoga
(CV-60)
• He has 127 deck landings in his log book (39 night), the last known
Canadian fixed wing Naval Aviator, 62 years after “Collie” Collishaw
 2018 from Sea King to Cyclone
1. 1963 first Sea King arrived in RCN
2. 1968 – Unification. All flying now is Air Force – Light Blue
3. 1969 Bonaventure scrapped
4. 1990 Sea King replacement chosen – the EH-101 Merlin
5. 1993 Jean Chretien PM said “I will write ZERO helicopters”!
6. 2018 Sea King finally replaced by Cyclone after 55 year!
 End

“The Carrier Experience: It gave us moments of fear and loneliness, kinship and
challenge, joy and sorrow, pride, tragedy and triumph. It became a part of us then
and is a part of us now. It will be a part of us til the end of our days”
 1918 – U-boats, Baker Point, NS
• 1917 German U-boats off east coast called for A/S air patrols
• On 5 June 1918 Canada approved the formation of the USN ‘Naval Air
Station Halifax’, at Baker Point, south of Dartmouth
• 4 Curtiss HS 2 flying boats commanded by Lt Richard E. Byrd USN (later of
Arctic fame) flew 400 hours of A/S patrols by the end of the war

Lt R. Byrd USN Baker Point Curtiss HS2

• 5 June 2018, Gov. Gen. Julie Payette celebrated

the Centenary of 12 Wing, RCAF, CFB Shearwater
The start of Naval & Military Aviation in Canada
 Oct 1963 Joe Sosnkowski Sea King/DDH Trials

• Joe Sosnkowski, XO of VX-10 was in charge of the Sea King / DDH

haul down trials aboard HMCS Assiniboine
• He was the first pilot to land a large helicopter on the deck of a
small destroyer sized ship – very tricky flying!

• Today all navies have this capability, but Joe was the first to
accomplish a successful haul-down landing
• Log Book: 51 A/C, 3,900 hrs, 139 deck landings (175 rotary wing)
1969 Last Carquals - End of Fixed-Wing Aviation

Dave Tate greeting pilots Mess dinner after Carquals: Bob

returning from Carquals Falls and Dave Tate share a joke
 June 1953- Coronation Fly-past

1. The Coronation review saw HMC Ships Magnificent, Quebec, Ontario, Sioux, La
Hulloise, Swansea, along with 871 Sea Fury and 881 Avenger Squadrons
2. LCdr Bill Atkinson led 881 Avenger squadron in the flypast and attended Prince
Philip's post fly past cocktail party
 2 Feb 1968 Crash ‘miracle’ kept toll to 4

1. Tracker 1543 crashed at Downsview killing S/Lts Murray McRadu

(pilot), P. Kaersvang (co-pilot), Bill Boles, and A/B M. Schofield.
The ‘miracle’ was that it crashed all in one back yard causing no
other casualties. The pilots had just converted onto the Tracker.
2. The Spring 2018 Shearwater newsletter has the findings of
accident report – the cause was a tragic mistake
• In the circuit they had a ‘fire in starboard engine’ red warning
light. Mistakenly they shutdown the port engine
• Undoing this mistake & unfeathering the port engine at full power
caused the A/C to flip on its back and dive vertically-in.