Royal Canadian Naval Air Branch (1945 – 1968)

Following the Second World War, the Royal Canadian Naval Air Branch served ships of the Royal Canadian Navy with fixed wing, jet and helicopter aircraft in Anti-Submarine Warfare roles. For 23 years, the Branch contributed to maritime security of Canada on the sea and in the air.

Canadian naval aviators began flying for their country more than one hundred years ago. Even before the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) formed its own air service very late in the First World War, more than 900 Canadians served with the Royal Navy, wearing the uniform of the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). As the war progressed, the threat of enemy submarines in home waters became so severe that on September 5, 1918 the Borden government established the Royal Canadian Naval Air Service (RCNAS). However, the war ended before any RCNAS airmen could complete their training, and the organization was disbanded in December 1918.

The outbreak of the Second World War led to a renewed interest in naval aviation. Although the RCN was still a “small ship” navy, many Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) recruits were seconded to the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm (FAA, as the RNAS now had been re-styled). By late 1943 the RCN was manning two British aircraft carriers, HM Ships Nabob and Puncher, with FAA squadrons embarked In August 1944, the Nabob was torpedoed while participating in the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz, and being irreparably damaged was taken out of service, while Puncher sailed until the end of the war. Meanwhile, in October 1943 the Canadian Cabinet War Committee approved the establishment of a “Royal Canadian Naval Air Branch,” and the RCN force envisioned for the Pacific theatre included two aircraft carriers and ten Naval Air Squadrons, totalling nearly 2,000 personnel.

Following the end of the war, in December 1945 the Cabinet confirmed retention of the post-war permanent Royal Canadian Naval Air Branch. The first fully Canadian aircraft carrier was HMCS Warrior, commissioned in 1946 and served by 803 and 825 Squadrons, the first official Canadian Naval Air Squadrons, respectively flying Supermarine Seafire and Fairey Firefly aircraft. In September 1948, RCAF Station Dartmouth was transferred to the RCN as their ashore base, to be known as HMCS Shearwater.

In 1948 Warrior was returned to the Royal Navy in exchange for the updated carrier HMCS Magnificent. By 1949 the RCN Air Branch was flying 56 aircraft. Aircraft operations moved from the Seafire and Firefly to the more advanced Hawker Sea Fury and Grumman Avenger. In 1951, rotary wing aircraft were introduced to the navy with three Bell helicopters, and a year later Sikorsky HO4S-3 (“Horse”) helicopters were introduced aboard the “Maggie” in both Search and Rescue (SAR) and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) roles.

In 1957 “Maggie” too was returned to the RN for a new carrier, HMCS Bonaventure. Featuring an angled landing deck, mirror landing system, the latest steam catapult technology and carrier approach radar, “Bonnie” carried McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee jet fighters armed with Sidewinder missiles – providing Canada’s first all-weather day-night fighter capability – and the formidable Grumman S-2 Tracker anti-submarine aircraft (built by DeHavilland under licence at Downsview), along with the “Horse” helicopters. Following retirement of the Banshees in 1962, “Bonnie” became a dedicated ASW carrier and replaced the HO4S-3 ASW helicopters with Sikorsky CHSS-2 / CH-124 Sea King helicopters (built under licence in Montreal) to supplement the Trackers. Meanwhile, the RCN had spear-headed development of the helicopter-carrying destroyer concept, which subsequently became the organizing principle for navies everywhere, including the Royal Navy and the United States Navy.

Using large helicopters aboard small ships safely in rough North Atlantic and Pacific seas required a system that could rapidly secure the helicopter and reposition it on deck. To this end, the Air Branch Experimental Air Squadron, VX10, developed the Helicopter Haul Down and Rapid Securing System known as the “Beartrap” system. VX10 went on through the 1960s to develop quite a number of other safety related innovations specific to ship/helicopter operations, including fire fighting and fueling systems, deck lighting and communications systems, all of which fostered other significant contributions to the Canadian aerospace industry.

In addition to Canada’s commitment to NATO and NORAD, naval aviation resources on both the east and west coasts played a substantial role in Search and Rescue; in aid to civil operations; in joint Canada/United States projects, and in support of government departments. Naval helicopters providing support from shore-based facilities and ships at sea proved invaluable in numerous rescue operations. Operating from the navy`s icebreaker HMCS Labrador, they also provided the lift capability to supply materials to remote Arctic sites during the construction of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, and were employed in ice reconnaissance, as well as mapping and charting the Canadian Arctic. The Royal Canadian Naval Air Branch contributed to the maritime security of Canada throughout the Cold War years including the Cuban Missile crisis. It trained thousands of Canadians in the art of aircraft carrier operations while establishing a high level of performance with sister navies, principally the RN and USN.

The Royal Canadian Naval Air Branch formally was disbanded upon the unification of Canada’s armed forces in 1968, when it became part of Maritime Air Group, a sub-unit of the integrated Maritime Command. In 1970, Bonaventure was taken out of service after 13 years of service, and the Tracker fleet became shore-based, although Sea King helicopters continued to fly from destroyer decks. The Naval Air Branch truly was relegated to history in 1975, when Air Command assumed control of Maritime Air Group.

Although the era of the Royal Canadian Naval Air Branch had come to an end, air service remained as a component of Canada’s navy, and continues to do so. Requirements of naval aviation led to industry growth for the overhaul and modification of aircraft and manufacture of parts for them. An increase in design and engineering led to conversion and reconfiguration progressively for the Avenger, Banshee, Tracker and Sea King types. The manufacture of navy aircraft spurred Canadian industries in becoming suppliers to the vast American aircraft industry. Post-war technology related to naval aircraft and aircraft systems became a leading element in the expansion of Canada’s aerospace industry. As well, many companies relied on the hiring of retired Canadian Naval Air personnel for their expertise.

Personnel from the Naval Air Branch have also served in important command and staff positions throughout the Canadian Armed Forces and NATO, and in the post-integration period. During its 23-year existence, the Branch contributed significantly to the defence of North America and to the NATO force in the Atlantic, thereby helping to deter Soviet aggression and the outbreak of global nuclear war. The spirit and professionalism of its personnel at all levels continues to permeate not only the Canadian Armed Forces but also Canada’s aerospace, scientific and business communities.

In 2010, the RCN celebrated its 100th anniversary. During that century, naval aviation was part of the proud service given by Canada’s navy on the sea and in the air. Air operations at sea with the RCN continue to be exercised today by the personnel of Maritime Helicopter Squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The same degree of professional diligence, competence and innovation that was the hallmark of the Royal Canadian Naval Air Branch in the history of the RCN remains.