List of aircraft of the Royal Canadian Navy

Last updated

Royal Canadian Navy Grumman Tracker banking away. S2F RCN NAN7-57.jpg
Royal Canadian Navy Grumman Tracker banking away.

This is a list of aircraft of the Royal Canadian Navy covering the period until 1968 when all aircraft operations were transferred to the newly unified Canadian Armed Forces, originally with Maritime Command and since 1975 with Air Command, which has subsequently been renamed as the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

Contents

Prior to World War II (WWII) the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) did not operate aircraft. During World War I, the Royal Navy Canadian Air Service, a component of the Royal Naval Air Service, used seaplanes to carry out anti-submarine patrols off the Canadian East Coast. After the United States entered the war, the United States Navy established two seaplane bases in Nova Scotia for similar patrols, and the Royal Canadian Naval Air Service (RCNAS) was formed to assume responsibility for these flights; however, the war ended before the RCNAS was ready to operate independently, so it was disbanded and the two bases were deactivated and handed over to the Air Board.

During WWII, Canadian personnel manned the carriers HMS Nabob (from 1943 until torpedoed in 1944) and HMS Puncher (from 1944 until returned to the US in 1946), with their complement of Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm (FAA) carrier based aircraft. Canadian naval aviators including pilots of the RCN Volunteer Reserve also served in the FAA aboard carriers of the Royal Navy Pacific Fleet.

With the loan of HMCS Warrior in 1946, the RCN received its first aircraft, operating Fairey Firefly fighter-bombers and Supermarine Seafire fighters loaned from the Royal Navy. When both aircraft and the ship failed to meet Canadian requirements, HMCS Magnificent was purchased in 1948, along with Hawker Sea Fury fighters and in 1950, Grumman Avenger torpedo bombers.

From then until 1968, the RCN operated a variety of fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. After the Canadian Forces sold off HMCS Bonaventure in 1970, Canadian naval vessels operated only Sea King helicopters. The Trackers were transferred to land bases to perform coastal patrols, while the Sikorsky HO4S plane-guard helicopters were retired, and other types still in service were allocated as per their RCAF equivalents.

Aircraft that remained in service after unification are highlighted in blue.

Aircraft

Name1968 CF
designator
Place of
manufacture
Primary
role(s)
Service
period
#
used
Notes
Avro Anson Mk.Vn/aFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg  Canada
utility/trainer 194619522 [1] ex-Royal Canadian Air Force
Beechcraft Expeditor CT-128 US transport/trainer1952196010 [2] ex-Royal Canadian Air Force
Bell HTL-4 & HTL-6 n/aUS utility helicopter195119678 [3]
Canadair Silver Star CT-133Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg  Canada
/ Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
trainer1955200216 [4] [5] ex-Royal Canadian Air Force
de Havilland DH.82C Tiger Moth n/aFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg  Canada
trainer194819573 [3] ex-Royal Canadian Air Force
Fairey Albacore n/a UK torpedo bomber 194319496 [note 1]
Fairey Firefly n/aUK fighter strike-reconnaissance1946195376on loan. [6] [7] [note 2]
Fairey Swordfish n/aUKtorpedo bomber1946194822 [8] [note 2]
Grumman Avenger n/aUStorpedo bomber/ASW/AEW 19501960125 [9] [10] [note 3] [note 4]
Grumman CS2F Tracker CP-121Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States /
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
ASW 19561994100 [9] [note 5]
Hawker Sea Fury n/aUKfighter1948195775 [13] [14] [15] [note 6]
McDonnell F2H Banshee n/aUSfighter1955196239 [16] [17] [note 3]
North American Harvard n/aCanadatrainer1946195836 [note 7] [note 8]
Piasecki HUP-3 Retriever n/aUSrescue/utility helicopter195419643 [18] [note 9]
Schweizer SGS 2-12 n/aUStraining glider 194619491 [23]
Sikorsky CHSS-2 Sea King CH-124Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
ASW helicopter1963201841 [18]
Sikorsky HO4S n/aUSrescue & ASW helicopter1952197013 [18] [24] [note 10]
Supermarine Seafire n/aUKfighter1946195435on loan. [18] [note 2]
Supermarine Walrus n/aUKutility amphibian 194619464 [27] [note 2] [note 11]

See also

Related Research Articles

HMCS <i>Bonaventure</i> Aircraft carrier

HMCS Bonaventure was a Majestic-class aircraft carrier, the third and last aircraft carrier in service with Canada's navy. The aircraft carrier was initially ordered for construction by Britain's Royal Navy as HMS Powerful during the Second World War. Following the end of the war, construction on the ship was halted and it was not until 1952 that work began once again, this time to an altered design for the Royal Canadian Navy. The ship entered service in 1957 renamed Bonaventure and, until the vessel's decommissioning in 1970, was involved in major NATO fleet-at-sea patrols and naval exercises and participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis. During her career Bonaventure carried three hull identification numbers, RML 22, RRSM 22 and CVL 22. Following her decommissioning Bonaventure was sold for scrap and broken up in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman S-2 Tracker</span> Family of carrier-borne anti-submarine and maritime patrol aircraft

The Grumman S-2 Tracker was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy. Designed and initially built by Grumman, the Tracker was of conventional design — propeller-driven with twin radial engines, a high wing that could be folded for storage on aircraft carriers, and tricycle undercarriage. The type was exported to a number of navies around the world. Introduced in 1952, the Tracker and its E-1 Tracer derivative saw service in the U.S. Navy until the mid-1970s, and its C-1 Trader derivative until the mid-1980s, with a few aircraft remaining in service with other air arms into the 21st century. Argentina and Brazil are the last countries to still use the Tracker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">McDonnell F2H Banshee</span> American carrier-based jet fighter

The McDonnell F2H Banshee is a single-seat carrier-based jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft. It was an early jet fighter operated by United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, as well as being the only jet-powered fighter to ever be deployed by the Royal Canadian Navy. The aircraft's name is derived from the banshee of Irish mythology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Navy</span> Military unit

The Royal Canadian Navy is the naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 Halifax-class frigates, 12 Kingston-class coastal defence vessels, 4 Victoria-class submarines, 4 Harry DeWolf-class offshore patrol vessels, 8 Orca-class patrol vessels, and several auxiliary vessels. The RCN consists of 8,400 Regular Force and 4,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by 3,800 civilians. Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee is the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy and chief of the Naval Staff.

The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces. Over the course of its history, the RCN has played a role in the First World War, contributed significantly to the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War, and was a part of NATO's force buildup during the Cold War. In 1968, the RCN was amalgamated with the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force to form what is today the unified Canadian Armed Forces. The naval force was known as Maritime Command until 2011, when the environmental command was renamed as the Royal Canadian Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFB Shearwater</span> Airport in Shearwater, Nova Scotia

Shearwater Heliport, formerly known as Canadian Forces Base Shearwater and commonly referred to as CFB Shearwater and formerly named HMCS Shearwater, is a Canadian Forces facility located 4.5 nautical miles east southeast of Shearwater, Nova Scotia, on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Following a base rationalization program in the mid-1990s, the Canadian Forces closed CFB Shearwater as a separate Canadian Forces base and realigned the property's various facilities into CFB Halifax. These include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw</span> Family of utility helicopters

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King</span> Canadian multi-role naval helicopter

The Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King is a twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed for shipboard use by Canadian naval forces, based on the US Navy's SH-3 Sea King. Most CH-124s were assembled in Quebec by United Aircraft of Canada. The CH-124 served with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Armed Forces from 1963 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piasecki HUP Retriever</span> Type of aircraft

The Piasecki HUP Retriever or H-25 Army Mule, later UH-25, is a compact single radial engine, twin overlapping tandem rotor utility helicopter developed by the Piasecki Helicopter Corporation of Morton, Pennsylvania. Designed to a United States Navy specification, the helicopter was produced from 1949 to 1954, and was also used by the United States Army and foreign navies. The HUP/H-25 was the first helicopter to be produced with an autopilot and also the first to perform a loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechcraft Model 18</span> American twin-engine, light aircraft produced 1937–1970

The Beechcraft Model 18 is a 6- to 11-seat, twin-engined, low-wing, tailwheel light aircraft manufactured by the Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. Continuously produced from 1937 to November 1969, over 9,000 were built, making it one of the world's most widely used light aircraft. Sold worldwide as a civilian executive, utility, cargo aircraft, and passenger airliner on tailwheels, nosewheels, skis, or floats, it was also used as a military aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Naval Air Service</span> Royal Canadian Navy air service established in 1918

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The St. Laurent-class destroyer was a class of destroyer escorts that served the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritime Forces Pacific</span> Canadian Navy unit for fleet training and readiness in the Pacific

In the Canadian Armed Forces, Maritime Forces Pacific is responsible for the fleet training and operational readiness of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Pacific Ocean. It was once referred to as Canadian Pacific Station.

HMCS<i> Star</i> Military unit

HMCS Star is a Canadian Forces Naval Reserve Division (NRD) located in Hamilton, Ontario. Dubbed a stone frigate, HMCS Star is a land-based naval establishment for training part-time sailors as well as functioning as a local recruitment centre for the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The second oldest of 24 naval reserve divisions located in major cities across Canada, Star was stood up on 15 March 1923 as the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) Hamilton Half Company and then on 1 November 1941 as HMCS Star.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron</span> Canadian air force squadron

423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron is a unit of the Canadian Forces under Royal Canadian Air Force. It currently operates the Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone from CFB Shearwater in Nova Scotia, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shearwater Aviation Museum</span> Aviation museum in Canada, at CFB Shearwater

The Shearwater Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located at CFB Shearwater in Shearwater, Nova Scotia. The museum acquires, conserves, organizes, researches and interprets to Canadian Forces personnel and the public at large for their study, education and enjoyment, artifacts and documents which exemplify the history of Canadian maritime military aviation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">870 Naval Air Squadron</span> Military unit

870 Naval Air Squadron, also known as VF-870, was a squadron of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). It was formed when 803 Naval Air Squadron of the Royal Navy was renumbered to 870 NAS on 1 May 1951. It operated throughout the 1950s and early 1960s before disbanding on 7 September 1962. It was the first RCN squadron to operate jet aircraft.

References

Notes

  1. transferred to RCN but never flown
  2. 1 2 3 4 ex-Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
  3. 1 2 ex-US Navy
  4. Extensively modified for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role, number includes Airborne early warning (AEW) variant.
  5. 102 RCN CS2F serial numbers were assigned. 99 Trackers built under licence by de Havilland Canada were assigned RCN serial numbers 1502-1600 and used operationally. One US-built S2F-1 was obtained for manufacturing verification and was assigned RCN number 1500. In 1954, this aircraft was given serial number X-500 and was reassigned to operational testing. In 1956, it was upgraded to CS2F-1 standards and assigned serial number 1501, and was used as a stationary instructional airframe at Shearwater until 1972. [11] It is not known whether this aircraft was ever assigned a U.S. Navy bureau number. [12]
  6. One FB.10 and 74 FB.11
  7. ex-Royal Canadian Air Force
  8. Built by Noorduyn and Canadian Car & Foundry
  9. Ex-US Army, built as H-25A and transferred to RCN in May 1954, [19] [20] modified and redesignated on delivery to conform to US Navy HUP-3 standards [21] [22]
  10. Originally three HO4S-2 and ten HO4S-3; both remaining airworthy HO4S-2 aircraft upgraded to HO4S-3 standards in 1955-1956 [25] [26]
  11. Used by No.1 Naval Air Gunner School/743 Fleet Requirements Unit

Citations

  1. Pettipas, 1986, p.9 & 42
  2. Pettipas, 1986, p.42 & 80
  3. 1 2 Griffin, 1969, p.495
  4. Lockheed CT-133 Silver Star (T-bird) 1955 accessdate: 21 January 2014
  5. Pettipas, 1986, p.59
  6. "Canada's Air Force, Aircraft, Historical Aircraft, Fairey Firefly". Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  7. Griffin, 1969, p.12, 589,
  8. Griffin, 1969, p.589
  9. 1 2 Griffin, 1969, p.13
  10. Griffin, 1969, p.601-602
  11. "Grumman CS2F/CP 121 Tracker". Shearwater Aviation Museum. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  12. Baugher, Joe (7 August 2023). "US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos, Third Series (135774 to 140052)". joebaugher.com. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  13. Griffin, 1969, p.14
  14. "Canada's Air Force, Aircraft, Historical Aircraft, Hawker Sea Fury". Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2011-03-22.
  15. Walker, R.W.R. Sea Fury detailed list, 2004. accessdate: 21 January 2014.
  16. Griffin, 1969, p.15
  17. Griffin, 1969, p.602
  18. 1 2 3 4 Griffin, 1969, p.17
  19. Walker, R.W.R. "Royal Canadian Navy – HUP detailed list". Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Numbers. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  20. Baugher, Joe (2 September 2018). "1951 USAF Serial Numbers". joebaugher.com. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  21. "Piasecki HUP-3". ingeniumcanada.org. Ingenium Canada - Canada Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  22. "Piasecki HUP-3". www.shearwateraviationmuseum.ns.ca. Shearwater Aviation Museum. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  23. Pettipas, 1986, p.10 & 25
  24. Griffin, 1969, p.602-603
  25. Walker, R.W.R. "Royal Canadian Navy – HO4S detailed list". Canadian Military Aircraft Serial Numbers. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  26. Murray, Robert. "Canada Aviation Museum Aircraft – Sikorsky HO4S-3 (S-55) Horse – Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)" (PDF). Canada Aviation Museum. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  27. Griffin, 1969, p.17, 511 & 573

Bibliography

Posting War Ship Listings: Postwar Canadian Ship Listing 1945–Present