List of aircraft of the Royal Canadian Navy

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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 1946–19522 [1] ex-Royal Canadian Air Force
Beechcraft Expeditor CT-128 US transport/trainer1952–196010 [2] ex-Royal Canadian Air Force
Bell HTL-4 & HTL-6 n/aUS utility helicopter1951–19678 [3]
Canadair Silver Star CT-133Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957).svg  Canada
/ Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 		trainer1955–200216 [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 		trainer1948–19573 [3] ex-Royal Canadian Air Force
Fairey Albacore n/a UK torpedo bomber 1943–19496 [note 1]
Fairey Firefly n/aUK fighter strike-reconnaissance1946–195376on loan. [6] [7] [note 2]
Fairey Swordfish n/aUKtorpedo bomber1946–194822 [8] [note 2]
Grumman Avenger n/aUStorpedo bomber/ASW/AEW 1950–1960125 [9] [10] [note 3] [note 4]
Grumman CS2F Tracker CP-121Flag of the United States.svg  United States /
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 		ASW 1956–1994100 [9] [note 5]
Hawker Sea Fury n/aUKfighter1948–195775 [13] [14] [15] [note 6]
McDonnell F2H Banshee n/aUSfighter1955–196239 [16] [17] [note 3]
North American Harvard n/aCanadatrainer1946–195836 [note 7] [note 8]
Piasecki HUP-3 Retriever n/aUSrescue/utility helicopter1954–19643 [18] [note 9]
Schweizer SGS 2-12 n/aUStraining glider 1946–19491 [23]
Sikorsky CHSS-2 Sea King CH-124Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 		ASW helicopter1963–201841 [18]
Sikorsky HO4S n/aUSrescue & ASW helicopter1952–197013 [18] [24] [note 10]
Supermarine Seafire n/aUKfighter1946–195435on loan. [18] [note 2]
Supermarine Walrus n/aUKutility amphibian 1946–19464 [27] [note 2] [note 11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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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">McDonnell F2H Banshee</span> American carrier-based jet fighter

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Navy</span> Maritime warfare branch of Canadas military

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<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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">CFB Halifax</span> Naval base in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

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

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

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

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<i>St. Laurent</i>-class destroyer Destroyer escort class of the Royal Canadian Navy

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

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Henry Atkinson</span>

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<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, BuNo 136519, 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] [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 (15 February 2021). "US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos, Third Series (135774 to 140052)". joebaugher.com. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
  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

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