A History of Canadian Naval Aviation 1918-1962
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A HISTORY OF CANADIAN NAVAL AVIATION 1918-1962 by J. D. F. KEALY and E. C. RUSSELL The Naval Historical Section Canadian Forces Headquarters Department of National Defence Ottawa 1965 Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, VC, DSC, RCNVR A HISTORY OF CANADIAN NAVAL AVIATION 1918-1962 by J. D. F. KEALY and E. C. RUSSELL The Naval Historical Section Canadian Forces Headquarters Department of National Defence Ottawa 1965 © Crown Copyrights reserved Available by mail from the Queen’s Printer, Ottawa, and at the following Canadian Government bookshops: HALIFAX 1737 Barrington Street MONTREAL AEterna-Vie Building, 1182 St. Catherine St. West OTTAWA Daly Building, Corner Mackenzie and Rideau TORONTO 221 Yonge Street WINNIPEG Mall Center Bldg., 499 Portage Avenue VANCOUVER 657 Granville Street or through your bookseller A deposit copy of this publication is also available for reference in public libraries across Canada Price $5.00 Catalogue No. DB3-9465 Price subject to change without notice ROGER DUHAMEL, F.R.S.C. Queen’s Printer and Controller of Stationery Ottawa, Canada 1967 ii Contents Preface.......................................................................................................................................................................... iv Introduction: The First Canadian Naval Airmen........................................................................................................... v CHAPTER I. The Royal Canadian Naval Air Service of 1918 .......................................................................................... 1 II. The “Back Seat” Years............................................................................................................................... 11 III. The Second Canadian Naval Air Arm........................................................................................................ 20 IV. Formation of Air Squadrons....................................................................................................................... 34 V. HMCS Warrior, 1946-1948 ....................................................................................................................... 39 VI. Squadrons and Shore Bases, 1945-1962..................................................................................................... 47 VII. HMCS Magnificent, l948-l957................................................................................................................... 71 VIII. HMCS Bonaventure ................................................................................................................................... 99 IX. “Aircraft versus Submarine” .................................................................................................................... 118 APPENDIX A Senior Officers for Naval Aviation .......................................................................................................... 124 B Directors of Naval Air Division Directors of Naval Aviation and Directors of Naval Aircraft Requirements................................................................................................ 125 C Commanding Officers of Aircraft Carriers and Air Station ..................................................................... 126 D Commanding Officers of Air Groups....................................................................................................... 128 E Commanding Officers of Air Squadrons.................................................................................................. 129 F Specifications of Aircraft Carriers............................................................................................................ 133 G Details of RCN Aircraft, l946-1962 ......................................................................................................... 134 H Chronology of Main Events in Canadian Naval Aviation History, 1915-1962........................................ 136 I Ship and Squadron Badges....................................................................................................................... 137 J Bibliography............................................................................................................................................. 140 K Abbreviations ........................................................................................................................................... 141 INDEX ...................................................................................................................................................................... 143 iii Preface From the earliest days of powered flight Canadians have place away from the RCN but without which the other shown an aptitude for all aspects of aviation and this chapters would be meaningless. work is an attempt to present, albeit imperfectly, a little To avoid confusing the reader local times have been known but very important part of this priceless heritage, used unless otherwise stated and as far as possible dates namely the birth and growth of Naval Aviation in Can- have been kept to a minimum consistent with retaining ada. reference value; a brief chronology of the more impor- Although it is primarily an official history as opposed tant events in the history of Canadian Naval Aviation to the “I-was-there” type, the authors wish to stress, has been included as an appendix. Most of the material from the outset, that any opinions expressed are entirely used has been taken from reports, memoranda, letters, their own and that the speculations as to the future flight messages etc., which are not available to the general course of Canadian Naval Aviation are based on their public and have not, therefore, been listed in detail. Re- interpretation of trends up to the year 1962. ports of Proceedings from ships, squadrons and estab- Considerable detail on the operational activities of lishments have been used extensively and where no ships and aircraft has been included and in this connec- other source is given it can be assumed that they are the tion the policy adopted in respect to the highlighting of source. Other file numbers, quoted in substantiation of individuals’ names must be explained to forestall criti- statements made, have been shown in footnotes, the cism that the fish-heads have been given star-billing at number of which has also been kept down. the expense of the aviators. Generally speaking the old Thanks are due to all those who have given helpful rule that, “Captains and above have names otherwise advice and criticism, particularly Lieutenant- there are only ships (or air squadrons),” has been fol- Commander S. E. Soward, CD, RCN, whose expert as- lowed. Exceptions have been made in the case of the sistance on technical matters and enthusiastic support at early RCNAS personalities and those officers and men all times were in no small measure responsible for the of the modern RCN, who have been officially decorated successful completion of the project. Our appreciation or commended. Regretfully, the many good stories con- also goes to our colleagues and the clerical staff of the cerning Canadians who flew with the Royal Navy’s air Naval Historical Section. forces in both World Wars have had to be passed by as Naval Historical Section, the main concern has been with the Royal Canadian Ottawa, Ontario. Navy and the influence on it of naval aviation. For the 1 July, 1965. latter reason the second chapter has been included as an acknowledgement of the importance of events that took iv Introduction THE FIRST CANADIAN NAVAL AIRMEN A new era of unbounded possibilities dawned for man- for action.** Some years were to pass before the navy kind on 17 December, 1903, when Wilbur and Orville started to organize an air arm but in the meantime the Wright’s motor-driven aeroplane rose shakily into the air Royal Naval Air Service was quite willing to accept from a field at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and re- suitable volunteers from the Dominion. In the first year mained airborne for 59 seconds, reaching a maximum of the conflict officialdom did not make it easy for a speed of 30 knots. This event started a chain reaction, prospective candidate to get into the service; he had ei- slow at first, which, with increasing momentum in a ther to pay his own passage or enlist in the Canadian short span of years, has revolutionized many fields of Army and hope to transfer on arrival in England. How- human endeavour. ever, difficulties did not deter the enthusiastic and, as the The news of the advent of powered-flight was re- RNAS began to expand, its history became closely ceived without enthusiasm in naval circles. The mighti- linked to Canada. est fleet of the day, the Royal Navy, was engaged in an The need for pilots was urgent in 1915 so that the arms race with Germany, its first serious challenger in RNAS could meet its three main commitments: anti- nearly one hundred years. The cry was for more men and submarine operations; the Dardanelles campaign; and more ships, particularly Dreadnought Class battleships; the defence of the United Kingdom, for which non-rigid it is not therefore surprising that when the American type airships, together with new fixed-wing planes, were inventors offered to sell the patents for their new-fangled rolling off the production lines. The Admiralty had been inventions to the Admiralty in 1907 they were turned well satisfied with the calibre of the recruits coming down. Yet, it is a fact that within two years both the from Canada and the source