List of aircraft of the Royal Canadian Navy

Royal Canadian Navy Grumman Tracker banking away.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Canadian Navy aircraft.

This is a list of aircraft of the Royal Canadian Navy covering the period up 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.

Prior to the Second World War the Royal Canadian Navy did not operate aircraft. The Royal Navy Air Service's Royal Navy Canadian Air Service used Curtiss H.12 flying boats to carry out anti-submarine patrols off the Canadian East Coast.

During the Second World War, Canadian personnel manned the carriers HMS Nabob (from 1943 until sunk in 1944) and HMS Puncher (from 1944 until returned to the US in 1946), with their complement of Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier based aircraft.

With the loan of HMCS Warrior in 1946, 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. The Navy considered purchasing Grumman Hellcat fighters, but these were rejected in favour of the Sea Fury.

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/aCanadautility/trainer1946–19522[1][note 1]
Beechcraft ExpeditorCT-128UStransport/trainer1952–196010[2][note 1]
Bell HTL-4 & HTL-6n/aUSutility helicopter1951–19678[3]
Canadair Silver StarCT-133Canadatrainer1955–200216[4][5][note 1]
de Havilland DH.82C Tiger Mothn/aCanadatrainer1948–19573[3][note 1]
Fairey Albacoren/aUKtorpedo bomber1943–19496[note 2]
Fairey Fireflyn/aUKfighter strike-reconnaissance1946–195376on loan.[6][7][note 3]
Fairey Swordfishn/aUKtorpedo bomber1946–194822[8][note 3]
Grumman Avengern/aUStorpedo bomber/ASW/AEW1950–1960125[9][10][note 4][note 5]
Grumman CS2F TrackerCP-121US/CanadaASW1956–1994101[9][note 6]
Hawker Sea Furyn/aUKfighter1948–195775[11][12][13][note 7]
McDonnell F2H Bansheen/aUSfighter1955–196239[14][15][note 4]
North American Harvardn/aCanadatrainer1946–195836[note 1][note 8]
Piasecki HUP Retrievern/aUSrescue/utility helicopter1954–19643[16][17][note 4]
Schweizer SGS 2-12n/aUStraining glider1946–19491[18]
Sikorsky CHSS-2 Sea KingCH-124CanadaASW helicopter1963–current41[16]
Sikorsky HO4Sn/aUSrescue & ASW helicopter1952–197013[16][19][20]
Supermarine Seafiren/aUKfighter1946–195435on loan.[16][note 3]
Supermarine Walrusn/aUKutility amphibian1946–19464[21][note 3][note 9]

References

  1. ↑ Pettipas, 1986, p.9 & 42
  2. ↑ Pettipas, 1986, p.42 & 80
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Griffin, 1969, p.495
  4. ↑ Lockheed CT-133 Silver Star (T-bird) 1955 accessdate: 21 January 2014
  5. ↑ Pettipas, 1986, p.59
  6. ↑ http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/v2/equip/hst/firefly-eng.asp
  7. ↑ Griffin, 1969, p.12, 589,
  8. ↑ Griffin, 1969, p.589
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Griffin, 1969, p.13
  10. ↑ Griffin, 1969, p.601-602
  11. ↑ Griffin, 1969, p.14
  12. ↑ http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/v2/equip/hst/seafury-eng.asp
  13. ↑ Walker, R.W.R. Sea Fury detailed list, 2004. accessdate: 21 January 2014.
  14. ↑ Griffin, 1969, p.15
  15. ↑ Griffin, 1969, p.602
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Griffin, 1969, p.17
  17. ↑ Walker, R.W.R. HUP detailed list, 2004. accessdate: 21 January 2014.
  18. ↑ Pettipas, 1986, p.10 & 25
  19. ↑ Griffin, 1969, p.602-603
  20. ↑ Walker, R.W.R. HO4S detailed list, 2004. accessdate: 21 January 2014.
  21. ↑ Griffin, 1969, p.17, 511 & 573

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 ex-Royal Canadian Air Force
  2. ↑ transferred to RCN but never flown
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 ex-Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 ex-US Navy
  5. ↑ Extensively modified for Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role, number includes Airborne early warning (AEW) variant.
  6. ↑ all but first example built by de Havilland Canada
  7. ↑ 1 FB.10 and 74 FB.11
  8. ↑ Built by Noorduyn and Canadian Car & Foundry
  9. ↑ Used by No.1 Naval Air Gunner School/743 Fleet Requirements Unit

Bibliography

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

External links