HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22)

HMCS ''Bonaventure'' was a , 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.

Description

Initially laid down as HMS ''Powerful'' as part of the second batch of the ''Colossus'' class during the Second World War, the vessel's construction was halted following the end of the war and the constructed hull was laid up. ''Powerful'' was purchased by the Royal Canadian Navy in 1952 and the hull was taken to the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland to be completed to a modernized design of the ''Majestic'' subclass. The ship measured long overall with a maximum beam of and a draught of . The vessel had a standard displacement of and at full load. ''Bonaventure'' was propelled by two geared steam turbines driving two shafts powered by steam from four Admiralty 3-drum boilers rated at . The steam pressure of the engines were rated at . The aircraft carrier had a maximum speed of and carried of fuel oil.

The ship had a complement of 1,370 officers and ratings. For additional protection to the magazines, mantlets were placed over them. The aircraft carrier was armed with four twin-mounted /50 calibre Mk 33 guns and four single saluting guns. The American 3-inch/50 calibre guns were chosen over 40 mm guns. ''Bonaventure'' had a distinct appearance compared to her sister ships as she had a tall lattice mast, raked funnel and large sponson where the 3-inch guns were situated. Adding to her distinct appearance, was that ''Bonaventure'' was completed with United States Navy radar, specifically the SPS-8A height finder and the SPS-12 air search radar.

Aircraft

As part of the modernized design, ''Bonaventure'' was equipped with three relatively new technologies in relation to her air complement. The ''Majestic'' subclass' design allowed for heavier aircraft, those up to landing at , to be launched and recovered. ''Bonaventure'' improved on that limit, able to land aircraft of up to . The aircraft lifts were enlarged to in order to accommodate larger aircraft. The new design also incorporated an angled flight deck, steam catapults, and optical landing system. The angled flight deck increased the carrier's landing area without limiting space for aircraft parking and allowed for the removal of antiquated crash barriers.

During her service life, ''Bonaventure'' carried five squadrons. The aircraft carrier's initial air group was composed of sixteen McDonnell F2H Banshee jet fighters and eight Grumman CS2F Tracker anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. The Banshee, flown by VF 870 and VF 871, and Tracker, operated by VS 880 and VS 881, were flown from ''Bonaventure'', along with Sikorsky HO4S ASW helicopters operated by HS 50.

The Banshees were a tight fit, with ''Bonaventure'' barely able to accommodate them. The Trackers did not become fully operational aboard until 1959. Despite this, ''Bonaventure'' conducted sustained around-the-clock operations, keeping four Trackers and two HO4Ss in the air at all times, while monitoring an area of . The HO4Ss were equipped with dipping sonar and, beginning in 1958, Mark 43 torpedoes. The Banshees were retired in 1962 but were not replaced. The ship's role then changed to one of pure ASW and the air wing was modified, dropping the fighters but keeping the eight Trackers, and increasing the number of HO4Ss to fourteen. In 1963, the aircraft carrier began a refit in order to allow her operate the new Sikorsky CHSS-2 Sea King helicopters, which had been ordered to replace the HO4Ss. When ''Bonaventure'' was retired, her former aircraft continued to operate from shore installations, including CFB Shearwater.

History

Construction and acquisition

The British government ordered a second hull constructed of what would become the ''Majestic'' class on 16 October 1942 once a dock opened at Harland & Wolff's shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The aircraft carrier's keel was laid down on 21 November 1943 with the yard number 1229 and the British Admiralty chose the name ''Powerful'' for the ship. ''Powerful'' was launched on 27 February 1945. Work was suspended in May 1946 following the end of the Second World War, and the hull was laid up incomplete at Belfast.

In 1952, the Royal Canadian Navy was looking to replace their existing aircraft carrier . On 23 April, the Canadian government authorized the expenditure of $21 million to acquire ''Powerful''. The Royal Canadian Navy had also been offered a ''Hermes''-class aircraft carrier by the United Kingdom but found it too costly and two s on loan from the United States Navy, also considered too costly. The choice of ''Powerful'' was made due to cost considerations as well as financial support for the United Kingdom. Agreement on the purchase of ''Powerful'' was reached on 29 November but was back-dated to 12 July. Work on ''Powerful'' resumed, this time to a modernized design incorporating recent carrier operation developments, such as the angled flight deck and steam catapults. The design changes cost a further $10 million. Other changes that were incorporated were American radar and armament. Construction was completed on 17 January 1957, and the vessel was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy at Belfast, renamed ''Bonaventure'' with Captain H.V. Gross in command. The vessel was christened by the wife of the Canadian Minister of National Defence, Ralph Campney.

Early service

''Bonaventure'' was named for Bonaventure Island, a bird sanctuary in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and was the first aircraft carrier owned outright by Canada, initially tasked with trade protection. In March 1957, the aircraft carrier began trials in the English Channel with her aircraft. ''Bonaventure'' sailed for Canada on 19 June and arrived at her home port, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 26 June, carrying the experimental hydrofoil to Canada on her flight deck. In October, the aircraft carrier began further trials with her air group composed of VF 870 (Banshee), VS 881 (Tracker) and one HO4S helicopter in the Caribbean Sea that lasted until early 1958. This included cross-deck operations with the Royal Navy aircraft carrier . On 2 October, a Banshee fighter flying from ''Bonaventure'' to the naval air base HMCS ''Shearwater'' was lost at sea. The resulting search did not find the plane or the pilot. Captain William Landymore became the ship's senior officer on 15 January 1958. On 25 February 1958, a Banshee crashed into the sea after takeoff and the pilot was killed. On 4 March, a Banshee suffered another fatal crash, as the aircraft made a normal deck landing, an apparent brake failure caused the fighter to flip over the port side of the aircraft carrier, killing the pilot. Later in the year, ''Bonaventure'' participated in the naval exercises New Broom IX and Sharp Squall IV. During Sharp Squall IV a Banshee was lost off the bow of the ship during takeoff. This time, the pilot was recovered by the destroyer . In November 1958, while operating off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, ''Bonaventure'' and her escorts made contact with a Soviet Navy submarine while patrolling around a group of Russian fishing trawlers. The aircraft carrier ended the year with a visit to the United Kingdom before going into refit at Saint John, New Brunswick. On 12 September 1959, Captain John O'Brien took command of the ship.

In 1960, NATO reorganized their defence of the North Atlantic and the Canadian contribution to the new plan centred around an ASW hunter-killer group led by ''Bonaventure''. The aircraft carrier rejoined the fleet in November 1960, embarking VF 870 (Banshee), VS 880 (Tracker) and HS 50 (HO4S) squadrons. Beginning in February 1961, ''Bonaventure'' took part in the naval exercise Toput Droit, followed by a period spent training with the United States Atlantic Fleet in the summer and further naval exercises in October. Captain F.C. Frewer took over command of the ship on 30 August 1961. In April 1962, ''Bonaventure'' had her 10,000th deck landing by an aircraft (a Tracker). On 30 September 1962, Canada withdrew the Banshee fleet and ''Bonaventure''s mission changed to a purely anti-submarine warfare one. The air group was then composed solely of VS 880 and HS 50 squadrons.

On 13 October 1962, at the onset of the Cuban Missile Crisis, ''Bonaventure'' and the 1st Canadian Escort Squadron were sailing through United Kingdom territorial waters. As the crisis deepened, ''Bonaventure'' and her escorts were recalled to Canada. The ship returned to her homeport following the crisis and in January 1963, began a refit at Saint John. During the refit, the ship was modified for the operation of the Sea King helicopters. The aircraft carrier rejoined the fleet in May, but suffered a boiler explosion while in port at Halifax. Repairs took six weeks to complete. On 7 August, Captain Robert Timbrell took command of the vessel. That year ''Bonaventure'' took part in the Sharp Squall naval exercise and in September, participated in testing ASW defences in the Greenland-Iceland gap. That was followed by cross-deck operations with the aircraft carrier .

Mid-life refit and fate

The 1964 Navy estimates called for the major refit of ''Bonaventure'' in order to extend the aircraft carrier's service life. While the Canadian Naval Board planned the carrier's upcoming refit, ''Bonaventure'' participated in the naval exercise Gooey Duck which included training off Bermuda in January and in February, sailed to the Mediterranean Sea. While there, ''Bonaventure'' was recalled to Canada to embark troops from the Canadian Royal 22nd Regiment for service in a United Nations peacekeeping venture. Called Operation Snow Goose, 95 soldiers, 54 vehicles and 400 tons of stores were loaded aboard the aircraft carrier and the ship disembarked them at Famagusta, Cyprus on 30 March. ''Bonaventure'' then returned to Canada before sailing to Norfolk, Virginia, for trials with the A-4 Skyhawk, a possible replacement for the Banshee. However, due to financial considerations, the Skyhawk was not purchased. In December, ''Bonaventure'' began sea trials with the Sea King helicopter.

In January 1965, ''Bonaventure''s air group was composed of VS 880 (Tracker), HS 50 (Sea King), an HO4S plane guard from HU 21 squadron and a COD Tracker from VU 32 squadron. From February to March 1965, ''Bonaventure'' took part in naval exercises and in May, visited the United Kingdom. On 2 April 1965, Captain Henry Porter became the commanding officer of the aircraft carrier. In June, ''Bonaventure'' visited the Joint Anti-Submarine School at Londonderry and took part in joint operations in the Southwest Approaches with and HNLMS ''Karel Doorman''. The following year in January, ''Bonaventure'', along with six escorts, took part in the largest Canadian naval activity in the Caribbean Sea and South American waters. During the exercise, the ship visited Rio de Janeiro in February and in March, returned to Halifax.

Beginning in April 1966, the carrier began a mid-life refit at Davie Shipbuilding in Lauzon, Quebec. The initial estimate for the refit was $8 million. However, during the refit, numerous issues with the ship, which had been present since construction, were found and led to cost overruns and delays. In the end, the refit took 18 months and cost $17 million, both behind schedule and well over budget. The refit was complete in August 1967. During her refit, Captain A. T. Brice became the ship's commanding officer on 1 August 1966. ''Bonaventure'' rejoined the fleet in November 1967 with a new commanding officer, Captain R. H. Falls, who had taken command on 21 November 1966.

Following the 1968 Unification of the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Navy ceased to exist and ''Bonaventure'' and naval aviation were merged with the rest of the Canadian Armed Forces, with naval aviation no longer under the jurisdiction of the navy. In February 1968, ''Bonaventure'' took part in a naval exercise in which a Sea King ditched into the sea. The crew were recovered alive and the helicopter was salvaged. In March, the ship visited New Orleans

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