RCAF Station Great Whale River was located at the mouth of the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

with the same name on the shore of

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

. The town surrounding the former base is now known by its native name of

Kuujjuarapik Kuujjuarapik (also spelled Kuujjuaraapik; ''little great river'') is the southernmost northern village (Inuit community) at the mouth of the Great Whale River () on the coast of Hudson Bay in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. Almost 1,000 people, mos ...

. Originally built in 1955 as a detachment, it was elevated to station status in 1957 when it became Sector Control Station 400 of the

Mid-Canada Line The Mid-Canada Line (MCL), also known as the McGill Fence, was a line of radar stations running east–west across the middle of Canada, used to provide early warning of a Soviet bomber attack on North America. It was built to supplement the ...

. After the Mid-Canada Line project was terminated there was no longer any need for a military presence at the site, and RCAF Station Great Whale River closed on April 2, 1965. While in operation, the station was supported by

RCAF Station St. Hubert Canadian Forces Base St. Hubert was a Canadian Forces Base in the city of Saint-Hubert, Quebec, Saint-Hubert, Quebec. The base began as a civilian airfield in the 1920s and was later also used by RCAF auxiliary (reserve) squadrons, beginning in th ...

. The station's gravel runway is now administered by the

government of Quebec The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used to refer to the executive of the day (i.e. Minister of the Crown, mini ...

for

Kuujjuarapik airport Kuujjuarapik Airport is located adjacent to the Inuit community of Kuujjuarapik, Quebec, Canada. It also serves the nearby Cree community of Whapmagoostui Whapmagoostui (, "place of the beluga") is the northernmost Cree village in Quebec, C ...

and runs parallel to the shore of Hudson Bay.

References

{{Reflist Royal Canadian Air Force stations Air defence radar stations Military installations established in 1957 Military installations closed in 1965