Spring 2003.p65 - Shearwater Aviation Museum Foundation

Spring 2003

Shearwater Aviation Museum Foundation NewsletterPage 2

The Shearwater Aviation Museum Foundation (SAMF) Newsletter is published three times yearly. Cheques made payable to the “Shearwater AviationMuseum Foundation” or “SAMF” should be mailed to PO Box 5000, Station Main, Shearwater, NS B0J 3A0. Portions of this newsletter may be reprintedwithout prior permission provided full credit is given to both the author(s) and the Shearwater Aviation Museum Foundation Newsletter. In accordancewith his mandate, the Editor of the SAMF Newsletter reserves the right to edit, condense or reject copy to suit the requirements of the Newsletter. Anyopinions expressed are deemed to be those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Shearwater Aviation MuseumFoundation, its members, and/or the Shearwater Aviation Museum.

Newsletter Staff

Editor Bill FarrellSecretary Kay CollacuttDesign Layout and Production Bob Grundy and Johan LePine

Submissions

To facilitate a good product, the staffwould like to pass on the following info:

Text submissions can be eitherpaper, email or electronically produced,Word or Wordperfect. We will format thetext for you.

Graphics are best submitted as anoriginal photo (not a fax). If submittedelectronically, they should be 300 dpi and a.tif file. A .jpg file at 300 dpi is acceptable ifno compression is used. However, we willattempt to use any pictures, whatever theformat, that you may desire to send to us.

If anybody requires a hand oradditional clarification please feel free toemail Bob at [email protected].

Following these guidelines willallow us to produce clearer newsletters ina timely fashion. Thanks in advance.

Bob Grundy

PLEASE NOTE

When sending mail of any kind, newsletterarticles, letters to the editor, membershiprenewals, donations etc please ensure theenvelope is addressed correctly to the:

Shearwater Aviation Museum Foundation orSAM Foundation

Deadlines for receiving submissions:Summer 27 June

Winter 4 OctSpring 7 March

Some Donations are being sent directly to theMuseum and therefore may be deposited to theMuseum account and not credited to yourmembership in the Foundation and there-foreno receipt will be sent.

And other stuff we had room for....

This Issue...Editor’s Grunts ............................................................................................................. 3President’s Report ....................................................................................................... 4From the Curator’s Desk ............................................................................................ 4NEW NAME FOR SAMF NEWSLETTER? .................................................................. 7825 - A STORIED SQUADRON .................................................................................. 11VS 881: A BRIEF HISTORY ....................................................................................... 13Sea Kings in the Persian Gulf .................................................................................. 18The 1921 Joint Exercises at Halifax: ...................................................................... 22Henry Botterell —The Last of Our First ................................................................. 24READERS COMMENTS & SELECTED NAVAIRGENS ........................................... 32THE WEARIN’ OF THE GREEN ................................................................................. 37THE RIGHT STUFF! .................................................................................................... 38THE LAST WORD..... .................................................................................................. 39

THE BLACK FLIGHTWorld War 1

The Black PrinceFlown by

Sub Lieut W.M. Alexander DSC RNAS

The Black Flight consisted of fiveSopwith Triplanes in the Royal Naval Air Serviceflown by five Canadian Pilots, led by RaymondCollishaw. The Squadron was officially ‘B’ Flightof RNAS No. 10 Sqn. They had a short butspectacular career and between May and Julythey accounted for eighty-seven enemy aircraft.

The engine cowlings, metal fuselagepanels and wheel covers of the Triplanes werepainted glossy black and they were named:

BLACK MARIA Raymond CollishawBLACK DEATH J. E. Sharman (Killed)BLACK ROGER E. V. ReidBLACK PRINCE W. M. AlexanderBLACK SHEEP G. E. Nash

The lithograph of an original painting bythe renowned Canadian Aviation artist BobBradford shows the Black Prince downing aGerman Albatross. Mr. Alexander describedthis particular action to the artist. The print issigned by Mr. Alexander.

Cover:

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Spring 2003

Shearwater Aviation Museum Foundation Newsletter

A wise nation preserves its records, gathers up its muniments, deco-rates the tombs of its illustrious dead, repairs its great public struc-tures, and fosters national pride and love of country by perpetualreferences to the sacrifices and glories of the past.

-Joseph Howe, 31 August 1871

EDITOR’S GRUNTS

From: “WLD (Bill) Farrell”

For this issue we have replaced the regular logo-image of a creature resemblingone of Gibraltar’s Barbary Apes with one taking us back to the early days of postwar naval aviation. The aircraft shown is a Barracuda dive bomber/torpedo plane

used, in this instance, for Canadian observer training in RNAS Rattray (HMS Condor)(Scotland). The photo is dated 1945. The “stores” under the wing are smoke floats for windfinding, not bombs. The derivation of the replaced (ape) logo is revealed elsewhere in thisissue. Your editorial staff continues to fly by the seat of its pants, learning the mediacommunications trade as we go on from issue to issue. Our secretary (to whom all offeringsshould be addressed — with the editor as a “CC” when appropriate) maintains banks ofsubmissions on various subjects ranging from the “there I was upside down over thePacific” through messdeck yarns and memories to scholarly treatises on war in the maritimeair environment. I regularly rummage around in Kay’s drawers to find things of interest, or,should I say, things that I think would excite our readers. I am seldom disappointed butwonder if my personal taste is shared by you all. You offer, in your reader’s responses,fulsome praise (and a few brickbats) but precious little clear direction to us. Until you readersget up off your duffs and tell us what you want (give us your “reasons in writing”) we’ll soldieron as before: Our guiding philosophy being that once upon a time there was a gallant bandof brothers who created a brilliant light over the oceans of the world and that every one ofthose brothers counted — from the Stoker manning the emergency steering gear in the tillerflats to the Pilot on the catapult at the bow and all the Mechanics, Cooks, Stewards, AircraftHandlers and the thousand of others who made up the ship’s company crowded in between.This is an all hands newsletter. The newsletter serves all. The newsletter also serves ourlight blue brothers-in-arms for whom RCAF Dartmouth was home during the 1939 -1945War. Lest we forget!

ANNOUNCINGTHE 5th ANNUAL

GALA DINNERAND AUCTION

TO BE HELD INTHE WO & SGTS. MESS,12 WING SHEARWATER

ON 14 JUN 03

MAKE NOTE OF THE DATE NOW!The proceeds will be used for theAtrium Building Fund and we needyour support to once again makethis a success.

UP SPIRITSREUNION

HMCS BONAVENTURE/MAGNIFICENT

27, 28 and 29 Jun 03Fleet Club - Halifax, NS

Come on down, rekindle memorieswith old friends and shipmates. Agreat time to be had by all. Manyevents planned.Pre-registration only $35.

Application forms available from:

Peter or Ann Kent at (902) 455-2533The Fleet Club PMC (902) 427-0550Ext 8219CFB Halifax, PO Box 99000Stn ForcesHalifax, NS B3K 5X5

Spring 2003


President’s Report

From the Curator’s Desk

It’s difficult to think spring when weare up to our knees in snow, but thesun gets stronger every day and

already we have gained well over an hourof daylight since December. The cycles ofseasons march on relentlessly. This rushof time brings to mind membershiprenewals. Please renew your membershipsif you haven’t already done so. Better still,become a life member and avoid the needto remember each year!

Occasionally we read in the news thatsome Charitable organization has lost itscharitable status because too much isspent on fund-raising expenses and notenough on charitable things. Rest assuredthat SAMF does not have to worry about thisproblem. Our membership income easilycovers our administrative costs and the costof our Newsletter. Our actual cost of fund-raising is less than 20% of our fund-raisingincome. The costs of fund raising are thingssuch as the dinner, amortised Bonnie bookcosts, Wine, Cheese and Art expenses,postage, telephone and occasionaladvertising. Our current “legitimate”expenditures are $18,000 per year buildingloan payments and occasional paymentsto the Museum for display enhancementsor other Museum activities. We are notcurrently spending all we collect. We haveauthorization from Canada Customs andRevenue to accumulate funds for futureprojects such as the Atrium project. Oncethis project begins, we will be spendingthe “farm”. In addition there are other worthygoals, like paying down the building loanor paying for artifact acquisitions and

restoration. We are therefore well within theguidelines for Charitable organizations.

In closing, I’d like to thank all the volunteerswho made our third annual Wine, Cheeseand Art evening a memorable event. Theevening was profitable as well as enjoyable.A sincere thank-you and a BZ to thecommittee! During the evening I had theprivilege of accepting a cheque for$1400.00 from CNAG (Atlantic Chapter).Thank you CNAG, for your generous gift tothe SAMF Building Fund.Eric Nielsen, SAMF President

Christine Hines - SAM Curator

The winter months were busy withmany exhibit activities and events.

New at SAM this winter was an exhibitfeaturing the seventeen-foot scale modelof HMCS Bonaventure. The crowning gloryof the exhibit, a thirty-one foot muraldepicting Bonnie with a Destroyer Escort,HMCS Assiniboine DDH 234, wasinstalled in late February, fabricated byAnicom Signs, and designed by Don Smithof Omicron Interpretation and Design. Theexhibit outlines the history and the role ofthe aircraft carrier and its escort. Ourresident modeller, Rob LePine, iscompleting finishing touches on the scalemodels and the surrounding waterline.Look for the grand opening of this exhibitin the spring.

The highlight of the winter thus far was thearrival of a Piasecki HUP-3 helicopter intoour collection on 26 Feb 03 A donationfrom the Canadian Museum of Flight inLangley, B.C., the HUP-3 was originallypurchased by the RCN from the US Army.It had been flown by HU 21, primarily usedaboard HMCS Labrador as an icebreakerbetween 1955-1957. The HUP-3 requiresa new paint job into RCN colours, but is inotherwise excellent condition for a staticdisplay piece. A great debt of gratitude isowed to the following: the Board ofDirectors and Ms. Sandy Tinsley, ExecutiveDirector, from the Canadian Museum ofFlight for their generosity, our own Mr. ErnieCable for facilitating the donation, Mr. DonPearsons, Director of Air Force Heritageand History at 1 Canadian Air DefenceHeadquarters in Winnipeg, as well as toCol David Martin, WComd of 12 WingShearwater, for their support oftransportation and equipment for the HUP-

3’s journey from Langley to Shearwater.

The Millennium Collection of the CanadianAviation Artists Association has left us forpoints west. On view since September,the exhibit generated a great deal ofinterest and added a wonderful spot ofcolour to the new hangar. The exhibit leftSAM in early March for its next stop at theWestern Canada Aviation Museum.Special thanks go to the CAAA for allowingus to show the collection, particularlyappropriate as 2003 celebrates theCentennial of Flight.

I’d like to take this opportunity to formallywelcome Reservist MCpl Tom Boyce to theSAM team. Tom has recently joined thestaff in the capacity of Engineer. He retiredfrom the Regular Force after 20.5 years asan Avionics Tech in the Air Force (19 ofthose years having been served inShearwater). Tom is filling the position leftvacant after Sgt. Graham Heron’sretirement. Welcome Aboard Tom.

In closing, I’d like to mention that SAM isgearing up for its seasonal opening in April.2003 is a special year for SAM as it marks25 years of incorporation as a museum.We have come a long way to improving thequality of exhibits and infrastructure at SAMover the years, and we have garnered agreat deal of support and made manyfriends over the years. Without suchsupport, the Museum would not be nearlyas well developed as it is today. Sincerethanks to all who have supported us overthe years in so many ways. We look forwardto continued growth of SAM.

NEWS FLASH

On Wed 12 Mar 03, the SAMF Boardof Directors approved theallocation of up to $130,000 to the

building fund to be used by the ShearwaterAviation Museum (SAM) for the constructionof the new addition (Atrium).

These funds will remain under thecontrol of SAMF and transferred to SAM asrequested. The building should becompleted by 31 Dec 03.

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Spring 2003


Shearwater aviation museum personnel inspect their newest acquisition. It’s a 1954 Piasecki HUP-3 helicopter; the same type that flewregular operations from HMCS Shearwater (1954 until 1960). They look forward to the day when it will look exactly like the original onein the accompanying RCN photo.Contributor: Dave Banfield

Shearwater Aviation Museum Curator, Chuck Coffin, Engineer, Tom Boyce and Rob Lepine standing by thegenerous donation from the Canadian Museum of Flight, Langley,B.C.

RCN photo of 1954 Piasecki HUP-3

Spring 2003


A Matelot’s Farewellto His Tot

Lt Doug ClarkHMCS Discovery

You soothed my nerves and warmed my limbsAnd cheered my dismal heart.Procured my wants, obliged my whims -And now it’s time to part.‘Mid endless perils of the deepAnd miseries untoldYou summoned sweet forgetful sleepCocooned me from the cold.Ten years ago, the “pound o’ left,”That cast its fragrant spellAbout the ship, expired in grief,And sadness of farewell.Tho’ guests might find the pantry bareWhene’er they chose to comeYour hospitality was there:A tot of Pussers Rum.

Two hundred years and more you filledThe storm-tossed sailor’s need.Now you’ve been killed, by spite distilledFrom jealousy and greed.And petty clerks with scrawny necksWho never saw a wave,Nor felt the spray, nor heaving decks,Consign you to your grave.Alas! However I protestTo save myself from hurt,They tell me that it’s for the best -to keep us all alert.And so the time has come old friend,To take the final sup.Our tears are shed, this is the end,Goodbye and bottoms up!

IN THE DELTA

Allen, R.E. “Moose”Armstrong, Cliff

Bignell, Fred (Civ. RadarTech)

Botterell, HBudeshiem, R

Conrad, FraserDevlin, FredFallen, TedFraser, E

Gervais, ClancyGrant, Al

Hall, Rev. DougHannah, G

Kingsmill, PLavigne, Pete

MacDonald, EarlMason, Eric BruceMerkley, George

Neale, John Tweeny’Patterson, RitaRotherham, G

Rudderham, FreemanRyan, Cheryl

Ryan, PatSandes, MichaelScott, Margorie

Walker, Don

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Spring 2003


NEW NAME FOR SAMFNEWSLETTER?

From: “Leo Pettipas”[email protected]

Hello Bill and Kay: Ever emboldenedby the fervour and enthusiasmreserved only for the chronically

smug and self-righteous, it is with greatsatisfaction that I call to your attention thememo from Dan Neumann, a person whois clearly wise beyond his years. You willnote that he alludes to the SAMF “Newsletter”as the “Shearwater Aviation MuseumJournal”.Don’t I recall pointing out manymonths ago that this publication is more thana “newsletter”, hey? Might I again suggestthat, with its feature articles and loads ofanecdotal material of literary and scholarlyvalue, it’s much more than a newsletter onsteroids? Might it not be timely for the goodfolks at SAMF to accord the “newsletter” thedignity and respect it so richly deserves, andre-name it accordingly, hmm? And in theMarch 2003 edition, wouldn’t it be nice toinvite the SAMF membership to suggest anew name for this august publication?Remember that venerable and excellentperiodical “The Crowsnest”; no way anyonewas going to call that a “newsletter”, and Ithink the SAMF publication is fastapproaching “The Crowsnest” in nature andquality. So I’d like to recommend that thetime may be nigh to start thinking seriouslyabout giving (a) the SAMF Newsletter apromotion and, in the process, (b) a vote ofconfidence and appreciation to thoseinvolved in its production. All we would bedoing is calling a spade a spade, and at thesame time elevating the publication to a levelof stature it presently, by being called a“newsletter”, doesn’t enjoy, but should. Then,if some time in the future, the articles andanecdotes dry up, it can be downgraded onceagain to the status of a newsletter.

From Allan Snowie:New name for SAMF Newsletter. This lookslike fun: How about “Jet Blast” or“Highground” or even “Goofers” Have beencalling it a Journal to all and sundry for sometime. Let’s give it a good and proud name inthe manner of “Crowsnest” and “Roundel”.These are all plaudits to you Bill.Congratulations on editing a superbmagazine.

Dan Neumann writes:I have to agree that the “newsletter” has cometo mean more to me than a collection of

meaningless gossip. I must commend theeditor and all of the staff for the continuousimprovement in quality and content.

By my misnaming it a journal I did not intendto start a movement toward a new name,however there are many stories out thereconcerning naval air that don’t necessarilyoriginate in Shearwater.

As for the crows nest I can’t say that I’ve everseen one on a Tracker or Sea King. Howabout “the Flight Deck” or even “Prop Wash”?

PRIZE OFFERED!The reader submitting a new name accepted by the Board ofDirectors, will win an all-expense paid cruise across thebiggest saltwater sewage lagoon in the world.

Spring 2003


A Proud Bunch:The Carrier Air Group

1952-1954by Rolly West

The period during the early 1950swas probably one of the mostactive times at Shearwater. As

many as 10 Squadrons were operational,supported by Base Maintenancedepartments, the School of Naval AircraftMaintenance, an Aviation Supply Depot,plus various other supporting sections.Active squadrons comprised of 30th CAGwith VS881 and VF871, 31st SAG withVS880 and VF870, No. 1 TAG, 743 Sqn,VX10, HU21, HS50 and the RCAF 101communications flight. Needless to say,those personnel in Air Traffic Control werebusy people in those days.

Any person who has served on theCAG and in the Carrier, experienced manyflying operations, deployments, longhours of maintenance, extreme hot andcold weather conditions, a variety of livingconditions accompanied with a strongsense of squadron pride and in mostinstances, exceptionally strongcomradeship. Each period was different,with Different CO’s, different pilots andobservers, and changed ground crews.However, their CAG experiences aresimilar and a typical period on the CAG isrecorded in the paragraphs that follow.

In December 1953, a group of eightRiggers and Fitters from 743 Sqn weredrafted to VS881. As a member of thisgroup, a period in my career began that isone of the most memorable of allsquadron times.

The CAG had just returned inMagnificent from a cruise to theMediterranean and was busily preparingfor its next development after the festiveseason - a two-squadron exercise at theCJATC (Cdn Joint Air Training Centre) inRivers, Manitoba. Prior to our departureto the West, all personnel were issuedstate-of-the-art arctic clothing; at least wewere going to be dressed to combat the -45 F temperatures.

Working with the Army and the AirForce during the Exercise “OperationAssiniboine” was quite a successfulexperience and the weather conditionswere as severe as a winter could provide.However, aircraft serviceability was high

and our spirits were even higher.

During a break in the Exercise adeployment further west by the squadrontook place - a visit to Calgary. Themaintenance crews flew in the Air Force“Oxydol” DC-3 from 101 Comm. Flight andupon arrival in Calgary found thetemperature on the February day to be 73F- quite a change from Rivers. This trip westreally established the two squadrons 881and 871 for that period as people worked

hard, and we certainly played hard. Atogetherness amongst groundcrew, aircrew and betweensquadrons was established -and it remains to this day.

Once back at Shearwater our AEO,Peter Poole-Warren and Sqn Chief BrianClifford advised us that we were sailing inMaggie to attend the Coronation and theSpithead Review of the Fleet. After the pilotscarried out their FCLPs (Field CarrierLanding Practice) and then their actual day/night landing quals on the carrier, we sailedfor England. Our Squadron disembarkedthe ship to HMS Daedalus at Lee-On-Solent. The RN were very good hosts andgraciously gave us our own hangar (it wasblitzed and had no roof).

Living conditions were different aswell - straw mattresses in the barracks tosleep on. No heat in the pot-bellied stoves(Base Standing Orders ruled no fires instoves after 1 May) so coal from the galleywas “procured”. It seems the RCNbarracks were the only ones with heat andsmoke flowing out the chimneys, and thisreally disturbed the Chief Master-At-arms.He also didn’t appreciate it when anunknown Canadian took his bicycle and he

was very upset when the Admiral advisedhim of the colonials who were playingfootball on his grass outside the blitzedhangar. I flew with Paddy O’Connell as Pilotand fellow-passenger Bill Sopko in theflypast over the Spithead Review and theQueen’s ship, HMS Surprise. What awonderful sight: over 200 aircraft took partin this flypast and upon return to Lee, 881Sqn was the last to be refueled. Needlessto say some of us were late for the smoker.

One of the perks of being atechnician in those days was the privilegeof being able to paint your name alongsidethe Pilot’s on your aircraft. I was veryfortunate to have had my name alongsidethe same Fitter on three differentSquadrons: 1 TAG, 743 and 881 and thatwas the late Don Heartwell. There was atremendous pride in maintaining your ownaircraft in those days and with the sameaircrew assigned to that aircraft, excellentrapport developed. This was evident whenthe aircrew would help to wash down theaircraft. There were even times when allsquadron personnel would chip in to helpscrub down the hangar deck back atShearwater. This weekly event washighlighted by PO Sopko’s famous “soogie”soap mixture made especially for thispurpose.

No squadron is without hijinks andVS 881 was no exception.

Who can forget the winter when LtPoole-Warren’s Messerschmidt car wasplaced up on a high snow bank; uponfinding it, he immediately blamed PO GordParlee.

When Maggie was anchored offTorquay, England, the civilian duty boats hadbars aboard. Some 881 members nevergot ashore.

Many squadron members willremember those entertaining characterswho, after “hands fall in” each morning,would raise the Squadron flag.

Who could forget the time during“Operation Mariner” when the USNSkyraider landed aboard the Maggie duringthat tense fog situation and, when stowedbelow in the hangar, was set upon bysquadron members and painted toextremes. Commander (Air) was not happy.

After the summer of 1953 atShearwater the CAG set sail in Maggie forpoints south for carquals and exercises

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Spring 2003


with the USN. From Norfolk we sailed northon “Operation Mariner” and we formed theNSTB Club which stood for “No ShavingTill Belfast”. Twenty-eight days later, in orderto go ashore, all beards had to come off.After a lengthy stay in Ireland we sailed forGlasgow and picked up some new SeaFuries for ferry back to Shearwater. After acouple more visits to Portsmouth andBelfast we sailed for Halifax and Christmasat home.

Many people were responsible forthe happy and successful times on the CAGof that era and, in particular, VS 881. Wehad excellent CO’s in LCdr Bill Atkinsonand LCdr Mike Page, plus a multitude of“gung ho” pilots. The Chiefs and PO’s ofthat period rally provided the leadershiprequired to successfully support the flyingoperations, along with Brian Clifford, BennyBenoy, Bert Bates(“on the beam thesubmarine”), Monty Mansell, Jack Dunn,Joe Malone, Norm Lambert, Ray Beliveau,Al Moore, Norm Ellison, Jim Hadden, BillSopko and Gord Parlee.

To name all the Killicks and ABs onthe Squadron throughout 1953 would bean awesome task. However, those whoserved will remember the times, places andevents that included Rivers, Magnificent,Lee-On-Solvent, Belfast, New York, Calgary,Norfolk, Provincetown, Torquay, Spithead,Bermuda, Portsmouth, Shearwater andthose many days and nights at sea. Wewere a proud bunch, good friends and stillare.

REFLECTIONS OF 881SQUADRON [1958]

by Al Whalley Rt’d C2AT4

PIERHEAD JUMP Minutes before Bonniewas to sail on a Mediterranean cruise inOctober 1958,P1AT Al Chranows becameseriously ill and was taken off the ship andtransported to hospital. I received ordersto replace him and was to be flown aboardby chopper the following day, as the shiphad sailed on schedule. However; the planto airlift me aboard by chopper or Trackerfell through as weather continued todeteriorate and Bonnie moved further andfurther out of range. Just when I wasbeginning to think that all of the optionshad been attempted and failed and I wouldbe remaining at Shearwater after all andable to go hunting, as I had earlier madeplans to do so. Even purchasing myhunting licence...new bright yellow bootsand a new 35 Marlin rifle prior to my draftnotice................I ended up on board HMCSOttawa to rendezvous with Bonnie in theAzores!!

ABOARD OTTAWA What a great crew! My10 days aboard a destroyer, that I wasmore used to seeing astern of us, in ourwake, while aboard our carriers [ I servedon all three ] was a truly interesting..exciting and informative experience. Theywouldn’t allow me to work! I actuallyvolunteered ! Hmmmm I was clearlytagged as a passenger! and told to enjoythe cruise. I was allowed to go anywhereon the ship....which I did .. spending a lotof time in the war room and even on thebridge. Got my tot every day too!

JACKSTAY Along with my “first” pierheadjump and cruise aboard a destroyer, alongcame another “one and only first”... Whenwe rendezvoused with Bonnie I was“jackstayed “aboard! WOW! My old reliable8mm bell and Howell movie camera that Icarried everywhere, was rolling..right upuntil I detached from Ottawa...but at that“moment “ I hurriedly shoved the camerainside my jacket and wisely decided tohang on with BOTH hands! I’m certain theguys on Bonnie were trying their best tosee how close they could get my feet tothe waves that towered below me createdby the wake of the two ships, just a shortdistant apart. My new boss and an old friendalready, CPO Chuck Hines was the firstone to greet me as my feet hit the deck![Big grin on his face of course] Note: Filmclips of Tracker landings and takeoffs etc,as well as some fun on board actvities,that

I personnally captured with my Bell andHowel, can be seen on a great Navalairweb site “Under the Cat” !!

CS2F TRACKER INTRODUCTION I hadjust returned to Shearwater a few weeksprior to my draft to VS 881 having servedon VC 920 squadron the previous twoyears, so was unfamiliar with the newTrackers that had just came on stream in1957. Talk about OJT.... “on job training”.Well that I did during that cruise. Onceagain , with a great bunch of guys! Thosetruly were the “good ‘ol days!

MEMORABLE MAGIC MOMENTS Whileanchored in Naples harbour....touring theruins of Pompeii......cable ride on a woodenseat to the top of Mount Vesuvious with ahangover!! and looking down into the deepsmoking crater....remembering what hadoccurred there those many years ago. Myfirst Italian spaghetti dinner [disappointingthough] Dinner invitation from Chief andPetty Officer’s mess aboard a Frenchaircraft carrier docked along side Bonnieduring visit to Toulon France!

GIBRALTAR DETACHMENT The coupleof days that I detached from Bonnie with asmall crew to service our Trackers thatwere flying X-cntry to Bedford England,became closer to a week. We watchedBonnie sail, then learned the followingday that our aircraft were having difficultygetting overflight authorization from someEuropean country...Spain I believe?However; Although running short of justabout everything during our extended stay,we and all of our aircrew made it eventuallyto dear old England!

GET OUT! HANDS UP! STAND FACINGTHE HEADLIGHTS! Was the order wereceived by armed guards with viciouspolice dogs on our return from our first nightflying operation during our stay at BedfordUSAF base. With machine guns aimed atour backs we went through a gruelingquestion and answer exercise that lastedabout 10 minutes or so! [ hey guys! we’reon your side] Night flying was cancelledthe next morning, for the remainder of ourstay! Thank goodness! Those USAF guyshad no idea of the risk they would havebeen taking, had we gone back for asecond time....more prepared! They wereso lucky! Note: Closely guarded nucleararmed aircarft ..top secret etc etc ready forimmediate takeoff 24 hrs a day wereapparently the reason for the unusualunexpected activity?

THE “HAPPY” WARRIORAB Earle Cale - HMCS WARRIOR

How proud we sail from harbour’s light,To duties on the sea

A Commodore’s pennant flying high,for all the Fleet to see.

A Warrior’s Emblem on the bridge,A Warrior’s crew below,

The aircraft ranged for take-offWhen the wind is on the bow.

The pride of being what we are,The pride of being true,

The pride of being at the top,A “Happy Warrior’s” crew.

Spring 2003


A TOTALLY UNFORGET-TABLE CHARACTER

R.W.T. HOGG

Dave Williams wrote:

At one point in his colourful career,Bob was shot down of the coast of NorthAfrica in a Barracuda [if I recall correctly].They ditched within swim distance of theshore but he went down for some depthbefore he extricated himself. During thestruggle to the surface and the swim toshore he shed pretty well all of his clothes.His progress was observed by both sidesas he was about to land just about on thefront line. The Allies gave a little push andhe stepped ashore in friendly territory. Tomaintain his modesty he had to coverhimself and the only thing handy was aGerman greatcoat taken from a casualty ofthe recent skirmish. He was evacuatedovernight to Cairo and billeted in a hotel.One can imagine the stir he caused nextmorning as he descended the mainstaircase of Shepherds hotel wearing aGerman greatcoat with several bloodybullet holes in it - Shepherds having beencommandeered and serving as BritishArmy HQ in Egypt. Tom Copeland or BuckRogers may be able to add more to thisstory. Dave

From: Bob Geale<[email protected]>

Bob Hogg was a TAG in 829 Squadronflying Fairey Albacores from the fleet carrierHMS FORMIDABLE . In January 1941 hispilot was SBLT(A) MacAuley, RNVR wholiked nothing better than rolling his wheelsalong the top of the big rollers off the Africancoast. One day MacAuley took up a youngSteward in place of Bob and that was theend of MacAuley . Bob in 829 tool part in theMadagascar and Massawi attacks .

In March, 829 Squadron was involved inthe Battle of Matapan and it was in thataction that he was Gazetted being awardedthe Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) . Ibelieve it was for his efforts in enemyreporting although the squadron did carryout attacks on the Italian ships.

The aircraft that Bob ditched in was anAlbacore and I do not believe he ever flewin a Barra. If you would like I will try andcheck out his squadrons. He was a greatMate ... long may he be remembered.Windy

From: Laurie Farrington<[email protected]>

The considerable e-mail traffic onthe late Bob Hogg indicates he is a wellremembered character in Canadian navalaviation. I regret I never met or served withhim so have no personal anecdotes topass on. However, some research hasrevealed the following:

1. From Ken Sims, the TAG archivist inthe UK, who was a course mate of Bob.

RWT Hogg joined the RN inSeptember 1939. He was on 13Telegraphist Air Gunner Course in RNASWorthy Down, Hampshire, where later in1944 he was an instructor. He served in829 Squadron in HMS Formidable in 1940and later in 810 Squadron in HMSIllustrious in 1942. As an Acting LeadingAirman (SFX 413) he was awarded theDSM while in 829 Squadron in Formidablefor his involvement in the Battle of CapeMatapan 28 March 1941. His award wasposted in the London Gazette of 29 July1941. Apparently he was not home longenough to attend an investiture andpresentation of medals.

2. For Editor Bill and the generalreader.

There is a book which containssome of Bob Hogg’s salty dips. TAG ona Stringbag by Les Sayer and VernonBall , publ ished in 1994 by AspenPublications Ltd UK, ISBN 1-899386-00-9. There should be a copy in the SAMFLibrary or a local library. If not, I’ll loanmy copy to Bill for his evaluation. Insummary, on pages 68-70 Bob relatessome yarns about his t ime in 829Squadron with Lt. Macaulay ( e.g. theepisode mentioned by Bob Geale andJim Corinne in their recent e-mails). Amsure I can persuade my friend the authorto grant permissionto reproducethese pages witha p p r o p r i a t eattribution if theEditor of the SAMFNewsletter sodesires.

Cheers. Laurie F.

CHALLENGEby Eugene ‘Buck’ Rogers

I challenge each present member ofthe Shearwater Aviation MuseumFoundation to encourage or enrol

their family or family members as part ofthe above Foundation.

A membership could be in the form of giftsfor special occasions or to commemoratea special event (birthday, anniversary etc).

As we know, some people have alreadymade this gesture and have increased themembership - I met the challenge todayand registered my family.

With the present aging membership, newgeneration involvement is needed to carryon the Heritage.

(Ed. Names of members are listed in ourdonor recognition book in the entrance ofthe Museum.)

Annual GeneralMeeting

SAM Foundation

0900 hrs6 Sep 03

Museum BriefingRoom

Page 11

Spring 2003


825 - A STORIEDSQUADRON

Few, if any, naval air squadron’shave a history like this! Just whythe Royal Navy let us use this

honoured number for the first squadron inCanada’s post-war carrier is beyond me .Anyway, thanks,Royal Navy.

October 1934 - formed by renumbering824 in HMS Eagle (China Station) . 12Fairey IIIFs

January 1935 - To Mediterranean -disembarked to Malta (Hal Far) . Eagle torefit in U.K. Squadron then to HMSGlorious, remaining MediterraneanStation.

July 1936 Re-equipped with FaireySwordfish.

May 1937 Glorious briefly at Spithead forCoronation Review. 825 in flypast.

Sept 1939 War. Glorious to Tradeprotection in Indian Ocean - based Aden.

Jan 1940 Glorious back to Mediterranean,then to Norway, disembarking 825 foroperations in English Channel againstU-boats, E-boats and transports in Calaisarea during Dunkirk evacuation. Eightaircraft lost, including five on a bombingraid on the last day of May.

July 1940 Embarked in HMS Furious foroperations off Norway. Attacked targets inTrondheim and Tromso. Furious then toescort convoy to Gold Coast.

May 1941 Embarked HMS Victorious,taking part in the search for and the sinkingof the battleship Bismark.

June 1941 Transferred to HMS Ark Royalfor Malta Convoy defence - attacked targetsin Sardinia, Pantellaria and Sicily.

13 Nov 1941 Ark Royal sunk by U-boat.Some aircraft airborne at time made it toGibraltar where they were taken over by812 Squadron.

1 Jan. 1942 Squadron reformed at Lee-on-Solent with Swordfish, then detachedto Manston for interception of Germancapital ships in Channel transit. Want ofadequate fighter cover resulted in the lossof all aircraft taking part in a torpedo attack.

Five crew members survived. SquadronC.O., Lieutenant Commander Esmondeawarded V.C.(posthumous)

2 March 1942 Squadron re-grouped atLee with Swordfish IIIs. Three aircraftembarked HMS Avenger for North Russianconvoys. Shared one U-boat with adestroyer. Then back to operations in theEnglish Channel under CoastalCommand.

Feb. 1943 Embarked in HMS Furiousagain for convoy escort (from Scapa andIceland).

Jul. 1943 To an offensive sweep off theNorweigan coast; then briefly shore-based.

Aug. 1943 Six Sea Hurricanes added tocomplement.

Dec. 1943 Embarked in HMS Vindex forAtlantic Convoys. Despite Atlantic winterweather shared with surface forces thesinking of two U-boats. In April threeFulmars of 784 Sqdn. temporarilyattached.

June 1944 Back to North Russianconvoys, re-quipped with new Swordfish.Score: one U-boat sunk, one damaged(bya Sea Hurricane), one possible and twoshared with surface forces SeaHurricanes were withdrawn and replacedwith eight Wildcat Vis.

March 1945 Another Russian convoy, thistime in HMS Campania, then disbandedinto 815 Squadron. Wildcats continuedseparately as 825X until 23 May.

July 1945 Reformed at Rattray as aCanadian-manned squadron for 19thCarrier Air Group equipped with BarracudaMK1’s, which were replaced in Novemberwith Firefly MK1’s.

Jan. 1946 Transferred to RCN for HMCSWarrior.

May 1947 Re-equipped with Firefly IVs;joined HMC Magnificent. Re-equippedagain in 1949 with Firefly AS.5s. Canadianre-designated as 880 Squadron 1 May1951.

June 1951 825 reformed as an RNsquadron at Eglinton, equipped with FireflyAS. for A/S duties with 15 CAG.

Nov 1951 Role changed to interdiction and

re-equipped with Firefly FR.5s

Jan 1952 Embarked HMS Theseus forMediterranean then to HMS Ocean and theFar East and operations off Korea flying1907 missions by November.

Dec 1952 Returned to Med in Ocean,transferred to Theseus then home anddisbanded. Awarded Boyd Trophy alongwith 802 Sqdn for activities in Korea.

Mar 1953 Reformed at Lee with AS.5s forA/S duties, Took part in the CoronationReview flypast at Spithead June 15. Thento HMS Warrior and anti-terrorist strikes inJohore.

Dec 1954 Disbanded at Lee.

Jul 1955 Reformed at Culdrose withGannet AS. 1s. Embarked in HMS Albionfor the Mediterranean and then the Far East

Aug 1956 Disbanded at Lee

May 1957 Reformed at Culdrose withGannet AS.4s, flying out to Malta thefollowing January, then returning April1958 to disband at Culdrose.

Aug 1960 Reformed at Culdrose withWhirlwind HAS.7s then to Victorious andthe Mediterranean, Persian Gulf (Kuwaitcrisis) and East Africa (flood relief)

Apr 1962 Returned U.K. in Victoriousand disbanded.

May 1982 Reformed at Culdrose forService with Falklands Task Forceequipped with 10 Sea Kings: 8 embarkedSS. Atlantic Causeway, 2 in SS QueenElizabeth II. A detachment was put ashorein Port San Carlos.

Aug 1982 Disbanded at Culdrose

Sep 2001 Our research does not indicateany more recent reformings of this gallantsquadron. Any additional information fromreaders?

We propose to include this, together withsupporting photographs of aircraft types,in an expanded Fall Issue.

Spring 2003


JOHN GLENN SPEAKSOUT ON MILITARY

SERVICEfrom Sandy Dewar

Unfortunately there are far morepeople, especially in Canada,who think more like Metzenbaum

than like Glenn. Many of those people arein government, hence the slow decay of oursecurity forces, police and military.Barry Montgomery sendsYou know, some people still don’tunderstand why military personnel do whatthey do for a living. This exchange betweenSenators John Glenn and Sen. HowardMetzenbaum is worth reading. Not only is ita pretty impressive impromptu speech, butit’s also a good example of one man’sexplanation of why men and women in theUniformed Services do what they do for aliving. This an example of what those whohave never served, think of the Military.

Senator Glenn to Senator Metzenbaum:Senator Glenn: “I served 23 years in theUnited States Marine Corps. I servedthrough two wars. I flew 149 missions. Myplane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12different occasions. I was in the spaceprogram. It wasn’t my checkbook; it wasmy Life on the line. It was not a nine to fivejob where I took time off to take the dailycash receipts to the bank. “I ask you to gowith me ... as I went the other day to aVeterans Hospital and look at those menwith their mangled bodies in the eye andtell them they didn’t hold a job. You go withme to the space program and go as I havegone to the widows and orphans of EdWhite and Gus Grissom and RogerChaffee and you look those kids in the eyeand tell them that their dad didn’t hold ajob. You go with me on Memorial Daycoming up and you stand in ArlingtonNational Cemetery, where I have morefriends than I’d like to remember and youwatch those waving flags. “You stand there,and you think about this nation, and you tellme that those people didn’t have a job. I’lltell you, Howard Metzenbaum, you shouldbe on your knees every day of your lifethanking God that there were some men -SOME MEN - who held a job. And theyrequired a dedication to purpose and a loveof country and a dedication to duty that wasmore important than life itself. And their self-sacrifice is what made this country possible--- I HAVE HELD A JOB, HOWARD! --- Whatabout you?”

BONAVENTUREACCIDENT

3 DECEMBER 1969

A sad occasion. On 3 Dec 69, four ofBONAVENTURE Ship’s Companywere lost during an aviation tank

cleaning accident. Please remember:LS G.H. MorrellLS D.R. PattersonLS G.L. SwimAB J.E. Boulter

From: Joseph Paquette<[email protected]> vianavairgen email

Another incident of courageousperformance in my untrustworthy memoryis that after three crew members of theBONNIE succumbed to fuel fumes whilecleaning or inspecting tanks on the ship atsea, they called on one of the Ship’s DivingOfficers to assist. Bob Stone, a TRACKERco-pilot at the time, was asked to takeSCUBA gear and crawl into the tank to try torescue one or all of the men. His lamp waswrapped in a blanket to avoid sparking andhe pushed it ahead of himself as he movedahead. I seem to remember him sayingthat at one point he pushed it over the edgeof the level he was at and it dropped awaypulling the mouthpiece out of his mouth.He held his breath and crawled after it, re-inserted it and continued on. When helocated the three unfortunates it wasobvious that they were beyond help and Bobcrawled out the way he had come in. Doesanyone know if this comes close to reality.

Bob flies for China Air Cargo and lives inBankok.

My bit Joe

From: “John Cody”<[email protected]> Vianavairgen airmail

I have one extra bit to add to JoePaquette’s story. It wasn’t three, but fourwho succumbed to the fuel fumes. Thestory of how Bob Stone went in after themwas correct as far as I can recall, not havingbeen there.

I was ashore as a flight instructor inHU 21 at the time this happened. It was

Bonnie’s de-commissioning cruise. I wastasked to take a Sea King down to theYarmouth area. There had been some kindof an accident and there were fatalities. Thedate was December 3rd, 1969 from my logbook. I was CC with Norm Lovitt as my co-pilot. The Aircraft was 4019. My log bookentry reads as follows: “AW-BV-AWMEDEVAC- 4 ER’S KILLED VENTINGAVGAS”.

I can recall arriving at the ship, andhaving to make a slow approach fromdirectly astern, and putting her down on spot6. We then taxied forward to the vicinity ofthe Island, as the entire, and I mean entireShips Company was on deck at the time.They were lined up in two rows on eitherside of the flight deck, and we taxied rightdown between the two rows. They were allin dress blues, with “flat hats” and their chinstraps down to prevent the rotor wash fromblowing them off.

We stopped the head but left the cabrunning while they loaded the four bodybags into the aircraft. It was all very reverentand quite impressive I must say, as I canstill see the entire thing in my minds eye,although I haven’t thought of it for years untilthis message from Joe arrived thismorning. After loading the body bags, Ibelieve we taxied forward to spot one andtook off from there.

On the way back to AW, we hadbeen told not to mention the purposeof our trip on the air, as it would/couldbe picked up by the radio stations intown. Well, on the way home we wereusing cryptic language et all, only toturn on CHNS on the ADF to hear theannouncer ta lk ing about the fourbodies that were being flown back fromthe BV off Yarmouth, that were due toarrive shortly at HU 21 at Shearwater! Inow know that shouldn’t have been asurprise, but at that time, it was.

We arrived back and although wedidn’t have the same reception as theone on BV, it was sobering to see thefour hearses lined up on the tarmac.We tax ied up to them, shut downwithout folding and stayed in the cabwhi le they approached, loaded thebodies one at a time, and that was that.

My impressions to this day ofthat tragedy were then and still are, ofhow the Navy did things up at sea toensure their lads got the appropriatesend-off.

Page 13

Spring 2003


VS 881:A BRIEF HISTORY

Leo Pettipas

T he origins of Anti-SubmarineSquadron 881 can be tracedback to the Second World War

when Cabinet approved the loan of twoBritish Light Fleet carriers to Canada foruse in the Pacific Theatre. In April of 1944it was confirmed that HM ships Warriorand Magnificent, both still underconstruction, had been identified for thispurpose. Subsequently, the Admiralty re-activated disbanded RN air squadronsand manned them with Canadianaviators. One of these units, the forerunnerof VS 881, was 826 Torpedo-BomberReconnaissance (TBR) Squadron thatwas formed (or more correctly, re-formed)with twelve radar-equipped FaireyBarracudas at RNAS East Haven, Scotlandon 15 August 1945, the day following VJDay. Although the war was now over, theSquadron would remain in service as partof Canada’s post-war navy. In April of1949, with the Cold War now underway,the NATO agreement was signed andCanada committed her navy tospecialised anti-submarine warfare andconvoy protection in the North Atlantic, andto large-scale joint operationalmanoeuvres involving allied navies.

On 1 May 1951, the RCNrenumbered its air groups and first-linesquadrons to better identify the Canadianformations within the BritishCommonwealth numbering system.Number 826 Squadron became 881Squadron within the 30th Carrier Air Group(30 CAG). After an intensive period of fieldcarrier landing practice at its shore stationHMCS Shearwater, the Squadron, nowequipped with Grumman Avenger AS 3sspecially modified for anti-submarinewarfare, shipped aboard the Navy’scarrier HMCS Magnificent in June to carryout night deck-landing qualifications inlocal waters. The crews were nowqualified for round-the-clock flying. Thiswas an important milestone: for the firsttime, the Squadron possessed aprofessional level of ASW capabilitycomparable to those of both the USN andthe Royal Navy.

On 7 August 1951, Magnificent leftHalifax outbound on her firstMediterranean cruise; and as a memberof the 30th CAG, 881 was one of thesquadrons on board. This voyage wassignificant in that it provided Magnificent’ssquadrons with the opportunity to engage

in joint exercises with other NATO naviesand to compare themselves with theirpeers in the British and French fleets. Theverdict was that the Canadians’ flyingstandards were equal or superior to thoseof their counterparts.

The conduct of combinedoperations with other NATO fleets wasintensified in 1952. Between June andOctober, Magnificent participated in threejoint NATO exercises — Castanets,Mainbrace and Emigrant — in the NorthAtlantic, and visited the Mediterranean asecond time in as many years. Theseinvolvements garnered the 881 Squadroncrews valuable experience in convoy andamphibious support, close escort work andanti-raider tactics. The first of twosubmarine “kills” during Mainbrace, the onlyones scored by aviators of the threeparticipating navies, earned the Squadrona “well done” from the Task GroupCommander aboard the British carrierHMS Theseus. Also in 1952, the Air Armacquired TBM-3W2 “Guppy” Avengers fittedwith powerful AN/APS-20 radar to assist indetecting submarine snorkels andperiscopes, and Squadron crews beganfamiliarising themselves with the newaircraft the following spring. Duringsubsequent seagoing NATO operations,the average Squadron strength aboardMagnificent was twelve AS 3s and fourGuppies.

In keeping with Canadianinvolvement with the much larger US fleet,the American alpha-numeric system ofsquadron designation was adopted inNovember of 1952. Number 881 Squadronreceived the prefix “VS”, the “S” meaning“search” or, more specifically, “anti-submarine”. The Squadron, operatingunder the call-sign “Barehead”, participatedin three major events in 1953. A secondarycommitment of Naval Aviation was tacticalair support of the Army, and during Februaryand March the Squadron was involved inwintertime Army co-op training at theCanadian Joint Air Training Centre atRivers, Manitoba. VS 881 was aboardMagnificent in early May when she joinedthe other ships of the Canadian CoronationSquadron en route to the UK to participatein the celebration of Queen Elizabeth’scoronation. The Squadron’s eightAvengers formed part of the hundreds ofCommonwealth military aircraft that madeup the impressive commemorative flypaston 15 July. And finally, VS 881’s crews didyeoman work that fall during NATO’sExercise Mariner, billed as “History’sGreatest Maritime Manoeuvres”.

On 7 April 1954, twelve Squadron

aircraft departed Shearwater on a cross-country trip to Pat Bay airport on the WestCoast. The objective was to exercise withRCN ships of the Pacific Fleet over a two-week period. This was the first visit to theWest Coast by VS 881 in squadronstrength. In June of 1954 the air groupsystem was abolished in the RCN; the 30thCAG, of which VS 881 had been a member,ceased to exist and the Squadron and itscounterparts continued on as independentunits. In August, during manoeuvres withthe US Navy, Magnificent’s arrester gearbecame unserviceable and a VS 881Avenger had to be diverted to the USSAntietam. It thus became the first RCNaircraft to land aboard an angle-deckcarrier –- a sign of things to come whenCanada would have its own angle-deckcarrier. Late that fall the Squadron wasaboard Magnificent on the occasion of thecarrier’s first and only West Coast cruise.Visits to the Pacific ports were more in thenature of public relations efforts thananything else; but the trip there and backprovided the Squadron with the opportunityto conduct a wide range of operationaltraining and practice exercises.

Over the following two years theSquadron and its aging Avengers soldieredon, contributing substantively to thesubsequent New Broom series and SeaEnterprise NATO exercises. Until 1956, theRCN’s airborne ASW effort was confinedto the use of fixed-wing aircraft. The winterCaribbean cruise for that year,commencing on 27 February, saw VS 881teamed up with the new ASW helicoptersquadron HS 50. September 1956 broughtwith it the final NATO manoeuvres (NewBroom VI) in which Magnificent wasdestined to participate. It also witnessedthe last time VS 881 was to operate fromher deck in full squadron strength. VS881’s four-plane Guppy Flight joined VS880 aboard Magnificent on 25 Septemberfor the ship’s final operational trainingcruise with the RCN. Termination of thisthree-week commitment on 10 Octoberbrought to a close the Squadron’sinvolvement with the carrier, now destinedfor return to the RN.

In the fall of 1956, cross-training ofall Squadron pilots got under way inpreparation for re-equipment with theCS2F-1 Tracker. On 1 January 1957 theSquadron began a conversion, rearmingand training programme to that end. VS881 was the first RCN operational unit toreceive the Tracker, the initial example ofwhich was officially accepted on 7 February1957. By June of that year, the last of theSquadron’s full complement of twelve

Spring 2003


machines had been received.Early in July 1957, ten VS 881 pilots

carried out angle-deck, mirror-aidedlanding carquals on board USS Wasp offthe New England coast. Flying their deHavilland-built Trackers, the pilots were thefirst Canadians to qualify in a USN angle-decked carrier using the mirror landing-aid

system and the steam catapult. UnderLCDR H.R. (“Dickie”) Bird, VS 881 becamethe first VS squadron to embark in thenewly-acquired HMCS Bonaventure, theinaugural event taking place on 27September 1957 for carquals in the HalifaxApproaches. After that, the Squadron wasdestined to remain in commission forbarely more than a year and a half. Duringthat time, it continued with its operationalreadiness programme, embarking inBonaventure for cruises to the UK, theCaribbean and Mediterranean, andparticipating in NATO exercises in theAtlantic. For these, VS 881 routinelycontributed ten Trackers, their squadronaffiliation defined by a large “B” on bothsides of the tail above the fin flash, incompany with five or six H04S-3 helicoptersof HS 50.

Late October 1957 foundBonaventure outbound on a voyage to theUK, followed by Exercise Beaverdam backin home waters. Adverse weatherconditions during these deploymentsunfortunately limited the opportunity for VS881 to operate its aircraft. Bonaventure’sinitial spring cruise to southern waters, withten VS 881 Trackers, six HS 50 H04S-3sand an HU 21 plane-guard helicopterembarked, began on 17 January 1958. Thefirst highlight was Exercise Aswex I-58involving a convoy, the carrier USS Leyte,and Bonaventure, each with its own screen.The operation comprised four transits of alarge area by the convoy, during which itwas attacked by three USN submarines.One of these was the nuclear-poweredUSS Seawolf. Ideal water conditionsallowed sonobuoy barrier tactics to be usedwith considerable success, and the Tracker/helicopter detection team displayed a highlevel of efficiency throughout. One of theconventional submarines was hunted toexhaustion on three occasions, while the

faster and deadlier Seawolf was denied afiring opportunity on the fleet over a two-dayperiod. In addition, air control by the surfaceescorts and the air/sea proceduresshowed considerable improvement. Thesubsequent Exercise Maple Royal I and II,the largest peace-time naval airmanoeuvres staged jointly by the British andCanadian navies, formed a fitting climax toBonaventure’s work-up programme.

The first of May 1958 brought with itthe commencement of Exercise NewBroom VIII, a convoy protection manoeuvrerequiring a passage from the HalifaxApproaches to the Gulf of St. Lawrence andback. Except for eight hours or so, VS 881had two aircraft continuously airbornearound the clock. This flying schedule ofsustained operations, or “sustops”, tracedits origins within the RCN to the early daysof the trustworthy Avenger. The Squadronand its CS2F-1s were front-and-centre inthe ongoing development and conduct ofthis essential doctrine in anti-submarinewarfare.

VS 881’s final deployment aboardBonaventure was a Mediterranean cruisethat began on 8 October 1958. The planwas to conduct a series of ASW exerciseswith the British and Italian navies, and theSquadron was again accompanied by HS50. Eleven members of the initial class tograduate from the Navy’s Venture trainingprogramme flew operationally for the firsttime during this cruise. Venture pilots wereco-pilots in every CS2F airborne.Unfortunately, this voyage had more thanits share of setbacks that impacted on theSquadron’s operational flying time. Enroute across the Atlantic, the carrier wasbeset by Hurricane Janice and the ship hadto heave to until the storm abated. In theMed, Bonaventure joined British and Italianwarships in Exercise Medaswex 26, andVS 881 gave good account of itself in hoursflown in submarine hunting. Later, whileoperating off the coast of Italy, fixed-wingflying was suspended by Italian authoritiesbecause of a recent mid-air collision thatin no way involved the Canadians.Squadron aircraft had been experiencing aseries of tail hook failures, and these, alongwith the discovery that the ship’s arrestergear required a major overhaul,necessitated their premature withdrawalfrom Exercise Medaswex 27 and exclusionfrom a subsequent NATO exercise, code-named Squallex. Matters were put to rightin Portsmouth, England before the carriersailed for home in early December, and aconcentrated sustops programme wascarried out before Bonaventure camealongside on 15 December after an

absence of more than two months.The year 1959 was indeed a

momentous and decisive one for VS 881.In the interests of effectiveness, economyand efficiency, it was decided by the PowersThat Be that one big ASW squadron wouldbe better than two smaller ones. On 7 July,the Squadron was disbanded, and the menand aircraft were amalgamated with VS880. With that, Heavier-than-Air Anti-Submarine Squadron 881 passed intohistory.

SHEARWATER AS ACIVIL/MILITARY

AERODROME 1960

Trans Canada Airlines first flight overseasto England from HMCS Shearwater AirBase Nova Scotia April 2nd 1960.

April 2nd 1960 TCA super Constellation tookoff from Shearwater at 10:45PM toinaugurate direct passenger and mailservice from Atlantic Canada to the UnitedKingdom.

The distinguished guests on boardincluded Nova Scotia Premier RobertStanfield, Newfoundland Premier JoeySmallwood, Prince Edward Island PremierWalter Shaw, New Brunswick Minister ofIndustry and Development representingPremier H.J. Flemming, City of Halifax MayorCharles Vaughan and President GordonMacGregor of TCA along with many otherbusiness persons and members of Radio,TV and Newspapers.

Pilot of the Constellation was Captain RalphLeek, First Officer K. W. Lyons, FlightEngineer M. A. Loiaconi and NavigatorFrank Coughlan. Time of the flight was ninehours and 35 minutes. Service would beone flight per week from Nova Scotia andone return flight from the U.K.

Page 15

Spring 2003


Some Thoughtson 881 Sqn

by Roger A. Campbell (AKA Gunner)

I was drafted to 881 Sqn in 1952 (30CAG) via Air Riggers Course #7under the careful guidance of CPO

Peter Wiwaruck, and #1 TAG.

In those days ACs (AircraftControllers) were attached to the Squadron.One such AC was Bill Routliffe who was incharge of the Sqn Canteen. His favoritereply when asked what was for stand easywas “Jam Sandwiches, 2 pieces of breadwith jam and then, jammed together, and ifyou don’t like it, jam it up your _ _ _.”

Night flying - Up the hill to thehangar after supper. The A/C left on thetarmac at secure. Stand by for start up,prop wash, flaming exhaust and thumbsup and wand signals to send them on theirway. Clean up the hangar while the A/Cwere away. Hangar floor and drip trays cleanenough to eat from. When the A/C wereheard returning, someone yelling.”Who’sgot the wands!”

What a great bunch of guys. I wascrewed with “Fitter” Mick Owens on ABJ(Jigger) usually flown by Roger Fink. Othersmembers included Suds Sutherland, DickJamer, Bruce Brown, Jim Hazan, JackMarsden, “Blackie” Menard, Jack Gibson,Milt Droeske, Jim Corman, Geo Woods andso many more. Thanks for the use of thescrewdriver Mickey. Sorry it took so long toreturn it.

The U.K.-Med cruise in 1952 - A tripby train from Portsmouth to London withMenard, Gibson and Droeske. Some mixup on the return tri and finished the last legback to Maggie by taxi.

Off to the Med & Malta. Who couldforget HMS Halfar. The squadron wasashore here, the A/C and crews toparticipate in an exercise, which escapesme now. We worked a “tropical routine”,early morning till noon. By this time of dayyou could literally fry an egg on the mainplane. (Probably a “turkey” egg.) The foodwas not fit to eat but we went to the galley atnoon each day, not for food, but for rum. Ithink we would have starved had it not beenfor the “NAFFI”.

The RAAF was there then. If memoryserves they were to participate in someexercise. Seems their A/C arrived but tools

and equipment did not. Those “Aussies”were a wild bunch. “Koowee”

We left Istanbul in the middle of thenight more or less to proceed to and anchoroff Tobruk, North Africa. No full shore leavehere, but some from each mess wereselected to have a trip ashore. I went fromM16 with some others. I have forgotten nowwho they were. There was a scare of warand Maggie was on stand-by to evacuateBritish troops and others, if necessary.

The Brits were living on the beach -mainly in their armored vehicles. They weremost appreciative of all the cigarettes wecould give them.

Tobruk still showed the signs of thewar. Most buildings were pock marked withbullet holes etc. The Salvation Army wasthere helping as best they could. We wentfor a swim but were instructed to stay onthe road. There were still land mines goingoff in the desert and it was littered with allsorts of jerry cans and other bits of metal.Someone was making a killing in scrapiron as a huge pile was stacked along theshore.

Back in Canada once again - theFall of ‘2. Half of the Sqn personnel wereon leave now and most of the A/C were duefor minor or major inspections. I was nowa LS having got my “hook” on the cruise.Part of the inspection I had to do on “Jig”included putting the A/C on jacks, retractingthe undercarriage manually, and thenreleasing it. Gravity to take it down and lock.This particular day there seemed to besome urgency to get the A/C out of thehangar for an engine run-up. As it wasbeing towed from the hangar, the starboardundercarriage collapsed, causing damageto the folded starboard main plane. I hadfailed to ensure the u/c was locked. I stillremember the sinking feeling in my gut,and could see my “hook and badge” in thecrapper. Taffy Hullah came to bat for meand “Wild Bill” seemed to understand.

Later that year I was drafted to Z2Hangar - still a “hookie”, and now on A/CMaintenance. My days on 881 were finishedor so I thought.

In early 1953 I was selected for pilottraining and joined #6 JAOBTC. There wereother lower deck ratings as well. StuCowan, Cliff Rhoda, Larry Viczko, FredHawrysh, Jim Stegen, Don Ramage tomention a few.

After Cornwallis, Sea Training inHMCS Quebec and HMCS Trinity and FlightTraining with the USN in Florida and Texas,I was once again appointed to 881 Sqn asa Sub Lt (P).

As I look back on it 50 ears later, thiswas a situation I did not really adjust to. Icould no longer associate with the guys Ihad been so close to for those years as an“Oily Rag”.

CO “Dickie” Bird, XO Doug Ross,Ted Fallen, Les Rosenthal, Jerry McMillan,Dave Williams, Sandy Dewar, Bob Forrest,Pete Lavigne, Ian Webster and many, manymore. Last but by no means least, my verygood friend Tom Copeland.

881 took delivery of the first CS2F’sfrom DeHavilland in ‘57 Also joining thesquadron were USN Exchange Pilots DaveDraz and Joe Stanley. I had the good fortuneto be crewed with Joe who taught me manythings about the “Stoof”.

Many hours of FCLPs and the mirroras “Bonnie” was angle deck and mirrorlanding system. My log book shows I didcarquals (10 landings) in 1523 with SandyDewar on 5 oct 1957. He also qualifiedthat same day.

“Bonnie” goes back to Belfast andA/C fly ashore to Sydenham 30 Oct 57. OnOct 31, Ken Sheedy and I and 2 crewmenfile VFR for Brize Norton AF Base. We areon our way for a dirty weekend in London.We get lost in the clag as we cross theEnglish Coast and end up with GCA intoBrize Norton. Ceiling 100 ft vis 1/4 mile inrain. The USAF Security Police met us aswe are now on a SPC Base. They wantedto see our “papers”, and thought we hadflown all the way from Canada.

Train trip from Oxford to London andan interesting weekend. Saw lots of thecity, a couple of shows and had a few ales.Returned to Sydenham, November 3.

Many hours of crew training, andmany hours of AS patrol. One such daylightpatrol on the Grand Banks was a hugesuccess in my books. I happened to be inthe left seas on this occasion and it allstarted with a disappearing radar contact.The search went well and we soon had aspeed course established. Joe was in theright seat and said it was a “text book” job.At the debriefing we were told by a “fishhead” senior officer (and I won’t mentionany names) that it was a school of fish.

Spring 2003


Funny, I don’t remember him in the A/C -could he have been on the end of the MADboom?

I would be remiss if I did not give ahuge “well done” to the boys in the backroom. Without the OMS we pilots in thefront office would not have been able to doour jobs. The hours of crew training paidoff. Unfortunately their names do not appearin my log book and so I am unable toremember who it was that flew with us. Aregrettable oversight. They on the otherhand know who the pilot was. I learnedthis from an OM many years later. His nameis Alan Day, and we did fly together withBob Forrest.

On 17 May 58 I flew my last flight in881 Sqn with Doug Ross as I was sent toVT 40 for Inst Training.

Some progress to report on theproblematic propellor pitchmechanism:

The propellor company in Munich hasdecided that the corroded bearing, for whicha replacement has been sought worldwide,is not, after all, in such bad shape and issuitable for twenty-five hours of flying timeinitially and further service if it is opened upfor examination every fifty hours after that.Since the museum’s intention is for only10 hours of flight in total the problem hasnow disappeared. A major task, theservicing of the starboard flap hydraulicjack, has been completed.. The port jackis now undergoing the same treatment.Your team has a new member, Tom Boyce,who has tackled the rewiring of essentialelectrical circuits. Tom’s scrounging talentsoutshine by far those of the celebrated Sgt.Bilko. The indomitable Bud Ayer soldiers(sailors?) on braving Nova Scotia’sparticularly nasty winter weather for histwice-weekly commute betweenShubenacadie and C Hangar. We’regetting there!

Bill Farrell, Project Dogsbody.

Jake Birks

From: Ted Gibbon <[email protected]> (Via Navairgen)

Sorry to hear that Jake’s resignation has been accepted. God looks after Naval Aviators andJake was a real one. Make that a double rum & coke.

Last Call.....

—I hope there’s a place way up in the sky,where pilots can go on the day that they die.

A place where a guy can buy a cold beer,for a friend or comrade, whose memory is dear.

— A place no doctor or lawyer can tread,nor the CAF type would ‘ere be caught dead. Just a quaint little place, dark, full of smoke,

where patrons sing loud, and love a good joke.

— The kind of place a lady could go,and feel safe and protected by the men she would know.

There must be this place where old pilots go,when their flying is finished, and their airspeed gets low.

— Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young,where songs about flying and dying are sung.

Where you see all the fellows who’d flown here before,who call out your name, as you came through the door.

—Who would buy you a drink, if your thirst should be bad,and relate to others, He was a good lad.

And then through the mist, you’d spot this old guy,you hadn’t seen in years, though he taught you to fly.

—He’d nod his old head, and grin ear to ear,And say, Welcome, home son, I’m pleased that you’re here.

For this is the place where true flyers come,when their journey is over, and their war has been won.

—Here they feel safe and at homefrom pundits, the bureaucrats, the management clones,

where all hours are happy, enjoying a cold one,maybe deal from a deck, this is heaven my son

... You’ve passed your last check!

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Spring 2003


WATERED-DOWN TOASTS

From the Editor

By decree from Ottawa our Toasts of the Day have been blandified to make them politicallycorrect, but some of us turn a Nelsonian blind eye to these shabby neuterings of thetoasts. What was good enough for Horatio is good enough for me. We need more sicklyseasons for them to muck about with our toasts so them as muck about with toasts willcease to be around.

Toasts of the DayFrom: “Leo Pettipas” <[email protected]>

EARLY VERSIONSSunday: Absent friends and those at seaMonday: Our native land; Queen and countryTuesday: Our mothers; health and wealthWednesday: Ourselves; our swords; old ships (i.e., shipmates)Thursday: The King; honest men and bonnie lassiesFriday: Fox hunting and old port; ships at seaSaturday: Sweethearts and wives

MODERN VERSIONSSunday: Absent friendsMonday: Our ships at seaTuesday: Our menWednesday: Ourselves (the remark “Since no one else is likely to think of us”often follows the toast but is not actually part of it)Thursday: A bloody war or a sickly seasonFriday: A willing foe and sea-roomSaturday: Sweethearts and wives (“May they never meet” is often a reply to thistoast).

POST MODERN VERSIONSFor all days ending in a “y”, hit the delete key.

Source: “Customs and Traditions of the Canadian Navy” (Arbuckle)

TBM Prop “Prop”“WLD (Bill) Farrell”

The accompanying photo showsa retired Avenger naval torpedobomber pressed into a most

unwarlike service as a stage prop for theannual post -Easter pageant conductedby the budworm/fire bomber pilots andgroundcrew when preparing for theannual forest spraying and firesuppression programs in New Brunswick.The actors in this tableau are largely ofRCN and RCAF descent. Contrary to thepopular opinion that these men were anuncouth and rowdy lot given to excessesin the pursuit of sensual pleasures theywere, in fact, as the photo bearswitness, men of god-fearing proclivity:The prospect of launching presently in athirty year old aeroplane that may havebeen retrieved from a salvage yard doesthat to people.

Honi soit qui mal y pense.

Spring 2003


Sea Kingsin the

Persian GulfPart 2

In the Fall 2002 edition of the newsletter thearticle, “Sea Kings in the Persian Gulf”, describedthe Herculean efforts of the maintainers to modifysix Sea Kings to fight in the Persian Gulf in the1991 war against Iraq. As a follow on, Part 2describes the Sea King operations in the PersianGulf and the tremendous command and controlresponsibilities that were entrusted to theCanadians.

Colonel ESC Cable OMM, CD (Ret’d)Shearwater Aviation Museum HistorianAssociate Air Force Historian

Maritime Interdiction Operations

Shortly after the Canadian Task Grouparrived in the Persian Gulf in lateSeptember 1990, United States

Navy Rear Admiral Fogarty, who had beenselected as the Maritime Interdiction ForceCommander by the allies, called a meetingof the various participating navies tocoordinate their efforts. At the meeting thenaval representatives divided the PersianGulf and Gulf of Oman into 16 patrol areasor “boxes” as indicated on Map 2. Coalitionnavies were assigned to patrol the variousareas based on their capabilities andpreferences. Canada with just three shipstook responsibility for two sectors, whichnecessitated the Task Group using thesupply ship, Protecteur, in a destroyer’s role.The sectors that Canada patrolleddepended on which ships were on station.When the two destroyers, Athabaskan andTerra Nova were on station they took sectorsCharlie 5 and Charlie 2. When one destroyerand Protecteur were on station, the destroyerwould be in either Charlie 5 or 2, but thesupply ship, which would be a prime targetfor an Iraqi air attack, was kept out of Exocetanti-ship missile range, in Charlie 1.

The task of the multi-national forcewas to enforce the embargo against Iraq.Naval ships and aircraft “hailed” each vesselin its patrol area to determine the name,registration number, cargo, point of origin,destination, date of departure and date ofarrival. While these questions were beinganswered the naval ship or helicopter wouldbe checking its registry and ensuring thatthe information jibed with the information in

its records. By using the supply ship andhaving five Sea King helicopters availablethe Canadian Task Group out-performed allothers. With only three ships in the Gulf,Canada conducted 25 percent of the totalchallenges to merchant shipping.

The Canadian ships were able toconduct such a high percentage of thechallenges mainly because of their SeaKings. These aircraft were the only alliedhelicopters in the Gulf equipped withForeword Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) sensors,giving the coalition forces their only nightsurveillance capability. In the initial planningstages at Maritime Air Group Headquarters,FLIR was thought to be a too difficultmodification for the Sea Kings, but throughthe determination of Major Chris Little (nowColonel Little) the FLIR became a gratefulreality.

When the Sea Kings took off fromtheir mother ships on a mission, they weresupplied with a list of vessels that were notto be hailed, e.g. alliance supply ships ormerchant ships that had already beencleared by allies operating in the southernGulf or the Gulf of Oman. They also had a listof ships whose movements should beverified, but not necessarily hailed; everythingelse the Sea Kings should hail. Using radaror night vision goggles the aircraft woulddetect a contact and close in on it.Depending on the haze, the Sea Kings coulduse their stabilized binoculars from adistance of up to 10 miles (16 km) todetermine the ship’s general shape anddirection. By heading towards the ship’sstern the helicopter could expect to closethe distance undetected, using the FLIR toensure there were no weapons or crewmembers with small arms. After reading theship’s name and port of registry, the SeaKing could then pass the information to thenearest Canadian ship operating in thepatrol area for hailing or the Sea King couldhail the ship itself.

Terra Nova did not have a helicopteron board but had the use of aircraft from

other ships in the Task Group. Terra Nova’sCaptain would not accept the word of anybodyover the radio. If a Sea King was not availableto confirm the information, he would have torush over to the contact and approach theship from the stern at high speed, which atnight made for some adrenaline surgingrides.

During the interdiction period, the SeaKings flew approximately 12 hours a day,mostly at night because their FLIR sensorscould detect ships and read the names ontheir hulls in the darkness as well as beingable to detect mines in calm seas. The coolernight air was also easier on the aircraft andtheir crews.

In addition to their FLIR, CanadianSea Kings had another advantage overother allied helicopters in the Gulf in thatCanadian pilots were experienced in lowlevel flying. Because the Sea Kings werenormally used for anti-submarine warfare,the pilots were trained to operate at altitudesbetween 40 and 150 feet (15 and 50 meters)in order to use the dipping sonar, which waslowered from the aircraft into the sea. LCol.McWha noted that people who don’t fly thatmission, don’t fly that low, whereas theCanadian pilots were comfortable flying justabove the waves, even at night with lightsout.

In addition to searching for andhailing ships, the Sea Kings stood ready toinsert armed boarding parties aboarduncooperative ships. This manoeuvre waslearned from the British marines aboard theRoyal Navy’s guided-missile destroyer, HMSGloucester, while transiting in companythrough the Red Sea. The Canadian routinefor inserting a naval boarding party, knownas VISIT for Vertical Insertion Search andInspection Team, required two Sea Kings.The first Sea King used its machine gun tocover the second helicopter while it hoveredover the ship to allow the armed boardingparty to rappel down the rope onto the ship’sdeck. Then the Sea Kings would change rolesso that the second half of the boarding partyfrom the first aircraft could rappel down. TheCanadians became extremely proficient inthe VISIT manoeuvre, inserting ten armedmen from the two helicopters in one minute55 seconds. However, VISIT was neverexercised for real as the ships wereoperating too close to Iraq and if the Iraqiswere as well organized as the allies thought(but weren’t), the Sea Kings and the insertionteam would have been very vulnerable toattack.

As part of their pre-embarkationpreparation LCol. McWha had organizedtraining from the United States Marines toteach Sea King crews about air combat

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manoeuvring and helicopter evasion tacticsto escape Iraqi fighters. During the verydangerous period before the actual fightingbegan, one of the Sea King pilots got anunwelcome chance to try out some of thedefensive manoeuvres. One night on atraining flight in the north central Gulf theradar warning receiver buzzed indicating theSea King was targeted by a missileapproaching from the north. The pilotinstinctively followed a sequence of movesto save his aircraft; he fired his flares, turned90 degrees to the right and dropped 150feet (50 meters). The problem was that hewas flying at 150 feet! The sea came up veryquickly! Luckily, LCol. McWha was in the co-pilot’s seat. He was momentarily distractedby the pilot’s firing of the flares and when helooked back at the instruments he saw thealtitude descending down through 30 feet(10 meters) at a rate of descent of 750 feet(250 meters) per minute. He instantlygrabbed the controls, leveled the aircraft andafter touching the tail wheel in the water,climbed back to altitude. The lesson for thepilot was “think first, act second; emergencyreactions should lead to survival notdisaster”.

Combat Logistics ForceIn January 1991 the Canadian Task

Group was tasked to organize the CombatLogistics Force (CLF). The role of the CLFwas to keep the front line naval combatantssupplied with fuel (oil, jet fuel, hydraulic fluid,lubricants), ammunition (bullets, cannonshells, missiles, rockets and bombs) andspare parts (tires, clamps, nuts and bolts,circuits and wiring, tubes and computerchips). The requirement was huge. Every 48hours each of the four aircraft carriersrequired 1.5 million gallons of JP5 aviationfuel and 200-300 lifts of ammunition. Inaddition, there were 100 other ships ofvarying sizes that had to be supplied.

The Task Group began the operationby selecting a 20 by 20 nautical mile area inthe southern Persian Gulf, nicknamed“Pachyderm Palace”, in which allied combatsupport ships, ammunition ships, generalcargo ships, destroyer tenders and tankerscould anchor after entering the Gulf orreturning from taking on cargo at a supplyport. The area was divided into two nauticalmile squares numbered 1 to 10 from northto south, and by the names of Canada’s tenprovinces running east to west. Navaldestroyers from the 12 countries that hadships in the CLF escorted the supply shipsnorth from Pachyderm Palace to the carrierbattle group.

As a result of the changing tacticalsituation, there were three distinct phases

to the coordination of the logistics effort. Inthe first phase the CLF operated in thesouthern Gulf while the carrier battle groupsoperated in the south central Gulf (Map 3). Inthe second phase, the CLF was stillcoordinated out of the southern Gulf, but thecarriers moved north (Map 4). In the thirdphase, with the almost complete eliminationof the air and surface threats, the CLF movednorth as well (Map5).

The CLF Air PlanIn addition to coordinating all of the

supply ships and their escorts, activities theCanadian Task Group also coordinated the45 helicopters of eight different typesoperated by the navies contributing to theCombat Logistics Force. This responsibilityfell squarely on the shoulders of Major PeteNordland who up till now had been drawingup the flying program for Canada’s five SeaKings. Major Nordland contacted each of thenavies operating helicopters to determinewhen they could make their helicoptersavailable, the normal sortie duration, theircapabilities and each navy’s airrequirements and restrictions. From thisinformation he prepared a large state boardon which he recorded each of the types ofhelicopters, their weapon loads, taskingcapabilities, take off time, land time, theirparent ship and the sector to which it wasassigned. From the state board MajorNordland prepared the daily flying programthat was finalized at the briefings eachevening. On an average day, he juggled theactivities of 12 – 20 aircraft; but at times there

were as many as 45 and as few as two.Like the ships they flew from, the allied

helicopters had varying capabilities. Somehad aircraft equipment that was especiallysuited to mine surveillance, others betterequipped for over-the-horizon shipsurveillance. In addition to the differentcapabilities, all of the navies had their nationalregulations governing the use of theirhelicopters. The Argentines, for example,were not authorized to fly beyond visual sightof their destroyer. For that reason, MajorNordland assigned them a patrol area ofabout five miles around their own ship. Eachaircraft had its own cycle of how many hoursit could fly before it required maintenance.The Canadian Sea Kings, for example,could fly 12 hours straight with only stops forfuel and crew changes. Another type ofhelicopter could fly for six hours, require twohours maintenance, and then fly for anotherfour hours. Major Nordland had to identifythose cycles in his planning. As ships camein, and a day or two later left the logisticsforce area, Major Nordland had to adjust hisscheduling to accommodate the newlyavailable assets. Usually the replacementhelicopter did not have the same capabilitiesor operating criteria as the one that had justdeparted. So the juggling continued aroundthe clock.

In addition to hailing ships, thehelicopters were needed for surfacesurveillance to protect the CLF against smallterrorist craft. When the CLF was in thesouthern Gulf, there were numerous dhows(fishing boats) in the vicinity because thelogistics force was on the edge of theirtraditional fishing grounds. The allies neverknew if the dhows were just going about theirdaily business or if they were about to launchan attack. During the Iran-Iraq war in the1980’s, the dhows were known to havelaunched shoulder-mounted missiles.Being prudent, the helicopters protecting thelogistics force devised a means to ward offthe dhows. One of the crew members woulddon a gas mask and hold up a drawing ofan international stop sign in Arabic scriptand a skull and cross bones in the opendoorway to warn the dhow it was entering adangerous area.

Only occasionally did the helicoptershave to use a more direct method. On 1February 1991, a Canadian Sea Kingspotted a dhow whose captain refused toturn his boat around despite warning signalsfrom the helicopter. Finally, Master CorporalKarin Lehmann, the AESOP gunner, firedseveral bursts of tracer over the bow and thedhow beat a hasty retreat. This marked twoair force firsts; a Sea King had fired the firstair force rounds in the Gulf war and Master

Spring 2003


Corporal Lehmann was the first female airforce member to fire at the enemy.

Similar to the earlier phases of thewar, the helicopters continued to be taskedto look for floating mines. Although the CLFwas kept far away from the mined areas,there was concern that some of the 1200mines left over from the Iran-Iraq war mayhave come loose from their tethers anddrifted into the southern Gulf. An additionaltask of oil slick surveillance was added tothe Sea Kings’ task repertoire later in thewar. The helicopters scouted a route clear ofthe crude oil that flooded into the Gulf fromthe sabotaged oil wells so that the shipscould avoid having the water intakes suckup the oil into their machinery.

When the logistics force moved to thenorth closer to the carriers in the third phaseof the war, the Canadian Task Group alsoassumed responsibility for patrolling theeight sectors around the carriers’ southerndeployment area. With the naval escorts forboth the CLF and carriers now under hiscontrol, Captain (N) Miller, Commander ofthe Canadian Task Group, becameresponsible for approximately 60 ships.Ironically, as Captain (N) Miller took on theresponsibility for a larger number of ships,Major Nordland found that the number ofhelicopters available to him drasticallyreduced. Since the CLF box was now muchcloser to the carriers in the northern part ofthe Gulf, there was not as great a

requirement to escort the tankers back andforth. Therefore, many escort ships, with theirhelicopters, were sent up north to augmentthe attacking surface forces.

Because the CLF was operating closerto Iraq and Kuwait during phase three, the minethreat increased substantially. Major Nordland,therefore, tasked the available helicopters,which for the most part were the five CanadianSea Kings, almost solely for mine surveillance.Despite the capabilities of the FLIR sensor, the“mark one eyeball” remained the best sensorto detect mines. Consequently, the aircraft werescheduled to fly during daylight hours. The highregard in which the allies held the CanadianSea Kings was clearly demonstrated on 18February when the American Aegis guidedmissile cruiser, USS Princeton, struck a mineoff the coast of Kuwait. Rear Admiral March, theAmerican naval commander in the Gulf, calledCaptain (N) Miller and said, “I need a ship toescort a tug up to extract USS Princeton out of aminefield.” He specified that he wanted it tohave a helicopter and a good anti-minecapability, then added,” I prefer it to have aCanadian flag flying from the stern.” The SeaKings provided the surveillance capability forHMCS Athabaskan to lead the tug around theoil slicks and through the Iraqi minefields tothe Princeton. With Princeton under tow, theSea Kings proved invaluable in spotting minesand picking a clear path down the Gulf toBahrain.

The aircrew and technicians whoworked extremely long hours keeping the SeaKings flying became quite attached to theiraircraft. At LCol. McWha’s suggestion theground crew gave each of the five aircraft anickname reflecting its personality. Sea Kingnumber 417, because of its reliability andomnipresence in all of the major operationswas called “Big Bird” after the famous SesameStreet character. Master Corporal “Rat”McCafferty, the resident artist, painted a pictureof the character on the side of the Sea King. Hedesigned appropriate characters on the otherSea Kings as they were named. “Hormuz Harry”had a goofy looking camel, “Chicken Hawk”had an ugly, mean-looking little bird, “LuckyLouie” had big, grinning, sharp-clawed, well-fanged, fat cat, and the “The Persian Pig” wasadorned with a silly, clumsy-looking pig.

When the ceasefire was announcedon February 28, Athabaskan and her airdetachment had been at sea for 45 days withouta break. The war’s end brought no immediaterelief. The ship was in a minefield off the coastof Kuwait escorting the hospital ship USSComfort to an anchorage near Raz Al Khafji.With the smoke from the burning oil wellsengulfing the ship, a lightning storm raging,black rain pouring down, and the immediatedanger of being blasted by a mine, the crew felt

sure they were in hell. It took 18 hours to getout of the treacherous minefield to an areawhere the crew could relax. The shipremained in some danger until it could getsouth of Qatar because of the large numberof floating mines, so for the Athabaskan’sSea Kings, there was no let up in theoperations until the ship sailed into Dubai on3 March.

Approximately 30 Chief of DefenceStaff Commendations were awarded toindividuals for their outstanding performancein the Gulf war. About half of these went tomembers of the Canadian Task Group,including Lieutenant-Colonel Larry McWha.The Commander of Maritime Command,Vice Admiral George, presented a numberMaritime Commander’s Commendations toapproximately 35 officers and NonCommissioned Officer’s, including MajorPete Nordland. Similarly, units were singledout with 423 Anti-Submarine Squadron being

awarded the Canadian ForcesCommendation for their work in preparingand maintaining the five Sea Kings whichsailed with the Task Group. The Sea Kingsaccumulated over 2,500 flying hours duringthe eight-month deployment. The airdetachments achieved a mission availabilityand completion rate of over 97 percent,possibility the highest achieved by any of theallied units in the Gulf.

On 11 November 1993,the Governor-General announced the HMCS Athabaskan,HMCS Protecteur, HMCS Terra Nova and 423Anti-Submarine Squadron had all beenawarded battle honours. For 423 Squadronthe battle honour “Gulf and Kuwait” joinedthe previously earned battle honours of:Atlantic 1942 – 1945, English Channel andNorth Sea 1944 –1945, Normandy 1944 andBiscay 1944, embroidered on the Squadron’sStandard.

However, the most significant changefrom the air force’s perspective was the SeaKing had proved to be more than a specializedanti-submarine helicopter. It haddemonstrated, under combat conditions, an

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ability to provide integral maritime air supportin a plethora of roles that previously had notbeen envisioned. In recognition of their newmulti-purpose maritime support capabilities,423 and 443 Helicopter Anti-SubmarineSquadrons (HS 423 and HS 443) were re-named 423 and 443 Maritime HelicopterSquadrons (MH 423 and MH 443) in 1994.Since their involvement in the Persian Gulf in1990 – 91 the Sea Kings have been the leadcombat aircraft in all of Canada’s UnitedNations operations. These include: post Gulfwar interdiction operations in the Red Sea, reliefand policing operations in Somalia, blockadeoperations in the Adriatic Sea in support of UnitedNations forces in the Bosnia-Croatia andKosovo-Serbia conflicts, peacekeeping in EastTimor and most recently a return to the Persian

Names Please?!?

Gulf in support of anti-terrorist operations inAfghanistan.

Bibliography:The Persian Excursion, Commodore Duncan (Dusty)Miller and Sharon Hobson“Certified Serviceable”, Peter Charlton, Michael Whitbyand Leo PettipasAuthor’s Op Friction experience as Deputy CommanderMaritime Air GroupAdvice from Colonel L. McWha, CO 423 Squadronduring Op Friction

Spring 2003


The 1921 JointExercises at Halifax:a Promising Future in Trade

Defence Destroyedby Richard Goette, Queen’s University

Following the First World War the BritishGovernment, appreciating the effortsmade by the Dominion in the war and

desiring to rid itself of surplus vessels, gaveCanada as gifts two submarines, twodestroyers and the light cruiser Aurora, all ofwhich had been built in the latter stages of thewar. In 1920 the Canadian government createdthe Canadian Air Force and the new serviceoperated the seaplanes that United States Navy(USN) air squadrons had left in Nova Scotia forCanada following the war. With these newresources, in 1921 the Royal Canadian Navy(RCN) and the Canadian Air Force carried outambitious series of joint air force-navy-armyexercises for the defence of Halifax. Theyincluded convoy defence exercises wherebyHMCS Aurora acted as the “convoy” while RCNdestroyers and aircraft from the Canadian AirForce Detachment at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia(now CFB Shearwater), worked in conjunctionto protect the cruiser from submarine attacks,simulated by the RCN submarines HMCSubmarines CH14 and CH15.

One of the greatest problemsexperienced was the difficulty of aircraftcommunicating with escorts. Because aircraftlacked radio communications, once it spotteda submarine, an aircraft had to fly straight to theconvoy to report the attackers to the escorts.Problems with visual communications meantthat the reports themselves were “badlyworded,” but the main problem was that byreporting to the convoy, the aircraft led thesubmarine directly to the convoy, therebyallowing the submarines to carry out an “attack.”Despite this problem, RCN officers were notlost on the value of aircraft, for Captain H.G.Adams remarked that “aeroplanes in averageweather conditions constitute a most valuabledefence in patrolling a port.” The Chief of theNaval Staff, Captain Walter Hose, agreed, andadded that the exercises demonstrated “thenecessity for the closest cooperation betweenthe services.” The final report on the exercisesconcluded that communications betweenships, aircraft and shore stations was not verygood and recommended that further exercisesshould take place in the future in order to correctthe problems.

Shortly thereafter, however, Canadiansvoted William Lyon Mackenzie King’s Liberalsinto power and one of the first things the newprime minister sought to do was to reducedefence spending. The government therefore

paid off the cruiser and submarines, leavingonly one destroyer and two trawlers on eachcoast, cut the strength of the RCN regular forcein half to 400 men and relegated the CanadianAir Force to largely civil flying duties. The RCNand the Canadian Air Force (after 1924 theRoyal Canadian Air Force [RCAF]) therefore didnot have the men or machines to undertakerealistic trade defence training. Although Hoseperiodically urged for the procurement ofsubmarines during the 1920s, he did so invain.

The result of such fiscal restrains wasthat joint trade defence training between theRCAF and the RCN was largely ignored duringthe inter-war era. In the end, in fact, it was notuntil 1944 that the RCAF’s Eastern AirCommand and the RCN had sufficientresources in men and machines to carry outjoint exercises. Thus, despite such apromising start in 1921 Dartmouth had to waitmore than 20 years before it saw adequatejoint training exercises again.

A Statement of Service Certificate can be acquired from National Archives. Former servicemembers may obtain a certificate. These are free of charge, and include details ofservice date, military component, rank and other items. It is an attractive document,complete with Archives seal. Allow about one month for a reply. Provide your name, dateof birth and service number to:

Director,Personnel Records CentreTunney’s PastureOttawa, ON K1A 0N3

Statement of Service Certificate

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Spring 2003


SUMMERSIDE REUNION Joseph Paquette<[email protected]>

Summerside played a part in Naval Air anumber of times over the years (not tomention my only divert from Shearwater ona very icy night when we landed atSummerside in the middle of a storm party).The longest of which was when it hosted880 Squadron after the demise of theBONAVENTURE. For those of you notfamiliar with this time when those huskyTRACKERS were entrusted to airdales andCF green pilots, I want to tell you that theSquadron COs were always Naval Air andcarrier qualified and the pilots always didthe TRACKER proud. In fact, the CARRIERBREAK was still the normal method ofentering the circuit, even with young menwho weren’t born when the last BONNIElanding was made.

In honor of its varied and warm past as amilitary base, SUMMERSIDE is hosting areunion in 2003 from Sep 11 - 14, 2003. Itpromises to be a great weekend offriendship and renewal. For furtherinformation contact the Slemon Park website {www.slemonpark.com } and click on[2003 Reunion].

Heck, we might even try to get a TRACKERfor some nostalgic flypasts. Hope to seeyou there. Joe

From: John Kinross<[email protected]>Once upon a time Summerside wassecond home to the TAG (Training AirGroup), when Shearwater was just toosmall for Naval Air. Meanwhile atShearwater at 8 am, the roar of a hundredengines was deafening - as the morningflock started up. (Well, it sounded like ahundred.)

ARMCHAIR CRITICSby Michael Owens

When in Shearwater in the early‘50s, I went on leave as a LSand on my return when I got off

the Dartmouth Ferry with all of my kit somegent offered me a ride out to the Base. Iimmediately thought, gay, but I couldhandle myself and accepted. All the wayto Shearwater this guy was prying into thelife on the Base, the meals,accommodation, the morale etc. Finally Ihad enough and I suggested to him that ifwe had problems we could sort them outand we didn’t need any civilian help. Whenwe arrived at the main gate, Don Ring, theold salt, greeted me with some terriblesalty language. My drive spoke up andsaid, “Don’t use that language in thepresence of your Captain!” This was myintro to Capt Finche-Noyes. Hecomplimented me on my attitude. It was amatter of pride.

As a matter of pride, I felt that I wasdoing a good job when servicing the oldaircraft that I was encumbered with and Iknow that the pilots that flew them wereproud of their performance as well. I alsofound that it was a real downer and morale-buster when others belittled my aircraft andmy efforts, especially those dinks on theFury squadron. It was even worse workingwith the Yanks when on the BansheeSquadron. I’d better get back to the point.We all are on the outside looking in. Thereare real good men out there doing whatwe once did and every time I read in thepaper or see cartoons depicting the sadstate of the Sea Kings I wince. Yes, weshould harass our politicians to get off theirbutt but we should show our confidenceand pride in these guys out there doing anexceptional job at every opportunity. Gosh,I accepted Sea Kings into the Navy whenon VX10 in the ‘60s. I did work on shinynew airplanes! The point is, “Dear mother,I’m send you a dog, it’s a bitch”. It mustybe a horrendous task to maintain anyaircraft over there, let’s boost morale, notknock it.

From Bill Cody Well said Mick. Nobodyknows more about working on Old Tubsmore than you. Think of all those oldTurkeys that we acquired from the USNcomplete with dried up fluid lines fromstanding out in hot sun compounds untilwe got them as well as with other “bugs”of which I had the misfortune of ditchingone (Popping Peter for those whoremember). Nevertheless, those old tubs

SAVED THE AIR BRANCH FROMEXTINCTION in the early 1950’s becauseof the multitude of accidents ashore andafloat with the “other” aircraft that we had,not the maintenance crew but aircraft thathad not been designed for carrier work.Think endurance as well as inappropriatedesign. The turning point that saved theAir side was the venerable Turkey whenwe went on a search for the Maggie andfour (4) destroyers returning from theEuropean cruise. We flew the entiresquadron (826) led by Dick Bartlett andNorm Donaldson (Group & Squadron Cos)three quarters on the way down to Bermudaand when there was no sight of thereturning ships at the point of no return,decided to abort the search until DennyFeagan (Dick Bartlett’s Observer) noticedFive echos 40+ miles East whereupon weturned to intercept our returningcomrades. We found them in the midst ofa howling gale, carried out a dummytorpedo attack (my engine “coughed at 100feet ASL and my volunteer passenger RodLyons nearly “crapped his pants). All ofthis happened at night and the entire triplasted for 9.50 hours of night formation(nine hours and 50 minutes and nearlyempty fuel tanks. LOL (Laugh Out Load)

Upon discussing the operation withthe returning tourists, they remarked thatthe weather was so bad that they didn’tknow that they had been attacked as theywere all down in the Wardroom gettingtanked up. When Naval HQ heard aboutwhat the old Tubs could do, they gave theair Side another chance to survive.

Nostalgia? Yes, but everybody(maintenance, support staff and flightcrew) gained a lot of pride in doing a lotwith little. AMEN

From Dave Tate WELL SAID MICK! I forone realize, more than can be said, thedebt of gratitude we aircrew owe all of youmagnificent Techs. You guys and galsmade it happen, and I know the kids oftoday are performingin the sameprofessional fashionyou folks once did.BRAVO ZULU andmany thanks from avery appreciative pilot.

Mick it was apleasure servingwith you-even tho Iwas one of “thosedinks on the Furysquadron”.

Spring 2003


Henry Botterell —The Last of Our First

by J. Allan Snowie, CD

“I have a vivid thing about aGerman officer in a sort of wagonwith six horses, three pairs,hauling a gun. I was in the air and hewas snapping [his whip], trying to get thebest out of his horses to get back fromthat position, it was well over the lines. Iregret to say that I hit the horses and theyfell down, you know, they collapsed, gotall tangled up. OHHH! I wasn’t verypleased about that…. Kind of asickening feeling seeing the poor darnedhorses, they were lovely horses they had.They fell and piled up.”

Eight decades after his Sopwith Camelattack on an enemy gun caisson, HenryBotterell was still haunted by the memoryof the wounded and dying horses. Pullingup from his straf ing-run, the youngCanadian pilot had glanced over hisshoulder at the carnage he had inflicted.That image seared into his mind.

This was not the stuff of “Snoopy and theRed Baron” that we think of today whensomeone mentions a Sopwith Camel.

This was human conflict at its bloodiest;the First World War 1914-1918. For atime, a new fighter pilot over the WesternFront trenches survived an average ofthree weeks. In spite of thesetremendous odds against any longevityhowever, Henry John Lawrence “Nap”Botterel l would l ive to see threecenturies; from Queen Victoria’sDiamond Jubilee to the centenary yearof the Wright Brother’s first powered flight

The son of a civil servant, Henry was bornin Ottawa on the 7th of November, 1896,and was just six weeks old when hisfather died. He and his two brothers andtwo sisters were raised by theirgrandmother, Annie Botterell. AttendingLisgar Collegiate Institute, Henry wasnicknamed “Nap” by fellow students whothought he looked l ike Napoleon.Following his schooling, he joined theBank of British North America (now theBank of Montreal). By this time, theconflict that came to be known as theGreat War had commenced and youngCanadian men were volunteering theirservice.

Henry’s older brother, Edward, a TorontoArgonaut footbal ler, joined the 48th

Highlanders along with his team mates.The battalion went overseas with the

First Contingent of the CanadianExpeditionary Force in late 1914. Aftertwo years in the trenches, and just beforereceiving his Captaincy, LieutenantEdward Botterell was killed by a Germansniper in June 1916.

Henry, then 19, was anxious to do hisbit. His oldest sister Edith, a secretaryfor Admiral Kingsmill, Chief of Naval Staffof the infant Royal Canadian Navy,encouraged her brother to enter thesupposedly safer Royal Naval AirService. Accepted as a “Candidate” heshipped out to England a civilian andjoined the Royal Navy on the 14th ofMarch, 1917, with the Midshipman rankof Probationary Flight Officer, RNASnumber 39236. Fol lowing thecompulsory “square bashing” he startedhis actual flying training at RN Air StationChingford, Essex, in May 1917. ThereHenry soloed after 4 hours and 12minutes. “I learned on the Grahame-White. It was like a big box kite in shapeand did 35 knots or something.” Hisinitial instructor was Flight LieutenantH.J. Arnold, Queen Charlotte Islands, BC,who had won Canada’s first aviationDSO for his role in sinking the enemyraider Konigsberg in German EastAfrica..

Henry went on to win his wings in HMSDaedalus at Cranwell, then a RNASaerodrome. There he flew Avro’s, BristolScouts and Sopwith Strutters. With agrand total of fifteen hours and nineteenminutes he earned Royal AeronauticalClub cert i f icate number 5093.Commissioned a Flight Sub-Lieutenant,Henry was selected for scouts, as theearly f ighters were known. Sent toadvanced training at RNAS Freiston inlate August he learned bombing andgunnery. Next came RNAS Dover and anintroduction to the Sopwith Pup. It wasnot promising start. On his first flight helost a tire and landed without it. Thiswas no easy feat as Dover was a verysmall field with the take-off over the cliffsand an equally haphazard landingpattern. However, after a total of twohours on Pups, bringing his solo time toa near forty hours, Henry was deemedcombat ready.

Appointed to 12 Naval Squadron at PetiteSynthe near Dunkirk, Henry’s first flightin France was on September 17 but hehad to land immediately with a brokenengine inlet valve. After ground runninghis machine the next day, he took off

The Spirits of our fathers shall dart from every wave.

Flt. Lt. Henry Botterell in Camel

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again but this time the motor completelyfailed. “It was in a Sopwith Pup, myengine conked out and I crashed justafter takeoff. I wasn’t too high, about 200feet, but I stalled and spun and hit prettyhard. I broke leg and lost some teethand gashed my head. It was not a verynoble effort but I guess everyone had afew.”

Following convalescence at PeeblesHydro Hospital in Scotland, Henry wasemobilized as disabled. While standing-by in London to be repatriated to Canada,a chance meeting with fellow pilots on arun ashore inspired him to rejoin thenavy. But this was April 1918, and by nowthe RNAS and the Royal Flying Corpshad been integrated into the Royal AirForce. Henry became a Lieutenant, RAF,under Major L.S. Breadner, DSC, (laterAir Chief Marshal, RCAF), at RAF StationManston, Kent. There, Henry completeda ten minute dual hop in an Avro thenflew solo. That same day he also didtwo flights in a Pup. By the week’s end,Captain D.M.B. Galbraith, DSC & Bar, ofCarleton Place, Ontario, sent Henry offon his first flip in a Sopwith Camel. TheCamel, which got its name from thehump created by two machine gunsmounted under its cowling, was givingthe Allies the edge on the Western Front.Notoriously difficult to control, the Camelcoupled a short body with a powerfulengine creating a vicious gyroscopictendency. In the hands of a capable pilotlike Henry it was a dynamic fightingmachine.

Sent back to France, Henry joined theformer Naval 8, now 208 FighterSquadron, RAF, in May 1918. HisSquadron Commander was theEnglishman Chris Draper, who becamefamous in the early 1950’s as the “MadMajor” for flying under 12 London bridgesin protest to being retired and declaredredundant. Assigned to “C” Flight, Henryjoined Canadian aces Herb Fowler ofBowmanville, ON and “JB” White ofManitoulin Island, ON. Another Canadianin this f l ight was Art Wightman ofWestmount PQ.

The Western Front was now at the heightof a f ire-f ight, Kaiserschlacht, theEmperor’s battle, as the Germans calledGeneral Lundendorff’s offensive. Thiswas Germany’s window of opportunity towin the War after the collapse of Russiabut before the fresh American troopspouring into France were prepared.

Henry flew through an intensive periodof high altitude OP’s, Offensive Patrols,and fought in several dogfights, returningfrom each with bullet holes or Archie(flack) damage to his aircraft.

These were his comments on the 16-18,000' patrols: “The aircraft was a littlebit soggy after 15,000', after 12,000'actually. But you had the advantage ofgoing over high up and coming backdiving downwhere they weren’t expecting you. Youcould watch through the holes, theapertures, of the clouds. The thing was,we used to have one person pop out asa decoy. “You have to have a little courage.But you got in and got out before you weremowed down yourself.”

On July 10, his logbook recorded: “SawEA [enemy aircraft] and hid in the clouds.Dived straight down at EA and fired shortburst from 50 yards. Guns jammed.Pulled away about 20 ft from Hun. OverEstaires at 4,000 to 5,000 ft, so returnedto lines. Enemy observer believed killed”.

In late August the Allies counterattackedand Henry was caught up with the Arrasarea push. The Squadron now becameactive in low level bombing and groundstrafing missions. Henry’s logbookrecords a litany of danger as he went‘over the top’ two and sometimes, threetimes, daily: “August 26 — 1st mission

— Low bombing. Dropped four bombson lorries on Douai road near Brebieres.Fired 150 rounds into trench on outskirtsof Brebieres. Bullet hit pressure tank andair pipe.

“2nd mission — Flew machine on gravityfrom Izel to Tramcourt and flew anothermachine back.

“3rd mission — Low bombing. Droppedfour bombs on Jigsaw Wood. Bullet hitand broke trailing edge of left bottomplane, penetrated cowl and crackedwindshield. Engine missing.”

In an outstanding single-handedperformance and ‘kill’, Henry attackedand shot down a German art i l leryobservation balloon on August 29.

An assault on a bal loon was acourageous and impressive effort. Thegas-bags were double-skinned forprotection against bullets and wereheavi ly defended by anti-aircraftemplacements. These guns were

ranged to the exact height of theobservation platform and couldconcentrate their fire quite accurately onan attacking aircraft. But balloons weremost desirable targets. They spotted forartillery and could conduct very accurate“shoots”. The long stalemate of trenchwarfare had turned the conflict into agunner’s war and shelling had caused

Spring 2003


more casualties than any other weapon.

That day, Henry was carrying four 20 lbbombs to attack the railway station atVitry, 50 miles into enemy occupiedterritory. Outbound, he saw the balloonnear Arras. After dropping his bombs,he flew back to find the German groundcrew frantically winching his target down.Defying the heavy anti-aircraft fire, Henrydove and let loose some 400 rounds,setting the balloon’s gas alight.

As the “sausage” began to crumple, theGerman observer took to his parachuteand leapt from the wicker basket. Henrybanked to avoid him. “I flew around himand gave him a wave but he wasn’t verysociable. He didn’t look too enthusiasticin my recollection, he looked petrified.He thought he was a cooked goose, butyou didn’t shoot down a fellow in aparachute. We wouldn’t do that. It wasn’tdone in those days. Well, I waved at himanyway.”

When queried about the anti-aircraftdefenses, Henry simply states. “Yes,there was quite a bit of fire from theground.” Asked about another flightduring which a bullet ripped through hisear and smashed his goggles. Henryreplied “Yes, I was shot. Just look at thebump on my head.” In reality he hadbriefly lost consciousness, recoveringjust in time to avoid crashing.

Not that his bad landing days were over.On September 19, two years and a dayafter his first accident, Botterell crashedand overturned in a new Camel; but hewas again lucky. His diary records thatthe next day he played rugby. However,“Major Draper was very annoyed when Iwent over on my nose.”

Henry’s diary also notes how he spentNovember 11. “The CO woke us up totell us about the Armistice. We had a bigdinner with pheasant and hare, shotlocally.” The next day, he took off in a newSopwith Snipe and recorded: “I flew lowover Mons and waved at the troops.”

Until the peace treaty at Versailles wasconcluded, the Allies kept a militarypresence along the German border.Henry’s squadron moved to Belgiumand maintained cease-f ire patrols.During his seven months on activeservice the young Canadian had flown267 hours. His total time in the air was324 hours. In that same seven months,

208 Squadron, made up of three 6-pilotFlights suffered the loss of 6 pilots killedin action, 2 killed accidentally, 7 takenprisoner of war, 3 wounded in action and2 injured accidentally.

While flying a Snipe to visit a friend nearBrussels in March 1919 Henry almostadded to the casualty list. Temporarilyunsure of his position, he pulled out amap. Thrusting it back into his flyingboot he failed to notice that the terrainwas rapidly rising. As a result he hit afence post with his lower left wing andbroke the rear spar, carrying away apiece of fence which had becomeembedded.

That year, Captain Henry Botterel lreturned to Canada and resumed thebanking career he had led before the war.He never flew an aircraft again. One ofhis most treasured souvenirs smuggledhome, in three parts, was the 9 ftpropeller of his Snipe. He also broughtback the piece of Belgian fence anddonated it to the Canadian War Museum

at Ottawa.

Married in 1929 to the former MaudGoater, Henry later moved with his wifeand their two children to Montreal. Hisson Edward recalls his athletic fatherskiing the Maple Leaf trail on winterweekends and bicycl ing aroundMontreal’s West Island in the summer.Henry was also an avid tennis player andsailor, joining the Royal St. LawrenceYacht Club in 1946. During the SecondWorld War, he commanded an Air Cadetsquadron in Lachine, Quebec.

He played the viol in in amateurorchestras, sang as a tenor in his churchchoir, and enjoyed listening to the TorontoSymphony. He continued to swim at theMontreal Athletic Club until he slippedon its icy steps at the age of 98.

Eighty years after Henry’s balloon action,the event became the subject of apainting called ‘Balloon Buster’ by well-

known aviation artist Robert Taylor. Thatsame year, 1998, former CaptainBotterell was recognized with the awardof the French Cevalier de la Legiond’Honneur. It was a token of gratitudefrom that nation to all remaining FirstWorld War veterans who had served in(or over) French soil.

At about this point in time, I had theprivilege of meeting and interviewingHenry, then aged 102. Ever the courtlygentleman, his first comment to me wasan invitation to join him in his eveningritual — a glass of rum and ginger. Hislongevity is a credit not only to his luck in1917-18, but to the character of the man;his enduring faith, good nature, senseof humor and posit ive outlook (andmaybe that nightly rum and ginger).

“I had good hands,” he said, assessinghis abilities in a dogfight. “I didn’t havethe fighting acumen of some, like BillyBishop. I was just a bank clerk. I wasn’tone of the very best, but I had my shareof action.”

Let us remember Henry by raising a toastto him with his ‘fountain of youth’ elixir,Rum and Ginger . . . To the Last of OurCountry’s First Naval Aviators.

J. Allan Snowie, CD

Addendum:

On his 106th birthday, 7 November 2002,Henry Botterell was inducted as anHonourary Member in the CanadianNaval Air Group. John Eden, the NationalChairman, made the presentation in thepresence of Henry’s son Edward ofToronto and daughter Frances Marquettefrom Texas. Henry participated fully in theceremonies and even partook of a “weedram” when his daughter Francesproduced a Texas-sized flagon of winefor the guests. The event had been madepossible through the good offices ofCNAGMembers Gordon Moyer of Ottawa andJoe MacBrien of Toronto

It was Henry’s last public appearance.He passed away Friday, 03 Jan 03. Hehad been on a slow downward spiralfollowing a heart attack on New Year’sDay.

On January 13th, a Service ofThanksgiving in memory of Henry JohnLawrence Botterell was conducted in The

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Spring 2003


Warriors Hall, K Wing, of Sunnybrook &Women’s College Health Science Centeron Bayview Avenue, Toronto. Nearly 300people gathered in honour of their fallencomrade and friend. The military waswell represented by both past andserving members, including air cadets.No political figures deigned to attend.

The religious service included a rousingchorus of “Onward Christian Soldiers”and concluded with the Navy Hymn andits aviation verse. Following next werefond tributes by those who were closestHenry in his final years..

Ms. Ann Morris, Director of the hospital:“We admitted Henry six years ago at age99. He was remarkable for his age; keento know how the hospital ran. He had anantique desk that he kept wellorganized. ‘Well, I was a banker.’ He saidand wore a shirt and tie every morning.His only worry on moving in was settingup his computer.

“He always greeted the ladies of the staffwith a kiss on the back of the hand, agentleman. When I brought him a cardfor his 100th birthday I noticed severalothers — all the same. But Henry wasnot disconcerted. ‘They don’t make toomany of them.’ He said. “He shared aroom with Ace Irving, a Second WorldWar RCAF gunner, and they were thecharacters of the ward with Henry playingthe straight man. He enjoyed dogs andsports. Music was also very importantand was to be listened to with a glass ofsherry. He joined the veterans musicgroup, the Troubadours, and playeddrum. On his 105th birthday he playedand sang.

“When I asked him the secret of hislongevity he said ‘I do what I’m told.’ Butin truth, he wanted to do the best foreveryone; he was the last of a breed, atruly gracious gentleman. He lived byhumanitarian principals through wars;he maintained a positive spirit and hehad a wry sense of humor.”

Second World War Veteran Lloyd Queen:“He was a father figure to the youngervets; we all looked up to him, a comradein arms who knew the terror of war… andthe consequences — he hadspent sixmonths in Peebles hospital. When wesaw his logbook and asked him aboutfear he simply said he was OK once hegot airborne.

“Our Mary, a longtime volunteer in theveterans’ wing once asked him what shecould get for him and he said ‘Nothing’.‘Well’. She said, ‘What can I give you?’ ‘Ahug’. He said.

“Last June the Lieutenant Governor ofOntario visited and Henry was introducedas 103. In a loud stage whisper he said‘One hundred and three! I’m a hundredand five. You’ve taken away the best twoyears of my life!’

Arthur Plumb, 84, who served as aninfantry platoon commander with theLincoln and Welland Regiment in theNetherlands and Germany during theSecond World War: “Henry was a leader,true role model for every Canadian.We’re not grieving his passing, we’re notcelebrating his longevity but what he didbetween his birth and his death. We asCanadians need to stop hiding our lightsunder a bushel. Henry was a man forwhom we can be very proud.”

Last to speak was Henry’s son Edward,namesake of the brother who was killedin 1916. After jokingly chiding Ann, Lloydand Art for unceremoniously ripping offhis speech, Edward remarked on therecent change of the title of the Hospital:“This will always be Sunnybrook VeteransHospital. An institution like this reflectsits leader and a wonderful staff of socialworkers, therapists and volunteers. It isa true home for almost 550 vets. I wishto thank you publicly.

“There was mention of Dad’s affinity tothe ladies. In 1999 he was Guest ofHonour at the 75th Anniversary of theRCAF. I traveled with him and Ace to theOttawa dinner. At one quiet point in theceremonies, Ace, who was blind, said.“What’s he doing?” “He’s still kissinghands.” I said. “How does he get awaywith that?” asked Ace. “Well, that lastlady said she swooned. What does thatmean?”“I don’t know.” Said Ace. “But you find outand we’ll do it together!”

Postscript:

Doctor Thomas P. Hackett, a Harvardgraduate and a professor of psychiatry atMassachusetts General Hospital, studiedFirst World War fighter pilots for years.His research, which included interviews,found that these men had “a wealth ofoptimism and a want of fear”.

*************************An old farmer had owned a large farm forseveral years. He had a large pond in theback forty, fixed up nicely; picnic tables,horseshoe courts, basketball court, etc.The pond was properly shaped and readyfor swimming when it was built.One evening, the old farmer decided to godown to the pond. He hadn’t been therefor a while and he decided to look it over.As he neared the pond, he heard voicesshouting and laughing with glee. As hecame closer, he saw a bunch of youngwomen skinny dipping in his pond. Hemade the women aware of his presenceand they all went to the deep end of thepond.One of the women shouted to him, “We’renot coming out until you leave!”The old man replied, “I didn’t come downhere to watch you ladies swim or makeyou get out of the pond naked. I onlycame to feed the alligator.”

Moral: Old age and treachery will triumphover youth and skill.

Repeatedly, Dr. Hackett observed commontraits of a positive attitude, a sense humorand the ability to reduce or abolish worryor fear. Even in times of great stress, “Theycould turn off the juice”. These same fighterpilots, some of whom developed coronaryor cancer later in life, denied beingfrightened. They minimized theseriousness of illness and displayedcalm, fatalistic attitudes. They viewedintensive care unit equipment asbeneficial , rather than disturbing.

This optimism proved advantageous asthe former aviators survived hospitalizationin greater numbers than civilian peerswho, worrying constantly, were unable todecrease personal distress. Another life-prolonging characteristic of the group wasfitness and activity. All were athletic tosome degree and kept in good shape.None reported psychiatric illness and allrecovered in time from periods ofdepression following the loss of a spouse.

Spring 2003


Julie Trials

From: “Don Knight” <[email protected]>

I was an LSAO at the Armament Section inShearwater in 1958 and was tasked oneafternoon to assist in the testing of a newExplosive Echo Ranging system in thetracker. My job was to set off explosivecharges in the harbour in the proximity of asonobuoy dropped by the aircraft.

Off I went to the AW jetty with two cases ofMk 36 hand grenades and an RA, (a verynervous Frenchman named Jones???),equipped with a radio, so that we couldcommunicate with the crew. At theirrequest, I would throw a grenade as far asI could into the water towards the buoy, andwhen it exploded, they would do their thing.But two problems arose; I couldn’t get thegrenade close enough to the buoy from thejetty, and the grenade igniter had sevensecond fuses which caused them toexplode too close to the bottom (they comewith either four or seven second fuses).

The first problem was solved by taking asmall yard craft out near the buoy. I wasthen asked if their was a way of shorteningthe delay time so that the grenade wouldgo off before it got too close to the bottom.My reply was, “Sure, I’ll pop the lever on thegrenade, count to three and then throw it.We still have four seconds before itexplodes.” Poor Jones was having a fit.“What if they are only four second fusesinstead of seven?” he asked. When Ireplied that they were ‘only single shot’ andthat ‘the blastwould probably blow us clear,’ I thought hewould void. After three or four moregrenades were thrown like this he waswhite and speechless. The testing wasterminated.

Never did find out if it worked. This ‘modusoperandum’ was never used again. Can’tunderstand why. Ingenuity must count forsomething. Cheers, Don.

Maggie Anecdote

Hi Group- FYI- I served in ‘Maggie’ as anAB from commissioning April 6th/48 to Feb5th/50 Then went back as a P2 from Sept1/55 to Mar 17/57- when I spent most of mytime as ‘Gangway Staff’ then was rewardedwith the ‘Postie’ job, which is where I waswhen we took the Troops to Port Said forduty in the Suez crisis——What I really wantto write about is a funny incident thathappened aboard-First I must set up thesituation- You may recall that Papa DocDuvalier was slighted badly in Ottawa onan official visit there I think he was refusedentry to the Chateau Laurier (or is itFrontenac in Ottawa) Anyway wewere sent on a snivel visit to Port Au Princeto wine and dine him aboard.

Now we get to my Yarn- Hertubiese wasthe Quarterdeck PO which is where theyplanned to hold this ‘Cake and Ass ‘ partyoff shore at anchor. The decks werescrubbed white - the Gratings covering theBollards were waxed and polished. Thecordage was all parceled. Clean Flagshung everywhere. Bulkheads were washedand painted where needed - It would take avery keen eye to pick anything up. However,the Quarterdeck Officer was not schooledto say “Well Done PO” instead he checkedevery inch of the area reaching and touchingand wiping and ‘Herch’ was getting angrierby the minute finally the QD Officer, I don’twant to tell you his name, but his initialsare Lt Chassels, looked out at the QuarterBoom ,saw some Seagulls standing everywhich way and crapping profusely. Heturned to Herch and said “ Look at whatthose Birds are doing. Get rid of them” -That was the proverbial last straw. Herchturned smartly marched over to the shipsside and bellowed in his best Parade voice— “SEAGULLS——SEAGULLS HO!!—Right and left turn QUIIIICK—march- Hethen turned and as he walked passedChassels he said “ I’ll report myself to theMAA sir -True story - Billy G

From: “Dave Williams”<[email protected]>

In the interest of historical accuracy, theMaggie story requires one correction. Theincident at the inn (Chateau Laurier)occurred before Papa Doc’s time as thePresident of Haiti in 1955/56 was Paul E(Jules) Magloire and he was refused aroom at that hotel. He left, some phonecalls were made, he returned, andsuddenly there was a vacancy. The rest of

the story flows from that incident. I was theOOW at the brow as he boarded for hisreception.

WINE, CHEESE, BREWAND ART

On, the 8th of February, 2003 we hadour third annual function of thistype and, although the weather

man co-operated, the turnout wasdisappointing. Despite that we all had afun evening and made a littlemoney to boot. We had many excellent paintings for showsale and a wonderful selection of woodcarvings. We again had wonderful varietyof cheeses from Windward Foods ofDartmouth, a selection of special ales andbeer, as well as a wide variety of wines. Ofcourse we featured wines from our ownJost Vineyard in Malagash and the beercame from Sleemans Brewery. There wasa nonalcoholic punch provided by Owenand Shirley Walton as well as coffee andtea. The members of Dartmouth Visual ArtSociety (DVAS) provided the paintings andJohn Horne attended to display somewonderful examples of the art of woodcarving.

Many of the attendees were first timevisitors to the Museum which is one of ourmain aims, on top of that we will add over$500 to the Building Fund kitty. Marina Kellyagain put together a gorgeous gift basketon which we sold tickets, raising $128. Amember of DVAS, Audrey Curran was thelucky winner of the basket!

One of the features of the eveningwas the presentation by Alan Moore, of acheque for $1,400 on behalf of CNAGAtlantic Chapter to Eric Nielsen, Presidentof SAMF. Alan also presented a cheque for$200 from CNAG to Chuck Coffen for theMuseum, in appreciation of the supportprovided by the Museum to the CNAGReunion on Thanksgiving weekend. JohnCody also was on hand to present DanDempsey’s book entitled “A Tradition ofExcellence” to the Museum on behalf ofGeneral Dynamics. It should be noted thatJav sold 2 of his paintings and is donating50% of the proceeds to the SAMF BuildingFund, well done that man!

My heartfelt thanks go to JostVineyard, Sleemans Brewery, WindwardFoods International, Mike & Marina Kelly ,Owen & Shirley Walton, Jav Stevenson andthe Dartmouth Visual Arts Society, SusanBallard, Shelly Williamson, JaneTempleton, Barb Ryan, Christine Hines,Mary Ellen McWirter, Rob Lepine, MichelleAnthony and all the attendees for theirgenerosity. Without all of that support wecould not possibly succeed.

Thank you all! Eric Edgar

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Memorable Moments -881

From: Allen Whalley <[email protected]>

Remembering “memorable moments” !Some sad! Some exciting and humurous.Many experiences we would never havewanted to miss! This was 881 Squadron1953-1955 while based at SummersidePEI [TBM Avengers and Hawker Seafuryaircraft. ]

CO LCDR Townsend : Serving under thecommand of an officer like him was indeedan honour and privilege. Sharing aChristmas drink with him and our air crew,in our own homes.....a “magic moment”,never to be forgotten!

CPO George Blackwell : in charge ofAvenger maintenance. A super guy ...asuper Chief and sorely missed by all whoknew him!

CPO Rick Adlum: in charge of Seafurymaintenance. A guy who had the only

solution to cure the habit of listening to“soap operas” on the radio. He shot theradio! Unfortunately, while based inSummerside he suffered a prop strike tothe head from a Seafury, when a corditestarter cartridge accidently fired. Hewas seriously injured and airlifted toShearwater,where he eventually recovered

CPO “JJ” Geoffries: The best regulatingChief in the RCN!

PO White :”Whitey” Went down with S/LTMcCleod and another member in Avenger307 returning to Summerside from aBermuda detachment, when their aircraftdisappeared from formation while in cloud,off the coast of Nova Scotia. All of thesquadron personnel records were alsoaboard. Many of us were detached toYarmouth NS for approximately 10 days toaid in the search.

LT Beech: Pilot......... You got the impressionthat he was tough and strict, [ which he was]but underneath he was a great guy. Myselfand another crewman, even got to meet

his parents in northern Ontario on the wayback from the west coast,when he took ushome to meet them and madearrangements for our accommodation foran overnight stop!

LT “Boots” McClymont: Lt Craven S/LTLarry Zbitnew.....other great pilotson a great squadron!

PO “Bill” Bilney PO “Bill” Whittaker

“On the beach” in Bermuda, some of ourguys held a burial ceremony for a deadshark that was lying in the sand,then we allwent swimming. Then along came a fishingboat with an upset captain,looking for “his”shark that he had planned to use for bait!Well...........guess what? We held an“unburial” ceremony and the skipper andhis crew went away happier then when theyarrived!.to be continued.......................Al

Spring 2003


The latest issue of the COPAnewsletter had an article and abeautiful picture of TRACKER

#1577 as it is displayed in the CanadianWarplanes Heritage Museum in Hamilton.

This article sent me off to my logbookto see what ties I had to that particular aircraft.I am former naval air pilot who spent fromSep.’63 to Aug.’70 flying that wonderful, noisy,stubby, powerful aircraft. I spent four yearsin VS-880 and another two years as aninstructor on VU-32. During that period Iacquired some 2931 hours on theTRACKER. 1577 had been in VS-880 andthen VU-32 and it seems that I followed itfrom 880 to VU-32 when it moved as I flew itin both squadrons. Its eventual withdrawalfrom service seems to coincide with thecessation of operations from HMCSBONAVENTURE and the reduction in thenumber of TRACKERs needed to fill its newshore-side role.

All of this to lead into the story whichcan now be told of the crash of 1577 into theShubenacadie River near South Maitland,Nova Scotia. This crash was duly reportedin the Chronicle-Herald on 14 Aug 69:

“PLANE CRASH RUMORS UNTRUEPOLICE SAY” South Maitland - RCMP saidyesterday that a plane did not crash near theShubenacadie River on Wednesdayevening. They investigated a report from a

South Maitland resident who believed that aplane had crashed but when they checkedthe river bank, along with a group ofresidents, they said they found no evidenceto substantiate the report. They said allmilitary planes from Shearwater and Debertare accounted for. Their planes had beendoing manouevres in the area. Severalpersons in the South Maitland area said theplanes were flying very low during the earlyevening.”

The rest of the story: TheBONAVENTURE was to be retired and therewas a chance for “all comers” to get a lastdeck landing before she left service. Thismeant that we had to first re-qualify on FieldCarrier Landing Practice at Debert when asimulated deck and landing mirror systemwas set up. Wayne “Butch” Foster was aRCAF pilot flying the T-33 at VU-32 and heand I were trading time, me giving himinstruction on the TRACKER and he givingme time on the T-33. Wayne mentionedthat it would be a GREAT idea if he was toget carrier qualified before “BONNIE”disappeared ... and the plan was hatched.

We two mismatched VU-32 pilotsinserted ourselves into the VS-880 landingpractice schedule at Debert and off we flew.Well the flight took us up along theShubenacadie River and the steep rivervalley was too nice to leave alone on that

Photo credit to the Canada Aviation Museum

beautiful afternoon. We took turns seeinghow low we could descend into the valley aswe followed the meandering river. With acouple of practice runs and someanticipation of the turns, we managed to getthe adrenalin flowing. We carried on toDebert, got our training in and returned homefeeling quite satisfied with ourselves.

It was only the next day when one ofthe servicing crew dropped theaforementioned article on the sign-out deskin front of us that we realized that we “may”have been seen at our play time. Wehunkered down and waited for the proverbial%$#@ to hit the fan but no one else everlooked our way. The 12 VS-880 crews doinglanding practice that afternoon were grilledintensively and pleaded not guilty andsomewhere in the confusion thatmismatched VU-32 crew was overlooked.We were certainly ready to admit ourculpability IF we had been asked ... but noone asked. AND THAT IS THE REST OF THESTORY.Butch Foster, if you are still out there, send anote to [email protected] Paquette1Parade LaneYarmouth, NSB5A 1T7 902-742-5596

Editor’s note:This are was the unsanctioned low-flying area for thecivil flight school at Halifax International. It wasfound that if you remained below bridge level over theriver and did your lower flying inside the quarry westof the “Juliette” the local peasants didn’t get excited.

TRACKER IN THE SHUBIE

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Spring 2003


SAMF Recipient of Air Show DonationOn 19 Mar 03, SAMF was the grateful recipient ofa generous donation from the Nova Scotia InternationalAir Show. Shown from left to right making thepresentation to SAMF President Eric Nielsen are:Mr. Dave Reid, Director of International MarketingIMP and Mr. Bernie Miller, Chairman of theNSIAS Committee.Photo by Cpl S. McNeil, 12 Wing Imaging

Navairgen Trivia:

First ShotIt is my understanding that the first shotfired in anger in the Gulf war was by a femaleFlight Engineer with a light machine gunmounted in the door of a SEA KING. Theyhad been fired upon by a fishing vesseland she hoped to keep their heads downuntil the crew flew out of range ...Can anyone confirm this?

Ken Sheedy writes:I can’t lay my hands on the paper work rightnow but I can confirm this is correct. Theyoung lady was the first to fire the first angryshots during the Gulf war. She ran off theenemy!What’s that about the wrath of a woman . . ?

From Ernie CableShearwater Aviation Museum Historian

The lady who fired the first shots was MCplKarin Lehmann (maiden name) who wasan AESOP on one of the five Sea Kingsoperating in the Persian Gulf. The scenariowas that the Sea King was tasked to protectthe 20 by 20 nautical mile Combat LogisticForce (supply ship) anchorage in thesouthern Persian Gulf known asPachyderm Palace. One of the threats wasfrom dhows (fishing boats) loaded withexplosives ramming the supply ships. Onthe occasion in question a dhow wasapproaching Pachyderm Palace and theusual means of a crew member standingin the doorway and holding a signdisplaying an international stop sign (Arabicscript) and a skull and cross bones failedto ward off the dhow. The next step was todrop a line of smoke markers across thebow (maritime version of a line in the sand).When this failed MCpl Lehmann fired awarning burst from the door-mountedmachine gun across the bow and the dhowmade a hasty retreat.

This event marked two air force firsts; a SeaKing had fired the first air force rounds inthe Gulf war and Master Corporal Lehmannwas the first female air force member tofire at the enemy.

From: “Joseph Paquette”<[email protected]>

Subject: Re: [NAVAIRGEN] Canada Buys“Smart Bombs”

Sure beats “Iron” bombs through thesmoke or Sidewinder air-to-air missilesagainst a fishing boat.

TURKEY TALESFrom William Cody

R emember Harnell & Carlson?Well; I was the “Driver” of that TBM(Popping Peter) that sent Carlson

for a swim together with Chief Ted Churlishand Hamilton on November 14, 1952. Idon’t remember whether it was Carlson orHamilton who resisted all the generousoffers of pussers tots from the submarinecrew, but after a lot of persuasion, he gavein. Harnell flew with us in 881 circa 1952. Inote that he flew with Pete Arnoldi onJanuary 25,52 and with Bill Duffie in March/52. I forget who his regular pilot was duringthose days. Speaking of Peter Arnoldi, heresides on a Caribbean island but visitsOttawa occasionally; I met him once whenhe visited Roy Kilburn in Manotick. Enoughof that nostalgia. Happy memories nevergo away, (Ed note: And we like to hearthem.)

From:”Robert Rogers”<[email protected]>I remember him well. Along with myself,Harry Sully, ? Moffat, ? Hunter, DaveWilliams,Doug Carr,and others, at my agememory sometime fails, under theleadership of Ted Brooman, Bob Hogg andWindy Geale formed the first OM course in1950.Buck Rogers

From: Leo Pettipas “Only a few remember such charactersas ‘Ace’ Harnell, the observer’s mate whocould detect a floating bottle on radar atfour miles and read the message inside!”

“Remember the time when ‘Chuff’ Carlsonditched? He was sitting in the rear seat ofa ‘Turkey’ (TBM Avenger) when the aircrafthit the sea in a nose-down attitude, hedived out of the back door and then hungsuspended in mid-air. He had forgotten toundo his rather strong helmet cordattachment!”- The Crowsnest, Vol. 14, No. 14, 1962

AIR MECHANICS

Four of the first group of Air mechanics shipped toAylmer in 1945 for Trade selection got together at theCNAG reunion in Halifax last October. L to R: SidSnelling, Ozzie Osgood, Tom tonks and RayKneebone.

Annual GeneralMeeting

SAM Foundation

0900 hrs6 Sep 03

Museum BriefingRoom

Spring 2003


Al Brown writes:I was quite impressed with the Museumon my trip to Halifax for the CNAG Reunion.I particularly enjoyed meeting Bill Farrell.Bill happened to be my cabin mate inMaggie a long time ago. Stay alive Bill.

From Herman H. (rocky) Rock:I enjoy reading the magazine as soon as itarrives.

Bunny Houston writes:Dear Kay:

This years CNAG reunion affordedmy wife and I an opportunity to again visitHalifax and other areas of the Province. Italso provided us with our first look at theShearwater Museum First impressionsare most favourable with all those tiles atthe entrance and then the Swordfish in itsarchaic grandeur of past technology thatbrought back some haunting memoriesof my apprenticeship days. Unfortunately,that is where it all seems to stop, and Ispent the rest of my visit pondering overwhat I wasn’t seeing.

For instance, where is theengineering professionalism that helpedcreate all of this? Where are the likes ofNeil A. Smith, Daniels, Gruber, PaulBrunelle, Tisdale and Bagsy Baker etctogether with such items as the bear tripdevelopment, MAD gear, dunking sonarand sidewinder exercises, amongstothers.

Similarly, I didn’t notice Roy Findlay,Buck McCullum, Don Purchase, JohnFreeman, Bill Shorten, or any of the otherthousands of technicians that kept thesemachines aloft and who worked andtrained in the establishment over the years.

Ottawa bureaucrats are regularlycriticized for their expensive procurementof “fringed area” artifacts and museum“oddities” as additions to their collections.

The critics seldom appreciate themuseums mandate to truly represent a fullcross section of the population thatrepresents their discipline. Failure to doso degrinates such museums to thestatus of a memorial to the group thatcreated them, instead of a living testimonialto the main body of work.

It is no wonder Kay, that you haveproblems encouraging support for “thecause”. If others feel as I do (and I knowthey exist), then their indifference isunderstandable, since, in its presentmode the museum does not reflect theirinvolvement in Shearwater or theirdeployment in Naval Air.

Is there a solution?; most certainlythere is. For example, alongside thepicture of each CO create a small “familytree” with the pictures of those at all levelsthat helped him get where he was, andfurthermore helped him to stay there. Dowe have a picture of Bonaventure atShearwater jetty?; or better still the shipsmodel that is in storage someplace uphere, put on display. Graduating classesfrom the various training outfits and whatabout the Group or Sqdn photos that weall posed for. Maybe we need a couplemore technical types on the SAMF Boardto encourage a trust in our direction.

May I conclude in hoping that allthose well intentioned and dedicatedpeople that surround you will still continueto do their part, and to thank them mostkindly for their efforts so far.

Yours truly,P. (Bunny) Houston

Letter to Mr. Houstonfrom Kay

Hello Mr. Houstoun.

Thank you for yourletter of 12 Nov. I readit with much interest.I’m sure you musthave many stories totell of your time in themilitary. Hope you’llsend them along too.

I passed your letter to

the Curator of the Museum and he notedyou have valid suggestions. However, it’snot from lack of interest in the EngineeringBranch, but from lack of memorabilia andphotos etc. Your idea of creating a small‘family tree’ is a good one and I’m sure ifhe had photos of individuals for the ‘familytree’ they would be up there.

Did you get a chance to stop in atthe Archives and see the photos theyhave? They also have many tapes ofcruises etc.

Thanks again for your mostinformative letter. If you know of anyonewho has pictures of technicians in actionor, as I said above, memorabilia, perhapsyou might encourage them to share thesewith the Museum.

Much obliged for your donation.Kay

(Note from Kay: Since this letter, I receiveda call from Mr. Houston suggesting that ifwe are using ranks with some of the namesmentioned in the newsletter we should userank with every name or none at all, sincemost are retired. The Editor noted that Inthe end, rank does not matter when we’relooking up at the grass. However, ifcorrespondence is addressed to us withRank included, we will reply in thatmanner.)

TRAGEDY OF SUCCESS - PART IIStu Soward writes:

Hello Kay,I thought I should bring to your attentionthe fact that the referred subject was aspeech by Major Brian Northrup at thesame Aviation Conference where Ipresented Part 1. He should be given thecredit for Part 2 since he wrote andsubmitted the article for the FoundationNewsletter.Best Wishes,

From: Brian <[email protected]>443 (MH) Sqn

Bill: Firstly, allow me to congratulate youon the excellent Shearwater Museumnewsletter. It is always a big hit with us on443 Sqn and quickly gets passed aroundthe crewroom. You will be interested tolearn that we have a campaign on at themoment to educate our junior officers onthe fine traditions and heritage of naval

READERS COMMENTS& SELECTEDNAVAIRGENS

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Spring 2003


aviation. Unfortunately we lost a greatstudent, Capt Juli-Ann (Jules) Mackenziein the Griffon crash last week. She wanteda tour away from the Sea King prior tocoming back to teach at the OTU. Wasn’tmeant to be. Now, the second reason forthis note. One of the nicest things aboutliving in Victoria is that I have the privilegeto do lunch with Stu on a regular basis. Afew years ago, we noticed the air force washosting the annual historical symposiumin Shearwater. We suspected that therewould be a paucity of naval aviationpresentations so decided we should dosomething to salute the subject. As wetalked, we realized we had the entireCanadian naval aviation story covered asStu had joined in the beginning and stayedtill 1970, at which point I joined the SeaKing world and remained to this day. Wedecided he would cover the first 25 yearsand I would follow up with the last 25 yearsto 1999. At our last lunch, Stu mentionedthat you may be interested in publishingmy second part of the presentation.Somewhat intimidated by the writing skillof Stu Soward and the quality of yourmagazine, I have reviewed the subjectpresentation and humbly offer it for yourconsideration. It is a bit long and in someinstances been overcome by events(unfortunately the MHP predictions stillremain accurate) and terminates at theend of the century. Should it be of any useto you, please seize what you wish andedit without concern. Pride of authorshipto me is a secondary considerationcompared to initiating discussion on howwe can re-energize Canadian navalaviation. Again, congratulations on anexcellent publication and keep up the greatwork.

Cal Wilson writes:Dear Kay:

A VC920 Follow-up

A thank you to the Museum Gift Shop andto Eric for providing me with a copy of StuSoward’s “Hands to Flying Stations” Vol 2.I had nearly given upon my quest for it.After reading Vol 1, with much enjoymentand admiration for the Author’sachievement in recording that period ofCanadian Nav Air History with suchdetailed effectiveness and yet lively,readable style.

Vol 2 is out of print, but St has told me thatthe last copies in existence were sent tothe Museum, so if any of your readers arelooking for Vol 2 they should contact the

Museum Gift Shop to get one - whichbrings me up to my VC920 Follow-Up.

In Vol 2 among the many marvelous photoillustrations is one (page 106) with thecaption “Group of VS881 personnel,Magnificent, Circa 1955-56" This is, in fact,a photo of VC920 Air and Ground crewsono the flight deck of ‘Maggie” in August1956 following the successful completionof the Squadron’s second year ofCARQUALS and training operations inMagnificent.

The newsletters seems to get better withevery issue. A well-deserved ‘Well done’to all who put it together. Stu Soward’sarticle “The Tragedy of Success - Part II”was a masterpiece - I hope we’ll see moreof his work in the future. I was pleased tosee my VC920 screed on the A25 (evenwith the typos! In the last newsletter. Oneverse that was fun (but a challenge) to singwas:

I rolled down the deckIn my Wildcat mark IVListening content toThat Cyclone’s sweet roarChuff - Chuff Clank Chuff - Chuff ClankAway wing on Pom PomAway Kite in Drink!

Cheers and thanks - Cal Wilson

From Davis EdwardsDear Kay:As I mentioned on the phone, I am trying tosend off my annual dues a little early so Idon’t forget - this happens sometimes.

This season of the year reminds me of theChristmas parties in SWANSEA when yourfather was EO. These Christmas partieswere an old Naval Tradition that I trust isstill done.

The last issue of the Newsletter wassplendid and I would appreciate an extracopy to send to my ex RCAF brother whowas an AF Policeman at 4 Wing in the dayswhen it was minutes from Soviet strikeaircraft. He once showed me the sort ofstorage they used for their nuclearweapons. It was part of the old SiegfriedLine - a well built bunker of which therewere many in that area of Germany. Howtimes change! Merry Christmas.

William P. Rikely writes:

I hope that things are going well with theMuseum and I look forward to a visit there

sometime in the future. There are manymemories for me in the naval aircraft andthe other artifacts which are preserved sowell for future generations to observe.

The Truth is out!

We’ve all seen those brave pilots as theybegin to taxi out for takeoff. They alwayslook at their fist to see if their thumb issticking straight up. The Crew Chief on theground agrees and mimics the pilot’saction confirming that yes, the thumb issticking straight up. He then salutes andthe pilot continues his taxi out.

Recently I talked to an old Air Force FlightSafety Officer who told me the real reasonfor this time-tested traditional exchangebetween crew chief and pilot. This isactually the last link in the flight safety net.The pilot and crew chief are confirming -just prior to takeoff - that the pilot does nothave both his thumbs up his ass. I neverknew that!!! It was a fine CNAG bash inHalifax.Cheers Jim McCaffery

Inter-War Naval AviationJohn Kinross <[email protected]>Notes:

In 1939 the Imperial JapaneseNavy had the most advanced NavalAviation, including night landing capabilityand a crude Fresnel system. It soundslike the RN kept their expertise alive inJapan. It permitted them to get back intothe aviation business in a big way, whenthey regained control over the FAA andlaunched Ark Royal in 1937. Unfortunately,they had no control over aircraftdevelopment. Incredibly, the RN enteredWWII with two super carriers - andbiplanes!

It breaks your heart when you thinkwhat expertise and power the RCN lost.Flying off a carrier was one thing - butseeing it operate from the inside was anequally inspiring experience. It was acombined fish-head - aviation partnership,something that only a few fish-headsremember. We had the best combinationof any of the major navies, wherein thebridge and operations room teams (fish-heads running things) dovetailed nicelywith Wings and Air Ops. Mr. Jones’ articlein today’s NAVAIRGEN may ultimately getthe Navy thinking that way again.

Spring 2003


At least we have destroyer aviationto start from.Cheers, Jake II

Magnificent Anecdoteby Dave Shirlawwww.seawaves.com

Dropped into Chapters and locatedSailors, Slackers And Blind Pigs ($34.95).Browsed through it before deciding to buy.

Number of good photographs, one of TheGreen Lantern, the author notes it wasknown as the “ green latrine”. In the early1950`s we knew it as the “StarboardRunning Light”.

Magnificent‘s canteen had the soda barcomplete with stools that was taken out ofthe Starboard Running Light during arenovation. Rumour was that if you knewthe Canteen Manager, the odd bottle of rumcould be purchased to help ease the painof a long cruise. Heard that when she wasreturned to the RN the Kippers had a fitwhen they found the complete sodafountain. “Bloody Colonials”.

SailmakerFrom: “J.Cribb” <[email protected]>

I was just trying to salvage a pair of slippersand a reminder popped up. During mybasic training in 1948 we had a lesson insail making, the old PO came into the classand said he was going to give us a lessonin sail making. He said he was the lastSailmaker in the Navy and to pay attention.He said “ this is a big Palm and this is abig needle, for big work, he put it down,picked up what he called a small Palmand a small needle for small work, putthem down and walked out of theclassroom and it was the last time I sawhim. The shortest bit of instruction I ever

received and after all these years they stickin my mind as one of the most interestingexperiences I had in all my Basic trainingin Naden. There are also memories of allthe doubling we did up and down HoosersHill, I have heard that we were the mostdoubled class (No. 10 ) that went throughNaden back in those days. Amazing howthings come back.

Michael Owens wrote:Hi Jack, Those sailmakers were aprivileged lot. In the mid-fifties I was dutyP.O. in Shearwater and the duty Chief didn’tshow up on time so I went ahead andorganized things without him. When heshowed up late he told me he had forgottenhe was on duty until his wife prompted him.He said he had been drafted to Shearwaterwhere there were no sails and he had noboss or no job so he was spending hisdays building a house down aroundHubbards. His only contact with the Navywas payday and when on duty watch.Payday was OK but he hated duty watch. Ithink his name was Young. He was aHelluva nice guy. Heard from Frank, havea good trip to Portugal. All the best.

From: Carl Wright<[email protected]>Hi Mick; It was Young I recall him from theMaggie in the early fifties.It was in the SE Section aboard at that time,Carl

Ref: “Canadian Naval Air Group Star”Fall Issue 2002, Page 25

Dear Bill: I was surprised to see theCertificate for the “CNAG STAR” in the FallIssue and subsequently have received anumber of inquiries regarding it. Back in1992 my wife and I were talking about mySquadron Mates and how it seemed thatmore and more of them were in “the Delta”.

We decided that inthe not too distantfuture, we would allbe gone and notmany would evenknow of theCanadian Naval AirService. One of themost enduringthings were thestars, and it wouldbe a fitting tribute topresent one toCNAG.

“THE STAR”, 31

UPSILON: was named the CANADIANNAVAL AIR GROUP STAR in perpetuity. Itmay be viewed with the naked eye and willforever remain a bright light. This, in timeto come, will hopefully be the meetingplace for all Naval Air persons at theirAnnual Reunions. Trusting you mightpass this along to the Newsletter readers.Yours Aye, Peter Bruner (Peaches)

Seafire PR 503From: “Leo Pettipas”<[email protected]>

I would like to respond to DonCrowe’s story that the Seafire that endedup at the Canadian Warplane Heritagehad been stolen from CANAS beforehandand hidden by some kids (SAMFNewsletter, Fall 2002, p. 30). GivenShearwater’s experiences with theEastern Passage Pirates, this notion isn’tas bizarre as I might first appear.Nonetheless, I can testify unequivocallythat it’s a tad off the mark, because thealleged perps were high school buddiesof mine. I was a Grade XI student at SidneyStephen High School in Bedford during the1960-61 academic year. We had anAviation Club, and one of our programscomprised touring military air stations. Inthe fall term we got ourselves invited toShearwater. While entering the base, oneof the guys spotted a machine with wingsfolded upward sitting in a field adjacent tothe Air Supply Depot. Being airplanenerds, we immediately recognized it forwhat it was — a Seafire, cousin to theimmortal Spitfire and therefore an objectof veneration to the likes of us. She waslisting to starboard and clearly a derelict.My friends undertook to acquire it with aneye to restoring it to its former glory,something a bunch of high school kids doevery day.

In point of fact, said Seafire, serialnumber PR 503, had been struck offstrength ‘way back on 4 April 1950. Assuch, she no longer existed as far asOttawa was concerned. In due course theengine was removed and the rest wasdeposited in the field near ASD for eventualuse as a hulk for training crash crews. TheLCdr responsible for the crash crew hadcompleted a fighter refresher course onSeafires at the end of the war; he was veryfond of the type and was dismayed at theprospect of seeing the last of its kind atAW go up in flames. The sympathetic CPOin charge of the crash crew held off thedestruction of the old kite, but realisticallyher final demise was only a matter of time.

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Spring 2003


So when word came around that somecadets in Bedford wanted the airplane forrestoration, appropriate overtures weremade up the chain of command toaccommodate them. To avoid traffic andunwanted publicity, the Navy loaded heron a flatbed in the wee hours of onemorning, bound for a private back yard inBedford. So you see, the students didn’tsteal her; she was quietly handed over tothem by the local authorities. In Bedford,the fuselage was placed atop a woodenscaffold, and the wings laid up nearby. Thestudents’ plans to rebuild it came tonaught, of course, and so there she satuntil she was acquired by the DartmouthChapter of the Experimental AircraftAssociation a few years later. Restorationplans by this group were also frustrated,and eventually it was purchased by theCanadian Warplane Heritage in the early’70s. This time she was indeed restored,but the CWH needed funds and so shewas sold to American interests. At lastreport she was the property of a Minnesotaresident and, appropriately enough,carried the US registration N503PR.

PR 503 is a rather historic airplanein the Canadian Naval Aviation scheme ofthings. Even in her derelict state, it waspossible to make out her markings — VGAAA, signifying that she had been onstrength with 883 Squadron. She was oneof the 18 CAG Seafires that participated inthe inaugural armament trainingdeployment to Rivers in 1948, at whichtime she was flown by Pop Fotheringham,883 Squadron CO. The following year shewas one of the cabs that made up theSpecial Exhibition Flight (“Watson’sCircus”) for the CNE airshow.

From: [email protected] (William Cody)in reply to an email from Gabe Simard.

Hi Gabe.

Yes, I was in Moncton from the endof 1959 to mid 64 as a helicopter pilotreporting to Ernie Savard, Supt. Air Regs.In those days, the Marine types had no “Air”Division and had to request helicopterservices from the Air Services Branch ofDOT who had to ferry ‘choppers fromOttawa to wherever the services wererequired, either the East Coast or West aswell as other locations i.e. Great Lakesetc. I met Lack Lord only briefly and tocomplicate matters, after I left on transferto Ottawa HQ, Jack Cody arrived inMoncton Airworthiness Div. The ferry trips

noted above used to take at least 2 dayseach way to Halifax/Dartmouth or otherEast Coast Marine Agencies and cost alot of money,

The DOT wanted to base somehelicopters in Moncton but none of theOttawa based pilots wanted to leave“Home” and certainly, didn’t want any partof Moncton - - - until I joined the DOT fromSpartan Air Services in Ottawa in 1959.When I heard about the proposal, Ivolunteered to go and was on my way veryshortly thereafter. Initially we took 2 Bell Jchoppers and set up a Detachment fromwhich we could reach any Marine Agencyin the Eastern Maritimes within 2 hoursflying time, except te Newffie area.

In addition, we were available forSearch & Rescue and other duties, and inorder to be “comfortable” fuel-wise, we setup several gas caches around theMaritimes i.e. at each Marine Agency andat the Copper Lake Radio Range Station(Complete with hand pump & Chanoisfilter). Other sources of fuel were readilyavailable at DND & other airports as wellas some DOT Ships.

I liked Moncton for various reasons,i.e. occasional visits to Shearwater and thefact that during the War, I was in the RCAFManning Depot (as an Acting LeadingAirman, RNVR) awaiting flying training atGoderich, Ont. and later to Aylmer, Ont. MyWife detested Moncton for some very goodreasons, i.e. too many drinking holes(which I frequented), rotten shopping andtoo far away from major cities. My dutytrips used to average 3 months in theSummer for Northern icebreaking andresupply missions, and six weeks each inthe Spring & Fall for Gulf of St. Lawrenceice breaking work and Marine agencyduties for lighthouse wharf and buoy runinspections, etc. These inspectionsreplaced the previous system where aShip had to go along the coast at 10 knots,stop at every lighthouse / wharf area, dropa boat to carry theInspector andreturn to the ship.In the meantimethe lighthousekeeper would radioahead to the next“Light” to say “Theyare on the way andwill be there to-morrow a.m. Thiswould allow thekeepers to hurryback from theTavern before theship arrived.

Everything changed when the choppersdid a week’s work from Dartmouth toSydney in one day. Twenty minutes off lying t ime didn’t give the keepersenough time to get back to their Lights.We were not popular with them. LOL

There’s much more, but it will haveto wait until another time. I’m also c.c.this to Harry Dubinsky in Salmon Arm,B.C. for info as after his stint in the RCNas an Obsrver and Helicopter pilot, hebecame the DOT Marine Agent in NWT.Have a good day, Gabe.

CANADIAN NAVAL AIR GROUP STARFrom: Peter Bruner

Dear Bill: I was surprised to see theCertificate for the “CNAG STAR” in the FallIssue and subsequently have received anumber of inquiries regarding it.

Back in 1992 my wife and I were talkingabout my Squadron Mates and how itseemed that more and more of themwere in “the Delta”. We decided that inthe not too distant future, we would allbe gone and not many would even knowof the Canadian Naval Air Service. Oneof the mostenduring things were the stars, and itwould be a fitting tribute to present oneto CNAG.

“THE STAR”, 31 UPSILON: was namedthe CANADIAN NAVAL AIR GROUP STARinperpetuity. It may be viewed with thenaked eye and will forever remain abright light. This, in time to come, willhopefully be the meeting place for allNaval Air persons at their AnnualReunions.

Trusting you might pass this along to theNewsletter readers.

Yours Aye, Peter

Spring 2003


Noel Black writes:

I’m back in the local area and would loveto hear from old friends. Mailing addressPO Box 36130, RPO Spring Garden,Halifax, NS B3J 3S9 oremail me at:grahamblack@gosympatico [email protected]

Bill Farrell writes:I am having a little difficulty

“circumspecting” the purpose and evolutionof Shearwater Aviation Museum Foundation(SAMF)”s Newsletter - bear with me. Thisnsltr began, years ago, as a sort of noticeboard and” keep-in-touch” chat room forretired naval aviation people (and a few light-blue veterans) and a very few still-servingmembers of naval-related air units; andalso a few “plain civilians”. Physically it wasa periodical of four pages or so, inexpensiveto produce-and mailing costs werescrounged from the crown.

The flow of text and photocontributions became such that more pageswere needed to ensure that significantarticles were not rejected for want of space.Volunteers with artistic flair joined the editorialteam and to do their talents justice a colourcover was introduced. This added to cost,as did the cessation of crown-paid mailingsubsidizing. Growth from four pages to nowmore than thirty - this to accommodatelengthy scholarly articles - also increasedprinting costs. There has been some cost-offsetting revenue from advertising but moreadvertising revenue is needed. While theexpanded newsletter has earned respectwithin and outside SAMF membership, theincreased cost means that it does not enjoyunreserved Board of Directors supportconsensus: An increase in SAMFmembership and in advertising revenue isneeded to meet concerns about thesustainibility of the nsltr in its present form.

Membership is predominantly ex-navy and therein lies a mystery. Naviation(sic), as such, ended with the scrapping ofHMCS Bonaventure over a quarter of acentury ago but the camaraderieengendered then lives on in old menscattered across this country and aroundthis planet. The want to tell tales and to heartales of what appear to have been the bestyears of their lives. Some of these had onlythree or four years in naval aviation and thenwent on to rewarding civilian careers lastingforty years: But service in naval aviationremains their fondest memory. I cannot thinkof any storied regiment or squadron with soenduring an esprit de corps. Phenomenal!

Were it not for a sense of duty to serve theseold comrades I would have been out of theeditor’s chair long ago.

There has been a few suggestionsthat the nsltr had grown to magazine categoryand even approached military journal flavour:A change of name to reflect this wassuggested and some fresh names wereoffered. Those suggestions came fromsubscribers to the NAVAIRGEN email serviceand so must be set aside until the wholemembership has a chance to speak abouta change.

The growth of the nsltr was notexpansion by conscious design - it justhappened. To wax “technical” for a moment- The Board of Directors is the de factoPublisher. The volunteer Editor selectscontent according to his appreciation of thehunger of the readers (who are the realOwners). The philosophy of the Board, thetastes of the Owners and the bent of theEditor are not necessarily always congruent.Do we continue to expand and morph into acombined military journal/old boys chatroom, continue much as we are, or revert toinexpensive four-page editions?

This editor’s bent or philosophy isthis (reminding all that the cowled guy withthe scythe decimates our membership rollcontinuously and SAMF’s survival dependsupon attracting new members): The nsltrserves SAMF which, in turn, supports themuseum proper (SAM). SAM’s mandate orrole is the preservation and interpretation ofCanadian Maritime Military Aviation Heritage.

Having said all this, I feel stronglythat the newsletter should address past ( forheritage and morale) present (for morale andnational sovereignty) and future (emergentweaponry): A new name should evoke past,present and future and draw the connectionbetween sovereignty and sea power, albeitsea power commensurately shared withallies. Since defence now conglomeratesinto two masses – homeland (or territorial)security and maritime/overseas operations– the eventual consolidation of land, sea andair forces, including sea lift and airlift, scene-of-action air support and logistic supportinto one “maritime” force for the overseascategory of operations (peacekeeping orwar) is patently the effective and efficient wayto get ”the most bang for the defence buck”our newsletter will invite articles debating thissubject. If we do it right we will recruit newmembers and influence national defencepolicy (copies of SAMF Newsletter areprovided to Minister and to Senate andCommons Defence Committees).

Somewhere down the road of timeother defence organs may elect to associateor to partner with us. The eclecticity or

catholicity of interest needed in such anarrangement with other periodicals would,however, make an exclusive naval old boyschat room section seem somewhatanomalous - but these are the majorityowners we must continue to serve and theremust be a way.

Lastly, I see a newsletter of severaldiscrete departments, each with its ownniche editor - all the unformalized sectionswe now have plus new ones on suchsubjects as weapons past, weaponspresent and weapons future, air engineering,other nation’s orders of battle for ships,aircraft and fighting vehicles dedicated tomaritime and overseas operations - theseamongst other topics - a truly eclecticensemble of material germane to themaritime warrior profession and to thedefence of this country’s sovereignty. What Ithink I’m groping toward is a publication thatspeaks for all who have an interest in militaryheritage and are concerned about the shapeof a restored defence force .(Note: Some of Bill’s musings, as noted above in thelast two paras, are not within the mandate ofSAMF. A new name? Yes, that is within ourmandate. Having said that, we invite your commentsre the future of the SAMF Newsletter. And Bill, afour page issue? I don’t think so. Old Comrades - oldmen...? You make them sound like they are senile.They are only better, not old. Kay)

BARBARY APEIn response to enquiries about the

significance of the image that regularlyheads the “Editor’s Grunts” column we shouldexplain that this is not one of a relatedspecies dwelling on Gibraltar but acomposite photograph aimed at payingrespect to all the pilots with whom thiseditor flew in the course of his briefservice in naval aviation. Pilots, if my nameis in your log book, look carefully at theimage and you may discover your bestfeature incorporated therein.With Respect, Bill Farrell

Page 37

Spring 2003


THE WEARIN’ OF THE GREEN

Until 1955, naval officers wore, between their gold rank stripes, a simple colouredstripe denoting the Branch of the navy to which they belonged. These coloursincluded, for example, purple for Engineers, scarlet for Medical Officers, whitefor Supply, dark blue for Ordance. In the song, the prominence of green is uedto express the constant complaint of the sea-going sailor - the shoreestablishment. Particularly headquarters in Ottawa, is overloaded with deskjockeys who never see a ship, awash with administrative types building empiresof assistants and secretaries to support frivolous activities while the ships goshorthanded. Also, shore appointments provide opportunities for training andpromotion. Sea duty provides nothing but wind, wave and submarines.

The Wearin’ of the Green

I met with Uncle Percy, and he shook me by the hand.I said, “How is our Navy, sir, and is it still on land?”

“‘Tis the most distressing Navy, faith, that every yet was seen,‘Cause half of them are pay-bobs and the rest are wearin’ green.”

Oh, I went into the Elgin, not a civvy to be found,But bags and bags of navy were sittin’ there around.

There were red and white and blue stripes, not an exec to be seen,And more than all the others were the wearers of the green.

Each evening in old “Bytown” when the beer is flowing free,You’ll hear more salt sea chanties sung than you ever heard at sea.

They sing of all the ships they’ve sunk and ports to which they’ve been,But truth to tell, they lie like hell, ‘cause they’re wearers of the green.

Some hand out railway tickets and some run navy shows,You’ll even find two-stripers there for washing dirty clothes;

Oh, send me back to Slackerfax where our ships can still be seen,I’ll gladly leave Headquarters to the wearers of the Green.

RCN SuspicionsConfirmed-

Military Service

A Soldier, a Sailor, and an Airman got into anargument about which branch of the servicewas “The Best.” The arguing became so heatedthe three service men failed to see anoncoming truck as they crossed the street. Theywere hit by the truck and killed instantly.Soon, the three found themselves at the Pearlygates of Heaven. There, they met Saint Peterand decided that only he could be the ultimatesource of truth and honesty. So, the threeservicemen asked him, “Saint Peter, whichbranch of the Canadian Forces is the best?”Saint Peter replied, “I can’t answer that.However, I will ask God what He thinks the nexttime I see Him. Meanwhile, thank you for yourservice on Earth and welcome to Heaven.”Some time later the three servicemen see SaintPeter and remind him of the question they hadasked when first entering Heaven. They askedSaint Peter if he was able to find the answer.Suddenly, a sparkling white dove lands on SaintPeter’s shoulder. In the dove’s beak is a noteglistening with gold dust. Saint Peter opensthe note, trumpets blare, gold dust drifts intothe air, harps play crescendos and Saint Peterbegins to read the note aloud to the threeservicemen:

MEMORANDUM FROM THE DESK OF THEALMIGHTY ONE

TO: All Former Soldiers, Sailors, and AirmenSUBJECT: Which Military Service Is the Best1. All branches of the Canadian Forcesare honourable and noble.2. Each serves Canada well and withdistinction.3. Serving in the Canadian Forcesrepresents a great honour warranting specialrespect, tribute, and dedication from your fellowman.4. Always be proud of that.

Warm regards,GOD, RCN (Retired)

Spring 2003


THE RIGHT STUFF!

Aviation pioneer dies in Halifax at age 92Hall of famer considered an icon in historyof flying in N.S.

Orville Pulsifer Jr. remembers a longnight spent waiting for news of hisaviator father. Search and rescue

officials said he was missing somewhereover Newfoundland. The family had reasonto worry, they thought. Northern navigationwas often done by radio reports andstopwatch - the compass deemed toounreliable and flying conditions couldbecome dangerous with little or no notice.After several anxious hours, news arrived.Orville Pulsifer Sr. had flown into horribleweather and off course. Eventually he cameinto Gander, so low on fuel there wasn’tenough to circle the landing strip. “Myrecollection was he said they had abouteight gallons left inthe tank. For anaircraft of 900horsepower and twoengines, that’s not alot of gas to workwith,” his son said.“Anyway, he was fineand he couldn’tunderstand why allthe fuss.”

A v i a t i o npioneer OrvillePulsifer Sr. diedWednesday at hisHalifax home. He was 92.

Described as modest by friends, healways said one of his proudestaccomplishments was a clean flyingrecord. Through decades in civil aviation,neither he nor any of his pilots were involvedin an injury accident. From his induction tothe Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum’s hallof fame to the plaque at Halifax InternationalAirport that recognizes him for suggestingits location, Mr. Pulsifer is an icon. Hiscontribution to aviation - through sixdecades of flying - is un-equaled in theprovince. “No one else had the successthat Orville had in civil aviation,” said A.RossBrown, a friend and former employee, whois writing a book, Orville B. Pulsifer: TheMan, The Vision, The Legacy, on behalf ofthe Aircrew Association of Nova Scotia.“Without question, Orville Pulsifer was avisionary,” Mr. Brown said Thursday. “Whenhe was 17, he had the foresight to seeaviation was an up-and-coming industry.”

In an interview in 2000, at the age of 90, Mr.Pulsifer said he had only one regret: Hewas turned down as a Second World Warfighter pilot. As a teen, he learned to fly inBoston and returned to Halifax to becomea member of the Air Force reserve. Hereported for war duty in 1939 and was putin charge of teaching pilots. He becameCommander of Standardized FlightTraining in Canada and CommandingOfficer of several Air Force stations.Despite his rank, repeated attempts to joinin combat were in vain. At 29, officialsdeemed him too old to fly. Wrong. Hiscareer was just beginning. After the war,he started flying schools in Waterville,Trenton and Halifax, and the province’s firstfire patrol system. He sold aircraft, did airphotography, crop dusting, mail delivery andeven flew rescue missions. Flying was abeloved career but not his only talent. Hewas an avid writer and poet, an inventorand an entrepreneur whose interests

ranged from physicsto plant cross-pollination and goldmining. He co-owned Ocean ViewBus Service inHalifax. He built afish plant nearCanso and had afleet for seal huntingand northern charterwork. He developedCrystal Crescent inSambro, providing ascale-model trainthat carried

passengers around the beach in the late’60s. At age 60, despite a formal educationthat went only to Grade 8, he earned marineengineer’s papers. Realizing many shipshad horrible drinking water led him toanother business, as founding presidentof Sparkling Spring Water Ltd. “He obtainedfortunes. He lost fortunes, but he was neverone to stop at that,” Mr. Brown said. “Hewas incredible as far as moving on tosomething else. There was nostopping him.”

Mr. Pulsifer is survived by his secondwife, Edna, a son and daughter-in-law,Orville Jr. and Ruth of Stewiacke, twosisters, two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

By Kelly Shiers / Features WriterCopyright =A9 2003 The Halifax HeraldLimited

CHIEF STOKER

The Pope dies of old age andsuddenly he finds himself at the gatesof Heaven - it’s 0300 hours. He knockson the gate and a very sleepy-eyedangel opens the gate and asks, “Can Ihelp you?”

He rep l ies, “ I ’m the recent lydeceased Pope and have done 63years of godly works and thought Ishould check in here.”

The angel checks his clipboardand says, “I haven’t got a message foryou to be here. You seem to be early.Just bring in your stuff and we’ll sortth is out in the morn ing. In themeantime, we’ll put you up in transientaccommodation.” They go to an oldWorld War II “H” hut-style barracks.The Pope is shown an open bay on the3rd floor. All the bottom bunks are takenand all empty lockers have no doors.The Pope f rowns, s tows h is gearunder a bunk, cl imbs into an upperbunk, and drops off to sleep.

The next morning he awakensto sounds o f b lar ing t rumpets ,cheering and clapping. He goes to thewindow and sees a f lashy Jaguarconvertible parading down the cloudsfrom a mansion. The cloud walks arelined with saints and angels cheeringand tossing confetti. In the back seatsits a Chief Stoker, his Stokers Badgeglistening on his chest, a cigar in hismouth, a can of beer in one hand, andhis other arm around a voluptuousblonde Angel with magnificent halos.

This really disturbs the Pope andhe runs downstairs to an archangeland says, “Hey, what gives? You putme, the Pope, with 63 years of godlydeeds, in an open bay barracks, whileth is Chie f Stoker who must ’vecommit ted every s in known andunknown to man is s tay ing in amans ion on the h i l l and get t ing ahero’s welcome. How can this be?”

The archangel calmly looks upand says, “We get a Pope up here every40 or 50 years, but we’ve never had aChief Stoker before.”

Page 39

Spring 2003


THE LAST WORD.....

Dear Readers:

Welcome to all the new members who joined us recently. Great hearing from you. Thanksto all members that were a bit late - thanks for joining us again.

The Atrium that will join up with the Museum and new hangar should be started sometimein May. The Museum will truly look world class when all the construction is completed.Several years ago a Professional Study was undertaken to decide if the Foundation couldfind the funds to build a new addition. At that time we were told that IF we were to ever geta new building it would have to be with funds obtained from our membership - but it wasthought that perhaps this would never happen. Never say never to members of Naval Air,especially those who want their heritage preserved. With your help (and a loan from theCF) we not only got a new building but we are on our way to getting an Atrium. We stillneed help in paying off this loan and the acquisition of new artifacts. Speaking of artifacts,if you have any at home, why not share them with everyone and send them on to theMuseum.

We are still waiting to get the remaining Gate Guardians down in the new building. Everyone is working extremely hard to complete theFirefly. Chuck Coffen, the Curator , said in the last newsletter that the Avenger was the Museum’s next project. If anyone can supply‘hands on’ help, I’m sure they’d like to hear from you.

Our ‘In the Delta’ list seems to grow every quarter. This past few months, we lost several friends. Two that I will really miss are PeterLavigne and Ted Fallen - always a quick smile and a pleasure to have known.

Please take care of yourself and drop us a line or two when you can. For you non members - I’m still waiting to hear from you. Reachus at:

[email protected] Free: 1-888-497-7779Fax: 461-1610

KayPS Happy Belated Birthday, Aries.

The Queen’The Queen’The Queen’The Queen’The Queen’s Jubilees Jubilees Jubilees Jubilees JubileeMedal RecipientsMedal RecipientsMedal RecipientsMedal RecipientsMedal Recipients

“Dickie” Bartlett

Bill Calver

Eugene “Buck” Rogers

Spring 2003


BEST VALUE? LOWEST COST?WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

QUITE A LOT ACTUALLY.

Best value for money? Lowest cost? They soundlike the same thing…but they’re not!

They’re two different ways of choosing Canada’snew ship-borne helicopters. Only one approachwill give Canadians a helicopter with the flexi-bility, performance and operational capabilitiesthe Canadian Forces require.

Canada planned to replace its Sea Kings ona best value for money basis. Now it hasswitched to a lowest price basis. If that’snot reversed, Canadians will regret it.

Best value for money builds on the success ofpast procurement efforts.

Bidders are rated based on all the capabilitiesand specifications of their aircraft including thebidder's proposed price. Exceeding minimumspecifications and building in extra margins forcapacity, safety and performance can earn more points. The bestcombination of specifications, performance and total price wins.This is also the way Canada successfully chose the Cormorant asits new Search and Rescue helicopter.

By contrast, lowest cost is a recipe for getting the cheapestpossible helicopter that barely meets minimum specificationsand flying capabilities. That’s guaranteed.

Using the lowest cost approach, the only thingthat matters in picking a winner is cheapestprice. There’s no incentive to provideCanadians and their military with anythingmore than the minimum. So that’s whatwe’ll get – the minimum.

Yet the demands on Canadian Forces aregetting more difficult and complicated everyyear. Ask those just back from duty in theIndian Ocean. Flying in temperatures of morethan 45 degrees saps aircraft performance.It’s no place for helicopters that just meetminimum specifications.

Canada needs a new ship-borne helicopter andthe ONLY way to choose it is on a best valuefor money basis.

A lowest price bidding process will producea winner at the cheapest possible price that

barely meets the contract’s minimum specifications.

Operational capabilities, flexibility, performance and safety can allbe sacrificed.

That’s the difference and it means a lot.

The Minister of National Defence said it best three years ago:

"It’s easy to forget that even during peacetime there are people

in the military who put their lives on the line every day to do

their jobs. That’s what these men and women do. . . . They

deserve the best equipment we can afford."

BEST VALUE MAKES SENSE. WHY SETTLE FOR LESS?

Return Address:Shearwater Aviation Museum FoundationPO Box 5000 Station MainShearwater NS B0J 3A0

Mailed under Canada PostPublication Mail SalesAgreement No. 1555251Canada

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Spring 2003.p65 - Shearwater Aviation Museum Foundation