SEP 1964:
Story written shortly after the Tonkin Gulf Incident 02 AUG 1964, source unknown.
HMCS Bonaventure, a 19,000 ton light fleet Aircraft Carrier (British Majestic Class), and also know as "The Bonnie" and "Club 22", was Canada's last Aircraft carrier. Commissioned in 1957, the "Bonaventure" was configured with an angled flight deck and a steam catapult. Her Air Wing flew F2H-3 "Banshees", Grumman CS-2F "Trackers" and "Sea King" helicopters.
VF-870 and 871 flew the "Banshee" for fleet air defense.
HMCS Bonaventure was de-commissioned in 1970.
Images above from W. Mutza.
Another source for information on the RCN consideration of the Skyhawk follows:
HMCS Bonaventure Operations 1964:
"After leaving Cyprus, the ship began to operate aircraft enroute Norfolk, Virginia with brief stops at Malta
and Gibraltar. Canada, at this time, was interested in a replacement for the F2H-3 BANSHEEs and were
looking at the Douglas A4E SKYHAWK and the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 CORSAIR II with a minor
modification was useable. The Douglas/USN people hoped that they could also sell the A4E to the Indian
Navy but after flight deck trials, landing trials etc all of which were most successful and despite the fact
that BONAVENTURE could have carried and operated 25 of these aircraft no purchase was made of the
A4E. But the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) bought and successfully operated A4E’s off a sister ship of
the BONAVENTURE. (The Canadian Armed Forces later had an opportunity to buy A4E’s but opted to
build the Northrop/Canadair CF 5A/B in Canada instead)."
Quoted from the web site "Canadian Aviation Museum"
http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/pdf/Carriers.PDF
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