HMCS Bonaventure (22)

History

During the intense fighting of World War II (1939-1945), efforts by British authorities and local industry to strengthen the naval power of the region led to the approval of a new light aircraft carrier that could be built for Civilian shipyards running at full speed. These are known by the broad name "1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier".

They are smaller in size than true frontline Royal Navy (RN) types, but more capable than escort carriers are designed for - while still carrying a large number of fighter jets into battle.

Road to Wende

The

Colossus class was designed to meet this requirement, and the group consisted of 16 ships in total. However, eight were completed to design standards and the other two existed as "maintenance vehicles". Another five ships were assigned to the relevant Majestic class.

Not all were available before the end of the war in 1945.

HMS Powerful is the sixth of six ships in the Majestic class, built by experts at Harland & Wolff. Her keel was lowered on 27 November 1943 and the ship (partially completed) was launched on 27 February 1945, while wars in Europe and the Pacific were still being decided (to May 1945 and September 1945 respectively) .

With the end of the war there was no urgent need to add more expensive warships to the British stables, hence a moratorium on construction of powerful warships for the foreseeable future. She remained in this condition until her return to work in 1952, after her incomplete hull was operated by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) under the new name "HMCS Bonaventure" (chosen based on cost to succeed HMCS Magnificent). the same effect).

Before entering service with the RCN, her design was extensively modified for a new combat standard aimed at countering a new threat to the east - the Soviet Union.

HMCS Wende Tour

Powerful changes include a brand new modern island layout with US radar attached to a latticed header. Equally modern jet fighters would be launched from the deck using steam catapults and retrieved through safety lines. A new 8-degree angled deck section above the forecastle/bow facilitates launch. A stable mirror-based landing target system will aid in landings. As enemy aircraft remained the main threat to surface ships, local defense was handled by 76 mm (3 in) anti-aircraft guns mounted on four twin gun mounts on either side of the upper hull for maximum protection.

In addition, all accompanying ships and submarines will be deployed to protect the ship.

Their initial inventory of aircraft included the American McDonnell F2H Banshee jet fighters also used by the United States Navy (USN). The twin-engine jet was exported only to Canada, with total production of all brands ending at 895 by the end of the year.

It was last flown under the RCN flag in September 1962.

Airborne systems include the AN/SPS-10 series surface search radars and the AN/SPS-12 air search radars. Under normal operating conditions, the crew number is 1,200, but in wartime conditions it can be reduced to 1,370 if necessary.

Power comes from 4 Admiralty 3 barrel boiler units providing a Parsons single reduction gear steam turbine with 2 shafts rear rated at 40,000 hp. The top speed under ideal conditions can reach over 24 knots. Dimensions include an overall length of 630 feet, a beam of 112.5 feet and a draft of 24.5 feet.

The displacement reaches 16,300 tons under normal load and 20,320 tons under full load.

Her overall layout is traditional, with the island superstructure on the starboard side, albeit slightly forward amidships. The remaining exposed surfaces are used for the flight deck, which includes the hangar lift between the midship and stern.

HMCS Wende

The reborn Mighty - now the HMCS Bonaventure - was commissioned on 17 January 1957 under the battle cry "Not for us alone" and transported Halifax, Nova Scotia as her home port. As many as 16 Banshee fighters (production F2H-3) initially made up their direct contact air force, but these were only used until 1961-1962 - by which time the air force had transitioned to pure anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ). The character consists of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. The airline's inventory includes Grumman CS2F Tracker aircraft (added in 1959) and HO4S-3 Tornado helicopters, both equipped with anti-submarine warfare equipment. With the Banshee Squad gone, the inventory turned into eight Trackers and Thirteen Cyclones.

Over time, the Cyclone was replaced by the Sikorsky CHSS-2 Aquaman in the same role. This led to a modification of the ship in 1963 to accommodate the new helicopter.

The ship conducted various voyages and NATO-related exercises at sea (including participating in Western Allied forces during the "Cuba Crisis" (October 1962). In 1966-67, the ship conducted its final An overhaul and this included upgrading the old American radar system to a Dutch design. For better balance at sea, the two forward anti-aircraft gun positions were removed and the mirror landing assist system was switched to a Fresnel system.

Internally, each Parts were made to improve aircraft management and radiation protection (nuclear war was a very real and significant threat during the Cold War).

The end of the flagpole

In the late 1960s, during the Canadian defence cuts, the HMCS Bonaventure was considered expendable and selected for retirement. In December 1969, she received her final plane landing and the following January transported the troops to Jamaica for training.

She finally paid off in 1970 and retired on July 3 of that year - her time at sea was over. Her dismantled hulls were sold for scrap and eventually broken up in 1971 (in Taiwan) - only a few parts remained for future generations (for example, one of her anchors was on display at the Point Pleasant Park Outdoor Show in Nova Halifax) out of Scotia).

During her ocean-going career, HMCS Bonaventure was assigned three different hull identifiers: RML-22, RRSM-22 and CVL-22, largely due to her changing role in the RCN.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing