12 Wing History
Shearwater's
varied and colourful history reflects the evolution of flying in Canada
and indeed the growth of Canada's Air Force. 12 Wing Shearwater is one
of the oldest military airfields
in Canada, second only to CFB Borden.
Shearwater was originally created as a sea base in August 1918,
when the small promontory in Halifax harbour's Eastern Passage, known
as Baker's Point, became U.S.
Naval Air Station Halifax. It subsequently became an air station
for the Canadian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the
Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).
With
the integration of the Armed Forces in 1968, Shearwater became a Canadian
Forces Base and finally, an Air Command Wing and lodger unit supported
by CFB Halifax.
Shearwater has been a home for Canada's air squadrons for the past 80
years, providing continuous service longer than any other Canadian
military air base. By virtue of its coastal location, Shearwater has been
inextricably linked to the air and sea approaches to Atlantic Canada.
In fact, it was the threat by sea that the
original "raison d'être" for the base that continues today.
Through the perseverance and urging of the British Admiralty and the
willing cooperation of the U.S. Navy, the Air Station at Dartmouth
became a reluctant reality and the birthplace of maritime patrol aviation
in Canada.
After
activation as a Canadian Air Force Station and later, RCAF Station Dartmouth,
the seaplane base became home for a number of early flying boats, which
played an essential enabling role in the development of Canada from a
very dependent British Dominion to a self-sufficient nation.
RCAF Station Dartmouth was home to many bomber
reconnaissance squadrons that played a major role in the Battle
of the Atlantic during W.W.II. Dartmouth was one the very few air
bases on Canadian soil from which the enemy was confronted face to face
in W.W.II.
HMCS Shearwater was also the birthplace of Canadian naval aviation and
from 1948-1968 was home to Canada's naval air squadrons when not embarked
on Aircraft carriers. Particularly noteworthy was the RCN's pioneering
the concept of flying helicopters from destroyer
size ships, a concept that was adopted by other navies of the world.
Today,
Shearwater's Sea Kings still participate in the vanguard of peacekeeping
operations, having distinguished themselves in the United Nations duties
in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, Somalia, Haiti and the Adriatic Sea.
Despite being older than many of the aircrew and maintenance personnel
who keep her flying, the Sea King is in the
forefront of most of Canada's operations at sea. Similar to the very early
flying boats and float planes that pioneered Canadian maritime aviation,
the Sea King supports other government departments.
Today, 12 Wing Shearwater continues in its original role of safeguarding
the sovereignty of our coastal waters and helping to project Canadian
interests abroad.
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