The Early Cold War
Naval Aviation

Between 1946 and 1970, Canada's navy operated three aircraft carriers to help fulfil its anti-submarine mission and to help protect ships against enemy aircraft. These carriers required specialized equipment, procedures, and training for their crews.

Landing on HMCS Bonaventure

This photograph, taken from an aircraft landing aboard HMCS Bonaventure, shows the aircraft carrier's angled flight deck outlined in yellow.

Such flight decks, built at an angle to the ship's centre line, were an important post-war innovation that allowed high-performance aircraft to operate more safely and easily from aircraft carriers. Aircraft landing on an angled flight deck did not risk striking other aircraft parked further forward on the aircraft carrier's deck. The angled deck also left a clear path for aircraft to accelerate and take to the air again if something went wrong during a landing.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19860241-001_7a