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.

From School to Sea!

This advertisement for the "Venture" Plan, which sought to recruit young Canadian men, uses images of HMCS Bonaventure and naval aviation.

The advertisement's central visual focus is the newly-commissioned aircraft carrier Bonaventure, accompanied by McDonnell Banshee fighters and a young man in an officer's cap. Established in 1954 to meet the Royal Canadian Navy's need for junior officers, the "Venture" Plan involved academic studies and professional training, and continued until other programs replaced it in the early 1960s.

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19760601-003c