407 Long Range Patrol Squadron (abbreviated 407 LRP Sqn, formerly 407 Maritime Patrol Squadron) is a long range and maritime patrol squadron of the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

. It is located at

19 Wing Comox Canadian Forces Base Comox , commonly referred to as CFB Comox or 19 Wing, is a Canadian Forces Base located north northeast of Comox, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. It is primarily operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air F ...

, on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

, British Columbia, and operates the

CP-140 Aurora The Lockheed CP-140 Aurora is a patrol aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft is based on the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe, but mounts the electronics suite of the Lockheed S-3 Viking. Aurora ( ...

History

No. 407 Coastal Strike

Squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

was formed at

RAF Thorney Island Royal Air Force Thorney Island or more simply RAF Thorney Island is a former Royal Air Force station located on Thorney Island, West Sussex, England, west of Chichester and east of Portsmouth, Hampshire. Station history The airfield was bu ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on 8 May 1941, first training on the

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

. It was one of seven Article XV RCAF units to serve with

RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...

. The squadron's wartime history can be divided into two periods. From September 1941 to January 1943, the squadron operated as a "strike" squadron attacking enemy shipping with the

Lockheed Hudson The Lockheed Hudson is a light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built by the American Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. It was initially put into service by the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and prim ...

. It was as a strike squadron that it won its reputation and its nickname "The Demon Squadron". On 29 January 1943 it was re-designated as 407 General

Reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

Squadron, and for the remainder of the war it protected friendly shipping from the

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

threat operating the

Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson; a key feature of the aircraft is its g ...

. The squadron was disbanded on 4 June 1945 following the end of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. On 1 July 1952 the squadron was reactivated at RCAF Station Comox as 407 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron flying the

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...

. On 17 July 1956 it was redesignated as a Maritime Patrol Squadron. The squadron has served continuously in Comox since 1952 flying the Lancaster,

Lockheed Neptune The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (designated P2V by the United States Navy prior to September 1962) is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. It was developed for the US Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and P ...

, and

Canadair CP-107 Argus The Canadair CP-107 Argus (company designation CL-28) is a maritime patrol aircraft designed and manufactured by Canadair for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). In its early years, the Argus was reputedly the finest anti-submarine patrol bomb ...

. On 28 June 1975, the squadron was presented its standard by

Walter Stewart Owen Walter Stewart Owen, (January 26, 1904 – January 13, 1981) was the 22nd Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1973–1978. In his youth, Owen was the first premier of the British Columbia Older Boys' Parliament, which later be ...

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the viceregal representative of the , in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in ...

. Currently, 407 Squadron flies the

Lockheed CP-140 Aurora The Lockheed CP-140 Aurora is a maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft is based on the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe, but mounts the electronics suite of the Lockheed S-3 Viking. "Aurora" refers to the R ...

on coastal patrol,

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

and long range patrol duties. It used these aircraft to conduct operations in the Arabian Sea after the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Squadron commanding officers

*Lieutenant-Colonel Garry Rheaume: 1997-1999 *Lieutenant-Colonel Gary Szczerbaniwicz: 1999-2002 *Lieutenant-Colonel Fred Bigelow: 2002 – 2004 *Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Ormsby: 2004 – 2006 *Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Hogan: 2006 – 2008 *Lieutenant-Colonel Mario Leblanc: 2008 – 2010 *Lieutenant-Colonel Dave Robinson: 2010 – 2012 *Lieutenant-Colonel Jason Kenny: 2012 – 2014 *Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew McCorquodale: 2014 - 2016 *Major Kreager Graham: May 2016 - August 2016 *Lieutenant-Colonel Jean-Philippe Gagnon: August 2016 - August 2018 *Lieutenant-Colonel Patrick Castonguay: August 2018 – August 2020 *Lieutenant-Colonel Fil Bohac: August 2020 – August 2022 *Lieutenant-Colonel Don Jamont: August 2022 - Present

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * Canadian Department of National Defence - Honours & Recognition for the Men and Women of the Canadian Armed Forces 10th Edition - 2016. Accessed 14 March 2019

External links

407 Long Range Patrol Squadron website

CAF – History of 407 Squadron

CAF – World War II Coastal Command
{{RCAF Squadrons Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons