{{Location map, Canada, label=RCAF Station Whitehorse , marksize=6, mark=Red_pog.svg , lat_dir=N, lat_deg=60, lat_min=42, lat_sec=34 , lon_dir=W, lon_deg=135, lon_min=04, lon_sec=32 , position=width=300, float=right , caption=Location of RCAF Station Whitehorse, Yukon RCAF Station Whitehorse was originally opened by the Canadian Department of Transport as "Whitehorse airfield". It is located at what is now the

Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport is an airport of entry located in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. It is part of the National Airports System, and is owned and operated by the Government of Yukon. The airport was renamed in honour of lon ...

Whitehorse, Yukon Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...

. The airport was transferred to 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 ...

in 1942 as part of the system called the

Northwest Staging Route The Northwest Staging Route was a series of airstrips, airport and radio ranging stations built in Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Alaska during World War II. It extended into the Soviet Union as the ALSIB (ALaska-SIBerian air road). Or ...

. Designated as RCAF Station Whitehorse, it had detachments at Teslin, Aishihik, and Snag, Yukon and in 1946, at

Watson Lake, Yukon Watson Lake is a town in Yukon, Canada, located at mile 635 on the Alaska Highway close to the British Columbia border. It has a population of 790 in 2016. The town is named for Frank Watson, an American-born trapper and prospector, who settled in ...

. After

World War II 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 opposing ...

, RCAF Station Whitehorse continued to function primarily as a refueling point on the Alaska route. The Department of Transport took over the operation of the airport, but the RCAF remained. In 1948, the station at

Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Its location is on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12 ...

closed and the intercept positions were moved to Whitehorse. The station's function changed to primarily a Radio Unit, namely, No. 5 Radio Unit. It became part of the Canadian Forces Supplementary Radio System in 1966 and was renamed Canadian Forces Station Whitehorse with the transfer to the Supplementary Radio System (SUPRAD). RCAF operations were limited to radio intercept. It was a short lived operation as CFS Whitehorse closed in 1968.

References

RCAF Whitehorse

External links

Whitehorse Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...