870 Naval Air Squadron (870 NAS), also known as VF-870, was a squadron of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

(RCN). It was formed when

803 Naval Air Squadron 803 Naval Air Squadron was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron. History Interwar 803 NAS was formed on 3 April 1933 by promoting No 409 (Fleet Fighter) Flight to the status of a squadron, with nine Ospreys. In the same month it embarked on f ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

was renumbered to 870 NAS on 1 May 1951. It operated throughout the 1950s and early 1960s before disbanding on 7 September 1962. It was the first RCN squadron to operate jet aircraft.

History

870 Naval Air Squadron was formed on 1 May 1951 when

of the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...

was re-numbered. It was initially based at

RCNAS Shearwater Canadian Forces Base Shearwater , commonly referred to as CFB Shearwater and formerly named HMCS ''Shearwater'', is a Canadian Forces facility located east southeast of Shearwater, Nova Scotia, on the eastern shore of Halifax Harbour in the Hal ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, with the Squadron operating the

Hawker Sea Fury The Hawker Sea Fury is a British fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. It was the last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, and one of the fastest production single reciprocating engine aircraft e ...

FB.11. In November 1952, 870 NAS adopted an American-styled squadron designation becoming VF-870. On 24 September 1953, the Squadron relocated to RCAF Summerside on

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

. VF-870 had its first deployment in January 1954 when it was attached to

HMCS Magnificent (CVL 21) HMCS ''Magnificent'' (CVL 21) was a light aircraft carrier that served the Royal Canadian Navy from 1948–1957. Initially ordered by the Royal Navy during World War II, the Royal Canadian Navy acquired the ''Magnificent'' while waiting for a ...

, it finished its deployment on 9 March. The Squadron stood down for the first time on 30 March. McDonnell F2H-3 Banshees in flight over HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22), in the late 1950s

McDonnell F2H-3 Banshees in flight over HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22), in the late 1950s

VF-870 reformed on 1 November 1955, this time equipped with 10 McDonnell F2H-3 Banshees, becoming the first jet squadron in the

. The commanding officer of VF-870 at its reformation was future Canadian Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Cdr.

Robert Hilborn Falls Admiral Robert Hilborn Falls, (April 24, 1924 – November 6, 2009) was Chief of Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces from 1977 to 1980. Military career Falls first joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 as a pilot and later transferred to ...

. A total of 39 Banshees were eventually purchased second-hand from the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

(USN) for a cost of $25 million, serving with VF-870, VF-871 and VX-10. VF-870 was attached, along with VF-871, to the aircraft carrier

HMCS Bonaventure (CVL 22) HMCS ''Bonaventure'' was a , the third and last aircraft carrier in service with Canada's navy. The aircraft carrier was initially ordered for construction by Britain's Royal Navy as HMS ''Powerful'' during the Second World War. Following the en ...

– Canada's newest carrier – from which it would deploy. While not deployed, VF-870 was based at RCNAS Shearwater. The Squadron participated in the 1956

Canadian International Air Show The Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) is an annual air show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The show is an aeronautical display of military, government and civilian aircraft, primarily from Canada and the United States. The show takes place a ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. The Squadron suffered a loss in August 1957, when a Banshee crashed into a Grumman Avenger AS.3, with one aircraft taking off as the other was landing. VF-870 made their first deployment on 7 September 1957, which lasted until 30 October. On 16 March 1959, VF-871 amalgamated with VF-870 thus leaving the Squadron as the only RCN unit to operate the Banshee. The Squadron made its final deployment on HMCS Bonaventure on 9 April 1962, lasting until 29 June 1962. While not deployed, VF-870 flew intercepts in the Canadian sector of

NORAD North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD ), known until March 1981 as the North American Air Defense Command, is a combined organization of the United States and Canada that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and protection ...

. VF-870 disbanded for the last time on 7 September 1962. Throughout its service, the Royal Canadian Navy lost 12 of the 39 Banshees it had purchased, including those of VF-870. A replacement for the Banshee never came to fruition making VF-870 one of only three RCN squadrons to ever operate a jet fighter.

Aircraft operated

Aircraft operated included: * Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 (1 May 1951–30 Mar 1954) * McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee (1 Nov 1955–7 Sep 1962)

Commanding officers

Commanding officers included: * Lieutenant-Commander D. D. Peacocke (May 1951–Feb 1953) * Lieutenant-Commander D. M. Macleod (Feb 1953–Apr 1954) * Lieutenant-Commander R. H. Falls (Nov 1955–Dec 1957) * Lieutenant-Commander W. J. Walton (Jan 1958–Apr 1960) * Lieutenant-Commander K. S. Nicolson (Apr 1960–Sep 1962)

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=December 2018 800 series Fleet Air Arm squadrons History of Canadian military aviation Military units and formations established in 1951 Military units and formations disestablished in 1954 Military units and formations established in 1955 Military units and formations disestablished in 1962 Naval history of Canada Royal Canadian Navy 1951 establishments in Canada