Canadian Aircraft Carrier HMCS Bonaventure

Originally built for the British Royal Navy as HMS Powerful, HMCS Bonaventure was a Majestic-class aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Canadian Navy. Laid down on 27 November 1943 as HMS Powerful, she was incomplete at the end of the Second World War and work on her was halted.

Canada acquired the ship in 1952 and she was completed to an altered design and commissioned on 17 January 1957. The new design incorporated the ability to land aircraft of up to 24,000 pounds (11,000 kg); enlarged aircraft lifts to 54 by 34 feet (16 m × 10 m) in order to accommodate larger aircraft, an angled flight deck, steam catapults, and optical landing system.

The aircraft carrier’s initial air group was composed of sixteen McDonnell F2H Banshee jet fighters and eight Grumman CS2F Tracker anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft along with Sikorsky HO4S ASW helicopters.

The Banshees were retired in 1962 but were not replaced. The ship’s role then changed to one of pure ASW and the air wing was modified, dropping the fighters but keeping the eight Trackers, and increasing the number of HO4Ss to fourteen. In 1963, the aircraft carrier began a refit in order to allow her operate the new Sikorsky CHSS-2 Sea King helicopters, which had been ordered to replace the HO4Ss.

Bonaventure was sold an broken up for scrap in 1971.