East Coast bids farewell to Cold War workhorses
HALIFAX — Canada’s fleet of geriatric Sea King military helicopters has finally reached its long overdue retirement on the East Coast, and the Royal Canadian Air Force is making sure the venerable, snub-nosed workhorse gets a proper sendoff after 54 years of service.
The Sikorski CH-124 Sea Kings have been a familiar sight in Halifax for half a century, but many people stopped to watch Friday as three flew in close formation above the city’s harbour to mark the final days before the aircraft officially ceases Atlantic operations next week.
“We are now downing tools on Sea King operations on the East Coast so we can put our full efforts into transitioning aircrew and technicians to the new Cyclone,” said Col. Sid Connor, wing commander at 12 Wing Shearwater. “It’s bittersweet for the technicians and aircrew here.”
The Sea Kings operating on the West Coast at Patricia Bay near Victoria will remain in operation until the end of this year as crews from that base are trained to fly the new CH-148 Cyclone, which has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.
“Sure, there has been a bit of delay here and there,” said Lt.-Col. Jody Smith, commanding officer of 423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron. “However, the people within the maritime helicopter community understand the importance of getting it right.”
The first Sea Kings arrived at Shearwater Aug. 1, 1963, and were expected to serve as submarine hunters to deter the former Soviet Union from violating Canadian sovereignty. At first, the big choppers were placed on aircraft carriers, but that role ended in the 1970s when the big warships were scrapped.
And so began the story of the Sea King’s constant reinvention. Over the years, these machines have had to adapt to a variety of missions as their operational lives were repeatedly extended.
Without aircraft carriers, the helicopter was modified to land on smaller, less stable warships, during even the harshest conditions.
“We were really the first ones to do that with the development of the beartrap system,” said Connor, referring to the innovative cable system used to reel in Sea Kings landing on the rear flight deck.
During the Cold War, Sea Kings were regularly dispatched for missions near Norway, where they lured Russian ships and submarines from their ports.
And as its surveillance and weapons systems evolved, Canada became a world leader in anti-submarine warfare, the helicopter acting as the “eyes and ears” for Canadian warships. “We were able to more than hold our own as a relatively small navy,” Connor said.
In more recent years, the vintage helicopters have run into a series of mechanical problems. The procurement process to replace the helicopters started in the mid1980s, but politics soon got in the way.