After a long time I present to you the HMCS Bonaventure as she appeared in 1969 just before 1970 decommissionning and after her controversial 11 millions CAD $ refit of 1966-1967. She gets her front 3 inchs guns sponsoons removed and she is operating Sea Kings, Trackers and a lone S-55 assigned to the ship. As designed version of 1957 will be made a bit later. Thanks for your patience and comments.
My motto:Per ardua ad astra (RCAF) Current Drawings:
USS Midway CVB-41 and later alterations
HMCS Bonaventure CVL-22 and later alterations Paul 2024
Really fantastic work here Paul! The Bonaventure was an important part of Canadian naval history and it’s great to see her rendered in such detail. It’s a great shame she wasn’t kept around longer.
Richard Mayne’s well-known thesis The Annapolis Riddle goes into some detail about how a purchase of 25 A-4E Skyhawks was considered and ultimately rejected. In fact, HMCS Bonaventure spent some time in Norfolk, Virginia in 1964 conducting tests with Douglas, including flight deck trials and landing trials, to determine the suitability of the Skyhawk for operation off of a Majestic-class carrier. I wonder how much of that data was later utilized by the Aussies when they selected the Skyhawk for operation off of HMAS Melbourne in 1965.
Sadly, infighting within the RCN along with the usual politics of military spending (perpetual budget cuts being a proud Canadian tradition), ultimately killed off not only the A-4 acquisition, but just a few years later would bring to an end more than two proud decades of carrier aviation within the RCN. As you mentioned, she had just completed a major refit prior to being decommissioned, and if Melbourne is any indication, she would’ve remained suitable for service for at least another decade.
