HMCS Magnificent

A Hawker Sea Fury and a Fairey Firefly aboard Magnificent circa 1947.

Magnificent operated both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. In preparation for her joining the Royal Canadian Navy, the two squadrons formerly assigned to Warrior, 803 and 825 Squadrons, were designated 19th Air Group and embarked Sea Furies and Firefly IVs respectively. 883 (fighter) and 826 (torpedo bomber/reconnaissance) Squadrons were re-activated and formed the 18th Carrier Air Group. They embarked Seafires and older model Fireflies respectively.[6]

In 1950, the Canadian government purchased 75 Grumman TBF Avengers from the United States Navy for use on Magnificent. They were intended to replace the Fireflies in 825 and 826 Squadrons.[7] In May 1951, the squadrons were renumbered with 18 Air Group becoming 30 Air Group with 883 Squadron becoming 871 Squadron and 826 Squadron becoming 881 Squadron. 19 Air Group became 31 (Support) Air Group with its squadrons being renumbered from 803 and 825 becoming 870 and 880 respectively.[5]

In 1955, the RCN purchased Sikorsky H04S helicopters and equipped them with dunking sonars. The first squadron, HS-50, embarked aboard Magnificent in July 1955.[8] In September 1955, the Canadian navy began using United States Navy-style designations for its air units. VF-871 was composed of Sea Furies and VS-881 comprised Avengers. In February 1956, Magnificent embarked a second helicopter unit, HU-21.[5]

On 20 March 1949, while on fleet manoeuvres in the Caribbean, thirty-two aircraft handlers on Magnificent briefly refused an order to turn to morning cleaning stations to protest various grievances. The captain acted with great sensitivity to defuse the crisis, holding an informal discussion with the disgruntled crew members and carefully using the term "incident" instead of "mutiny", which could have resulted in severe legal consequences for the handlers.[15]

At almost the same time, similar incidents happened on Crescent, at Nanjing, China, and on Athabaskan at Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, both of whose captains acted similarly to that of Magnificent.[16]

Magnificent in the mid-1950s

Following the incident in the Caribbean, in June 1949, she went aground off Port Mouton, Nova Scotia. With the help of destroyers, Maggie was refloated and taken to Saint John for repairs.[5] With the outbreak of the Korean War, Magnificent was withheld from service in that theatre on the grounds that she was already committed to NATO duties.[17]

Magnificent spent most of her time performing port visits and training.[4][18] In December 1951, the carrier began a refit lasting until March 1952.[5] In September 1952, the carrier took part in the large NATO Exercise Mainbrace, and again in 1953 as part of the exercise "Mariner".[4] In 1953 she took part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[19] 16 aircraft (8 Sea Furies and 8 Avengers) took part in the fly past. In March 1954, Maggie underwent a refit at Portsmouth.[5] In 1955, Magnificent sailed to the Caribbean Sea for training exercises with the US and Royal Navies, escorted by Micmac and Haida and then sailed to Portsmouth before returning to Canada.[20] The aircraft carrier, escorted by Micmac, Haida and Huron, made a second cruise to Europe beginning in September, making several port visits and participating in two NATO naval exercises.[21] In 1956, she operated helicopters from her deck for the first time during a naval exercise.[8] That same year, on 10 October, a TBF Avenger made the last fixed-wing flight from the deck of Magnificent.[5]

On 6 November 1956, the St. Laurent government chose to join the United Nations Emergency Force, agreeing to send ground forces to Egypt.[22] Magnificent was chosen to transport the men and supplies to Egypt, being withdrawn from a training exercise to do so in November.[23] In preparation for use as a transport, the ship's weapons were stripped,[24] and her complement reduced to 600.[5] The initial plan was to embark the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, however that order was rescinded in December. Magnificent waited in Halifax until the end of the month[23] when she embarked 406 Canadian troops and their vehicles[4] along with 4 Royal Canadian Air Force de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otters and a single H04S helicopter and sailed for Egypt.[5] She arrived in Port Said in early January 1957. This was to be her last role, carrying a large part of the Canadian peacekeeping force to Egypt, its vehicles parked on her deck.[23] She returned to Canada in March.[5]

Magnificent's bell, located at Shearwater Museum

Magnificent left Canada in April 1957 and arrived at Plymouth on 14 June for decommissioning.[4] She was replaced in RCN service by Bonaventure, another Royal Navy Majestic-class carrier (HMS Powerful) that had not been completed at the end of the war. She was returned to the RN in 1957 and placed in reserve until disposed of. Magnificent's inability to operate the modern jet aircraft of the time led to her return and replacement.[7] The ship was placed on the disposal list in 1961 and remained there until 1965.[5] The ship was broken up at Faslane, Scotland, in July 1965.[4][25]

• Arbuckle, J. Graeme (1987). Badges of the Canadian Navy. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 0-920852-49-1.
• Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1953). Jane's Fighting Ships 1953–54. London: Sampson, Low and Marston. OCLC 913556389.
• Carroll, Michael K. (2010). Pearson's Peacekeepers: Canada and the United Nations Emergency Force, 1956–67. UBC Press. ISBN 9-780-7748-5886-1.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Hobbs, David (2013). British Aircraft Carriers: Design, Development & Service Histories. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-138-0.
• Macpherson, Ken & Barrie, Ron (2002). The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910-2002 (3rd ed.). St Catharines, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing. ISBN 1-55125-072-1.
• Milner, Marc (2010). Canada's Navy: the First Century (2nd ed.). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-9604-3.
• Tracy, Nicolas (2012). A Two-Edged Sword: The Navy as an Instrument of Canadian Foreign Policy. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 978-0-773-54051-4.