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This year marks a significant accomplishment for the Royal Canadian Air Force: the 50th anniversary of the CH-124 Sea King helicopter. Several events were held in late July and early August to commemorate the arrival of the first Sea Kings at 12 Wing Shearwater, Nova Scotia, on August 1, 1963.
Anyone who had an association with the Sea King, ranging from test pilots to flight crew, ground crew and technicians to MARS officers, retirees and currently-serving personnel, had the opportunity to celebrate one of the hardest working aircraft in Canadian history over the course of several days.
The largest event was the public commemorative ceremony held in Halifax’s Grand Parade on August 1. A large group of spectators filled the Grand Parade as presentations were made and a special plaque was unveiled.
The event began with a parade from Royal Artillery Park and through downtown Halifax, concluding at the Grand Parade. Dignitaries present for the occasion included the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, John. J. Grant; Major-General Richard Foster, deputy commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force; and Rear-Admiral John Newton, commander of Joint Task Force Atlantic and Maritime Forces Atlantic.
The “Freedom of the City” was extended to 12 Wing Shearwater in 1994. As part of the ceremonies, it was exercised, with support from the Royal Canadian Navy, and the “Freedom of the Skies” was exercised by Sea Kings.
The senior formation chaplain, Lieutenant-Colonel Michelle Staples, opened the ceremony with prayers and then read the names of the 10 military members who have lost their lives in the Sea King’s 50 years of operations.
“They shall not grow old as we who are left shall grow old. Age shall not weary them or the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in morning, we will remember them,” she said.
RAdm Newton made a special presentation during his speech. A year ago, the Government of Canada created a memorial ribbon for the families of deceased military members. RAdm Newton presented one of these ribbons to Mark Mander, police chief of Kentville, Nova Scotia. He is the son of Petty Officer First Class Douglas Mander, who died in a Sea King crash.
“While 10 deceased from the Sea King maritime helicopter community speaks to the greatness of the Sea King helicopter, it is still a tragedy, for the military community, for the brothers and sisters within that community that served together and for the families of the deceased,” said RAdm Newton.
“I don’t think there could be a better moment to remember your family and your father, his service and his sacrifice, than amongst all the community of maritime aviation that is gathered here today. We want to recognize your family and present the memorial ribbon to you for your fathers service and your families sacrifice.”
During the ceremony, a plaque from the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, was unveiled. It recognizes the national historical significance of Canadian naval aviation during the Cold War and will be displayed in the Shearwater Aviation Museum.
“If I can now get your attention towards the sky,” said the master of ceremonies, following the unveiling. Overhead, six Sea King helicopters carried out a flypast in the “missing man” formation, which represents a memorial for the loss of fallen comrades. The nose of the Sea King leading the formation had been painted gold, with a commemorative design created specifically for the 50th anniversary celebrations.
MGen Foster was the final speaker.
“Ask any naval commander aboard a destroyer or a frigate if he would willingly go to sea without his Sea King,” he said. “These aircraft compliment our maritime surveillance and interdiction capabilities, while providing a workhorse for resupply. They are a key line of defense for a ship or a task force. In her golden years, thanks to Canadian ingenuity with minimal resources, she remains tactically capable.”
That evening, members of the Sea King community gathered for a gala dinner at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax.
Before the dinner, Colonel (ret’d) John Cody, chairman of the Sea King 50th Anniversary Committee, asked if anyone was present who had been in Shearwater the day the first Sea Kings arrived. A number of people stood up, and received the loudest round of applause of the evening.
Following the meal, Serge Sikorsky, the eldest son of aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky, gave a lively presentation on the history of flight, with a particular focus on – what else? – helicopters. His father, Igor Sikorsky, was born in 1889 and after many early flight experiments in his native Russia, immigrated to the United States and in 1923, established the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation.
Sikorsky concluded his remarks by observing that the dream of flight remains with us. “It required freedom, to creating a flying machine…The freedom to dream, the freedom to create, is what has allowed us to reach for the stars.”
