Canadian Forces Base Chatham or CFB Chatham was a Canadian Forces Base located immediately south of the town of Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada. Parts are now operating as Miramichi Municipal Airport since 1974 with a partial runway available (09/27 - asphalt).
| CFB Chatham | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Near Chatham, New Brunswick in Canada | |||||||||||
 CFB Chatham crest | |||||||||||
  CFB Chatham | |||||||||||
| Coordinates | 47°0′49.32″N 65°26′49.56″W / 47.0137000°N 65.4471000°W | ||||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||||
| Owner | Dept of National Defence (Canada) | ||||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||||
| Elevation | 90 ft (27 m) AMSL | ||||||||||
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| Airfields | |||||||||||
From 1970 until 1985 Chatham had a Base Rescue Flight operating three CH-118 Iroquois helicopters. When the CF-101 Voodoo interceptors were retired, the CH-118s were redeployed to Base Flight Cold Lake.[1]
History
editSecond World War
editAir training facilities were established across Canada during the Second World War as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and local MLA William Stafford Anderson applied for two schools in the Miramichi Valley region. The site was on level, cleared land with ready rail and road access. The Canadian government initially balked at paying for more expensive farmland, but the Government of New Brunswick agreed to front a portion of the cost. Construction began in the summer of 1940 and the airfield was ready by the following spring.[2]
No. 21 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) began operations on 3 July 1941 using 31 Fleet Finch loaned from the RCAF, while No. 10 Air Observer School (AOS), flying the Avro Anson, opened the following month. 21 EFTS was disbanded in August 1942 and re-established in Neepawa, Manitoba as No. 35 EFTS. 10 AOS remained at Chatham until it was disbanded in April 1945. [3]
On 7 May 1943, a flight of 14 Ansons took off from Chatham. Heavy fog rolled into the area soon afterward, obscuring the airfield. Two aircraft ditched in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and a third crashed in a field near Elgin, New Brunswick. Four trainee aircrew and one instructor were killed.[4]
Detachments of No. 113 Squadron and No. 119 Squadron patrolled the Gulf of St. Lawrence from Chatham in 1942 and 1943 flying Lockheed Hudsons. U-Boats were active in the Gulf and both U-165 and U-517 were attacked by Chatham-based aircraft, although neither were sunk.[5]
Aerodrome Information
editIn approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at 47°01′N 65°27′W / 47.017°N 65.450°W with a Var. 24 degrees 30' W and elevation of 90 feet (27 m). Three runways were listed as follows:[6]
| Runway Name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/29 | 5,000 ft (1,500 m) | 150 ft (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 16/34 | 5,000 ft (1,500 m) | 150 ft (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 5/23 | 5,000 ft (1,500 m) | 150 ft (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
Squadrons
edit- 1942 No. 113 (Bomber-Reconnaissance) Squadron - Lockheed Hudson
- 1943 No. 119 (Bomber-Reconnaissance) Squadron - Lockheed Hudson
- 1941-1942 No. 21 Elementary Flying Training School[7]
- 1941-1945 No. 10 Air Observer School[8]
- 1949-1950s - airbase with Canadair Sabre and de Havilland Vampire
- 1949-1951 No. 421 Squadron RCAF
- late 1950-1960s Golden Hawks - Canadair Sabres
- 1962-1984 No. 416 Squadron RCAF - McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo and Base Rescue Flight - CH-118 Iroquois
- 1984-1989 No. 434 Squadron RCAF - Canadair CF-5 and Base Rescue Flight - CH-118 Iroquois
References
edit- ^ AEROWARE / RCAF.com (n.d.). "Bell CH-118 IROQUOIS". Archived from the original on 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2007-10-24.
- ^ Lee 1989, p. 2.
- ^ Lee 1989, p. 3-17
- ^ Lee 1989, p. 10-11
- ^ "Battle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence" (PDF). Veterans Affairs Canada. 2005. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ^ Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 1. Royal Canadian Air Force. p. 43.
- ^ Military Bruce Historical Writings by Bruce Forsyth
- ^ Hatch, F. J. (1983).The Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, 1939-1945. Ottawa: Directorate of History, Department of National Defence. ISBN 0660114437
Bibliography
edit- Lee, A.M. Chatham: An Airfield History. Fredericton, New Brunswick: Unipress Ltd., 1989. ISBN 0-96912-534-8.
