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Canadian Naval Aviation Heritage Preserved: Inside Nova Scotia’s Shearwater Aviation Museum
Nestled beside CFB Shearwater in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia—the cradle of Canadian maritime aviation—the Shearwater Aviation Museum offers a compelling glimpse into over a century of naval and air force history. From rare artifacts and restored aircraft to a passionate curator who brings these stories to life, the museum stands as a testament to the nation's rich aviation legacy.
The Museum has an extensive aircraft collection representing a significant stretch of history and service in Shearwater.
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In May, we had the opportunity to visit the Shearwater Aviation Museum, located adjacent to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Shearwater in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia—the recognized birthplace of maritime aviation in Canada. While the exterior of the museum appears modest, housed in what are clearly repurposed hangars or maintenance facilities, the interior offers a rich and thoughtfully curated experience that highlights Canada’s naval aviation heritage.
Established in 1978 as a project of CFB Shearwater, the museum began in a single floor of a barracks block made available by the Canadian Forces. Within a year, the Shearwater Aviation Museum was accredited by the Canadian Forces Museum Committee, qualifying it for a modest operating grant and limited staffing and maintenance support. This support helped the museum begin to grow its collection and fulfill its mission: to acquire, conserve, research, and interpret artifacts and documents that represent the history and technology of Canadian Maritime Military Aviation, particularly as it pertains to 12 Wing Shearwater.
Shearwater was created originally as a seaplane base in August 1918, when the small promontory in Halifax harbour’s Eastern Passage, known as Baker Point, became United States Naval Air Station Halifax.
The air station at Shearwater has a storied past. Established in 1918, it is the second-oldest military airfield in Canada after CFB Borden and has served as the home base for Canada’s naval and maritime air squadrons for more than a century. It played a pivotal role in the birth and development of both the Royal Canadian Navy’s aviation branch and the Royal Canadian Air Force’s maritime operations. No other base reflects the evolution of Canada’s maritime aviation history as fully as Shearwater.
United States Naval Air Station Halifax subsequently became an air station for the Canadian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The basing of American and British naval air forces at Shearwater during the two World Wars enriches the air station’s naval aviation heritage. With the integration of the armed forces in 1968, Shearwater became a Canadian Forces base and, finally, today, 12 Wing, an RCAF lodger unit supported by CFB Halifax.
Over the years, the museum has grown significantly, thanks in large part to the contributions of veterans and individuals with ties to the base. Its extensive collection includes uniforms, insignia, ceremonial artifacts, tools, operational equipment, archival materials, and a remarkable art gallery. However, space constraints meant that only a fraction of the collection could be displayed for many years.
This CT-133, painted in Royal Canadian Navy markings, represents the typical color scheme used when the aircraft operated from Shearwater during the 1950s and 1960s. The Navy employed the CT-133 for pilot proficiency training and target towing. The examples on display at the Shearwater Aviation Museum are among the 656 CT-133s built by Canadair in Montreal for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1953.
The Harvard on display at the Shearwater Aviation Museum is one of over 17,000 built by North American Aviation in Inglewood, California. Designated as a Mark II, it was taken on strength by the Royal Canadian Air Force as Serial No. 2777 on January 14, 1941, and used for pilot training during WWII at No. 6 Service Flying Training School in Dunville, Ontario. After the war, it was stored but reactivated in 1950 to support 403 (Auxiliary) Squadron in Calgary through the RCAF’s 9403 Regular Service Unit.
The Eastern Air Command exhibit at the Shearwater Aviation Museum was created as a millennium project funded by a Department of National Defence grant. Its purpose is to preserve Canada’s maritime aviation heritage, focusing on key global events that shaped RCAF Station Dartmouth (now Shearwater) and Eastern Air Command’s crucial role in the Battle of the Atlantic. The exhibit features original furnishings from the EAC briefing room, including a wooden banister and ladder, as well as mannequins dressed in typical 1940s RCAF uniforms representing the operation staff who supported senior officers during the battle.
HS469 sat neglected in a farmer’s field in Ontario for many years before a group of naval aviation enthusiasts from the Toronto area undertook its restoration in the early 1980s. Following more than 13 years of meticulous work, the aircraft took to the skies once again in April 1994 at Canadian Forces Base Shearwater. At the time, it was one of only four airworthy Swordfish in the world. The aircraft was subsequently donated to the Shearwater Aviation Museum.
This Swordfish was flown by Royal Navy 841 Squadron during English Channel missions with RAF Coastal Command. In April 1943, it was sent to Royal Naval Air Station Lee-On-Solent, then disassembled, crated, and shipped to HMS Seaborn, a Royal Naval Air Section unit at RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.Fairey Swordfish Mk II “Stringbag,” side number HS469 (registration C-GRCN, serial F/B3S126A), was delivered to the Royal Navy in 1941. It was first assigned to No. 1 Air Gunnery School at East Camp in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, for tactical training, before being transferred to HMS Seaborn in Dartmouth for coastal patrol duties. After the war, in 1946, HS469 was turned over to War Assets Disposal for sale. Decades later, in the early 1980s, the aircraft’s skeletal remains were discovered in a scrapyard near Brantford, Ontario. A restoration effort was soon launched, and under the leadership of the Shearwater Aviation Museum, with support from the Canadian Forces, private companies, and dedicated individuals, HS469 was meticulously restored to airworthy condition, serving as a tribute to all who served in naval aviation. Source www.ruudleeuw.com
In 1992, plans were initiated to relocate the museum to Building 13—a structure that began as a gymnasium in 1941 and later served as the Base Exchange (CANEX) from 1975 until its closure. Renovated to accommodate the museum’s growing collection, the new facility opened in August 1995, significantly increasing exhibit space and enhancing the visitor experience. It also allowed many of the museum’s eleven historic aircraft, previously displayed outdoors and exposed to the harsh Maritime climate, to be restored and preserved.
The Royal Canadian Navy operated 66 Fairey Firefly fighter-bombers from 1946 to 1951, selling 14 to Ethiopia in 1954. These aircraft were largely forgotten until 1992 when two were spotted in Eritrea, showing faint Canadian markings. After discussions, Eritrea offered to return two Fireflys to Canada if their transport was arranged. In 1993, Operation FIREFLY was conducted by 426 Squadron and museum staff to disassemble and airlift the planes back to Canada. One is now displayed at the Shearwater Aviation Museum, and the other at the Canada Aviation Museum.
Grumman Avenger 85861, a TBM-3E model built late in WWII at General Motors’ Trenton plant, was one of 4,657 Avengers produced for the U.S. Navy. It featured an AN/APS-4 radar pod and was among 74 Avengers purchased by the Royal Canadian Navy in 1950. After a throttle failure forced a ditching in Bedford Basin in 1953, it remained underwater until raised in 1972 for training. Restored by VT 406 Squadron, it was displayed as a gate guardian at CFB Shearwater but deteriorated outdoors. In 1999 it was moved indoors for preservation, then relocated to the Shearwater Aviation Museum in 2005.
Tracker 1557 (serial 12157) is an airworthy example of the latest Canadian Forces version of the Tracker aircraft. After producing 42 CS2F-1 models, de Havilland built 57 improved CS2F-2s starting in 1960, featuring better Magnetic Anomaly Detection and radar. Fairey Aviation later upgraded 45 CS2F-2s to CS2F-3s, adding advanced navigation, radar, and submarine detection systems. Tracker 1557 was one such modified aircraft, entering service in 1968, then redesignated CP-121 and renumbered 12157, serving as a Maritime Reconnaissance plane.
The McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee, serial 126402, was one of 39 purchased from the US Navy. It arrived at Shearwater in 1957 and served with VF 870 Squadron both at Shearwater and on the aircraft carrier HMCS Bonaventure, primarily providing all-weather fleet air defense. Retired in 1962, it was donated to the Shearwater Aviation Museum and displayed outdoors until 2000, when corrosion led to its indoor restoration by volunteers. It now sits in pristine condition in the museum’s no. 2 hangar.
Further expansion came in 2001 with the construction of a new addition. Officially opened on August 24, 2001, the event also featured the unveiling of a fully restored McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee jet, which now serves as the museum’s Gate Guardian—refurbished by 12 Air Maintenance Squadron.
Shearwater, the original Canadian home of the HUP-3, did not have a HUP-3 helicopter exhibit until 2002, when the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation in Langley, B.C., agreed to trade their former U.S. Army HUP-3 for future consideration from Shearwater. On February 26, 2003, the helicopter arrived on a flatbed truck from Langley. It remained in storage until 2006, when volunteers began restoring it to replicate the original RCN aircraft 51-16621. The restoration, featuring the RCN paint scheme and markings, was completed in 2010. The second HUP-3, serial 51-16622, was donated to the International Helicopter Museum in England, while 51-16623 was acquired by the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. Both museums preserved their HUP-3s in the RCN paint scheme.
Today, the Shearwater Aviation Museum stands as a major cultural and historical attraction in the Halifax Regional Municipality. In addition to its exhibits, the museum offers a Reference Library and Archives, a conference room, a gift shop, and a 50-seat theatre to support educational programming and community engagement.
Central to the museum’s ongoing success is Curator Christine Hines, whose expertise and dedication have made her a pillar of the institution. With years of experience in aviation history, Hines plays a key role in shaping exhibits that both educate and inspire, ensuring the legacy of Canadian maritime aviation is preserved for future generations. The Shearwater Aviation Museum is not just a repository of artifacts—it is a living tribute to the men and women who helped shape Canada’s presence in the skies and on the seas. For more information, visit www.shearwateraviationmuseum.ca
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
