This article is about the air force base CFB Shearwater, formerly naval air station HMCS Shearwater, and air force station RCAF Station Shearwater/RCAF Station Dartmouth.

CFB Shearwater
IATA: YAW - ICAO: CYAW
Summary
Airport type		Military
Operator		Canadian Air Force DND
Serves		Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Elevation AMSL		167 ft (51 m)
Coordinates		44° 38' 23" N 63° 29' 58" W An IATA airport code, known by the IATA as an IATA location identifier or, simply, a location identifier [1], is a three-letter alphabetic code designating many airports around the world. ... The ICAO airport code is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... A McDonnell-Douglas CF-18A/B Hornet The CH-149 Cormorant Canadian Forces Air Command (AIRCOM) is the air force branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. ... The Department of National Defence, frequently referred to by its acronym DND, is the department within the government of Canada with responsibility for Canadas military, the Canadian Armed Forces. ... Dartmouth community and former city bounderies in relation to Halifax Regional Municipality Dartmouth, founded in 1750, is the community and former city located across the harbour from downtown Halifax, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. ... The term above mean sea level (AMSL) refers to the elevation (on the ground) or altitude (in the air) of any object, relative to the average sea level. ... This article is about longitude and latitude; see also UTM coordinate system Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically); large version (pdf) The geographic (earth-mapping) coordinate system expresses every horizontal position on Earth by two of the three coordinates of a spherical coordinate system which...
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
10/28	5,692	1,735	Asphalt
16/34	8,000	2,438	Asphalt

Canadian Forces Base Shearwater (CFB Shearwater) or Halifax/Shearwater Airport, (ICAO CYAW, IATA YAW), is a Canadian Forces base located in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia on the eastern shore of Halifax harbour. The ICAO airport code is a four-letter alphanumeric code designating each airport around the world. ... An IATA airport code, known by the IATA as an IATA location identifier or, simply, a location identifier [1], is a three-letter alphabetic code designating many airports around the world. ... The Canadian Forces (CF) (Fr: Forces canadiennes (FC)) are the combined branches of the military of Canada. ... Eastern Passage is fishing town on Nova Scotias Eastern Coast. ... | TotalArea = 55,283 | LandArea = 53,338 | WaterArea = 1,946 | PercentWater = 3. ... Please read first: This article is about the Nova Scotia community. ...

CFB Shearwater is the birthplace and primary base for naval aviation in Canada, and plays host to 12 Wing (12 Wing Shearwater) which was formerly organized as Maritime Air Group, Canadian Armed Forces.

12 Wing has 2 operational helicopter squadrons, one stationed on the east coast at Shearwater, the other on the west coast at Patricia Bay, British Columbia (Victoria International Airport) in addition to training squadrons at Shearwater. The current ship-borne helicopter used by Canada's navy is the CH-124 Sea King. Though the Sea Kings deploy aboard HMC ships, the units operating them are part of the "air force". The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors (propellers). ... Victoria International Airport (IATA: YYJ, ICAO: CYYJ) serves Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. ...

History

CFB Shearwater is the second-oldest military aerodrome in Canada. In August 1918 the US Navy established Naval Air Station Halifax on the shores of Eastern Passage to support flying boat patrol aircraft. The land-based airfield was developed by the Royal Canadian Air Force and became known as RCAF Station Dartmouth and later RCAF Station Shearwater through the Second World War. Aerodrome can mean: A series of aircraft constructed by Samuel Pierpont Langley. ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... The Naval Air Station Halifax was a U.S. Navy airbase that was obtained by the Royal Canadian Naval Air Service. ... Boeing 314 A flying boat is an aircraft that is designed to take off and land on water, in particular a type of seaplane which uses its fuselage as a floating hull (instead of pontoons mounted below the fuselage). ... The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

Post-war, the Royal Canadian Navy took over the facility, naming it HMCS Shearwater, also known as Royal Canadian Naval Air Station Shearwater (RCNAS Shearwater), using it to station carrier-based maritime patrol and fighter aircraft. Shearwater was also the home to early experiments with ship-borne helicopters - something which was copied by navies around the world. During the 1960s, the aerodrome at the former RCAF Station Debert was attached to HMCS Shearwater as a training location for carrier landings. The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) was the navy of Canada from 1911 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Armed Forces. ... An aircraft carrier is a warship whose main role is to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... The 1960s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... Canadian Forces Station Debert (also CFS Debert) was the location of a Canadian air force, army, and military communications facility in Debert, Nova Scotia. ...

The February 1, 1968 unification of the three service branches into the Canadian Armed Forces saw HMCS Shearwater (RCNAS Shearwater) change its name to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Shearwater. February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The Canadian Forces (CF) (Fr: Forces canadiennes (FC)) are the combined branches of the military of Canada. ...

Today the base has been scaled back with all runways being deactivated and surplus land being sold. Shearwater's primary mission remains as a heliport for the navy's Atlantic fleet.

Museum

The Shearwater Aviation Museum is located on base and documents local and national military aviation heritage. The nearby Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum, located near Halifax International Airport, includes both military and civil aviation. Halifax International Airport (also known as HIA) is an airport in Enfield, Nova Scotia, and serves Halifax Regional Muncipality and central Nova Scotia as well as nearby areas of the Maritime provinces. ...

External links

• 12 Wing/CFB Shearwater
• Shearwater Aviation Museum website
• Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum website