|  | Canadian CESM HistoryHistory
> Canadian CESM History
> Page 7 |
|
| The Navys Position in Communications Research
The Navy began their concentrated efforts in Communications Research by choosing the direction finding facility situated at Gloucester Ont, as the home for this unique business 29 Dec 1947. By early 1948, they had initiated Gloucester as the administrative HQ and trade school - co-locating it with HMCS GLOUCESTER (HFDF).
The Navy enjoyed a luxury that was not shared by the Army or Air Force services; the abundance of personnel. This enabled them to generate a separate trade.
Operators were selected from the nine regular sea branch radioman trades - all sea going. They were drafted from their shipboard billets, inland to Gloucester for specialized training and formed the nucleus of this unique and newly formed branch known as Communications Special Branch.
The mid-fifties saw a change of names; Communications Special became Communications Supplementary (CS). During 1960, they became known as Radiomen Special (RS) - until settling on Communicator Research during the integration process of 1966.
In order to provide the 40 positions required of them station wise; the Navy reactivated Churchill facilities under the name Naval Radio Station (NRS) Churchill in May of 1948 and acquired Gander's radio facilities when Newfoundland joined confederation in 1949 - renaming it NRS Gander. They would also reactivate Coverdale and open NRS Aklavik, thus eliminating their original intentions of establishing themselves at Prince Rupert, BC.
HMCS CHURCHILL
NRS Churchill was established 1 August 1943 during WWII as an ionospheric station by the RCN in support of the U-boat HFDF net. Following the war, Churchill was demobilized until the Navy afforded additional construction to the Churchill location, reopening as NRS Churchill which once again provided HFDF. During the ensuing year, in an effort to provide forty positions for communication research, NRS Churchill expanded its operational commitment into the SIGINT field and was commissioned 1 Dec 1950 as HMCS CHURCHILL.
The station was located near Fort Churchill situated on the southwest side of Hudson Bay at the mouth of the Churchill River, Manitoba. This station continued to operate until 15 June 1965, where upon SIGINT operations officially ceased.
NRS AKLAVIK NWT
In July 1949 the RCN established NRS Aklavik, Aklavik NWT.
During the early stages of this site, personnel consisted of six to 12 men with a Petty Officer in charge. Personnel were provided accommodation for dependants, however when the site originally opened, personnel and their families along with the permanent residents weathered rustic conditions, and severe hardships. Conditions they had not endeared before: the town lacked central heating, water and sewage, or modern fully equipped houses.
Although Aklavik grew to be a moderately settled town by the early 1950s, it's restricted waterways and instability of the silt and permafrost terrain were considered by experts as inadequate for the new construction. This site would later be replaced by NRS Inuvik in 1961.
HMCS COVERDALE
It's not known specifically when Coverdale was opened, however it is believed to have initially begun its role in the RCN as an HFDF site as early as 1941. The Coverdale station was located approximately three miles from Moncton New Brunswick, on the opposite side of the Petitcodiac River. Reports indicate that a HFDF site opened in 1941 contributing to Allied ASW operations in the Atlantic during the Second World War. Initially it was staffed by WRCNS, but as part of the Navy's self-reliant plans, new buildings "Y" and HFDF activities were constructed sometime in 1943 with operations commencing in 1944.
After the war the station continued to provide HFDF support for SAR purposes in addition to maintaining a small nucleus of trained operators. With the post war slump ending on the decision for Communications Research, Coverdale's potential value was once again appreciated. Gradual enlargement of the operational scope and physical facilities took place. In 1949 the station was commissioned as HMCS COVERDALE. The station continued to provide support to anti-sub activity, SAR activity and maintain research facilities in support of the Communications Research of NRC.
In 1950 the RCN and the United States Navy (USN) agreed to coordinate and standardize direction-finding activities for search and rescue operations in the Atlantic. Coverdale, along with her sister station at NRS Gander became members of the CANUS Atlantic High Frequency Direction Finding Network. With this new agreement, came an operator exchange program between the USN and RCN. Coverdale would eventually be closed July 1971 as part of the Beagle project.
FORT CHIMO QUEBEC
Chimo an Eskimo word for "Are you Friendly" was given to Fort Chimo and the location for a naval HFDF site between 1949 and 1952. This site was located just south of Ungava Bay in northern Quebec. Due to logistic problems this site was deactivated in favour of a more suitable site located on Baffin Island known as Frobisher Bay.
FROBISHER BAY
NRS Frobisher Bay began operating in the RCN-USN Atlantic HFDF net in 1953, replacing the facilities at Fort Chimo. The station was located along side several other military and civilian operations already being carried out here by Canadians and United States government agencies.
In 1958 on request from the United States Navy, NRS Frobisher began acting as a Naval Communication Facility (NAVCOMFAC) providing a relay for comms with United States Military Sea Transport Ships (MSTS) engaged in replenishment and supply of Distant Early Warning (DEW) surveillance stations in the eastern Arctic.
Annually between May and October, six additional radiomen from the Pacific Command and one ET2 from the USSN were posted to the station to carry out the MSTS resupply. Due to the lack of available work space; these operators were forced to set up operations in the narrow entrance way of the USAF Strategic Air Command receiving site located in Frobisher at the time. By 1960 a new operational building was built, which allowed room for both the HFDF operations and NAVCOMFAC.
Prior to 1960 the complement consisted of one officer and 13 men, the officer position was normally filled by a CPO; however by 1965 the complement went as high as one officer and 23 Radiomen Special.
|
|
|
| |
|
