| CFB Summerside | |
|---|---|
| NearSummerside, Prince Edward Island in Canada | |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Dept of National Defence (Canada) |
| Location | |
  CFB Summerside CFB Summerside | |
| Coordinates | 46°26′17″N063°49′44″W / 46.43806°N 63.82889°W /46.43806; -63.82889 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1940 |
| In use | 1941-1946 1947-1991 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | No. 9 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) (194–) No. 1 General Reconnaissance School (GRS) (194–) No. 1 Reconnaissance and Navigation School in 1945 No. 1 Air Navigation School (ANS) (1947–1953) No. 2 (Maritime) Operational Training Unit No. 107 Rescue Unit 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron 420 Air Reserve Squadron 880 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron (Royal Canadian Navy) 31 Support Air Group (Royal Canadian Navy) 415 Maritime Patrol Squadron |
| Airfields | |
Canadian Forces Base Summerside (CFB Summerside) was an air force base located inSt. Eleanors,Prince Edward Island, Canada, now part of the city ofSummerside.
The airfield was constructed by theRoyal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) between 1940–1941 and was namedRCAF Station Summerside.
It was home toNo. 9 Service Flying Training School RCAF, a flight school that operated under theBritish Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). Relief or emergency airfields were located at nearbyRCAF Station Mount Pleasant andWellington. Airmen were trained onHarvards. In July 1942 No. 9 SFTS moved toRCAF Station Centralia and was replaced byNo. 1 General Reconnaissance School RCAF which flewAnsons. No. 1 GRS was renamed to No. 1 Reconnaissance and Navigation School in 1945.
The airfield was constructed in the typical BCATP wartime pattern, with runways formed in a triangle.In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed asRCAF Aerodrome - Summerside, Prince Edward Island at46°27′N63°50′W / 46.450°N 63.833°W /46.450; -63.833 with a variation of 25 degrees west and elevation of 50 ft (15 m). Six runways were listed as follows:[1]
| Runway name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/24 | 5,000 ft (1,500 m) | 150 ft (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 6/24 | 2,500 ft (760 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 12/30 | 5,000 ft (1,500 m) | 150 ft (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 12/30 | 2,500 ft (760 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 18/36 | 5,000 ft (1,500 m) | 150 ft (46 m) | Hard surfaced |
| 18/36 | 2,500 ft (760 m) | 100 ft (30 m) | Hard surfaced |
The primary relief landing field (R1) for RCAF Station Summerside wasRCAF Station Mount Pleasant. The station was located east of the community ofEllerslie, Prince Edward Island.
The secondary relief landing field (R2) for RCAF Station Summerside was located north-east of the community ofWellington, Prince Edward Island. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed asRCAF Aerodrome - Wellington, Prince Edward Island at46°29′N64°01′W / 46.483°N 64.017°W /46.483; -64.017 with a variation of 24 degrees west and elevation of 150 ft (46 m). Three runways were listed as follows:[2]
| Runway name | Length | Width | Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/19 | 3,200 ft (980 m) | 500 ft (150 m) | Turf |
| 8/26 | 3,200 ft (980 m) | 500 ft (150 m) | Turf |
| 14/32 | 3,200 ft (980 m) | 500 ft (150 m) | Turf |
The station was closed in 1946 but reopened in 1947 with the formation of No. 1 Air Navigation School (ANS). This was aNATO training facility. No. 1 ANS left in 1953 and the Central Navigation School was established. In 1949 No. 2 (Maritime) Operational Training Unit started operation. The influx of personnel and their families required the building of more accommodation quarters. In 1949 the basehousing was completed and named "Slemon Park" in honour of Air MarshalRoy Slemon.
During theCold War, the base was home to anti-submarine and coastal patrol aircraft such as theLancaster B.X,CP-122 Neptune,CP-107 Argus, andCP-121 Tracker. Other aircraft operated from Summerside include theCC-115 Buffalo andCH-113 Labrador. These aircraft were operated by various squadrons and units including No. 2 (Maritime) Operational Training Unit, No. 107 Rescue Unit,413 Transport and Rescue Squadron,420 Air Reserve Squadron,880 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron (Royal Canadian Navy), 31 Support Air Group (Royal Canadian Navy), and415 Maritime Patrol Squadron.
On 1 February 1968, themerger of the three service branches into the unifiedCanadian Forces saw RCAF Station Summerside change its name toCanadian Forces Base (CFB)Summerside.
In 1977, the Government of Canada formally ratified theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III), which mandated the creation of anExclusive Economic Zone extending 200 nmi (370 km) off all coasts. This created a requirement for military enforcement of sovereignty to protect natural resources within the EEZ, such as oil and gas reserves, andfisheries.
CFB Summerside's primary mission evolved during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s into providing support forFisheries and Oceans Canada, the government department responsible for managing Canada's ocean resources. CP-121 Trackers were used to patrolGeorges Bank and theGrand Banks of Newfoundland to monitor foreign fishing fleets.Search and rescue (SAR) was a secondary role which was no less important to the civilian population of theMaritime Provinces which, relied on SARaircraft for urgentmedevac to large tertiary-care hospitals inHalifax,Nova Scotia andMoncton,New Brunswick, as well as formariners andair crew who frequently found themselves in distress, requiring rescue.
The 1989 federal budget cuts to theDepartment of National Defence identified CFB Summerside as a candidate for base closure. At the time, the base employed some 1,200, and contributed about C$50 million to the province's economy each year. Local concern groups were formed to protest the closure. On 14 May 1989, about 10,000 people (more than the population of Summerside at the time) marched in protest. City streets were festooned in yellow ribbons, a symbol of opposition to the closure.[3] About 400 Prince Edward Islanders travelled to Ottawa in June 1989 to protest at Parliament Hill. In response to this opposition, then-minister of national defence,Bill McKnight, told the House of Commons, "there is no military operational reason to maintain that base".[4] In 1991 the base was closed and the majority of military units were transferred toCFB Greenwood inNova Scotia.
The airfield was served byEastern Provincial Airways during the 1960s and early 1970s which operated nonstop flights toMoncton and theMagdalen Islands as well as direct service via a stop inCharlottetown to Halifax;Sydney, NS;Deer Lake, NL;Gander, NL; andSt. John's, NL withDouglas DC-3 prop aircraft andHandley Page Dart Herald turboprop aircraft.[5]
The entire property including airfield, housing units, hangars and support structures was renamedSlemon Park and was transferred to a local development authority named "Slemon Park Corporation". Today the site is host to a mix of public and private sector operations, including Vector Aerospace and several other aerospace companies. Employment at Slemon Park facilities now exceeds pre-1991 levels.
The airfield remains active as theSummerside Airport. Though the airfield has the longest runways in the province, it only supportsgeneral aviation with the closest scheduled passenger airline flights being offered via theCharlottetown Airport.
During its existence as an air force base, CFB Summerside was jurisdictionally situated in the township ofLot 17. In the 1995 municipal amalgamation that created the city of Summerside, the city's municipal boundary was extended to divide the former base. Under these plans, Summerside Airport and the industrial facilities of Slemon Park remained in Lot 17 while the residential area of Slemon Park was placed within the city of Summerside.
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