HMCS Bonaventure was a Majestic-class aircraft carrier, the third and last aircraft carrier in service with Canada's navy. The aircraft carrier was initially ordered for construction by Britain's Royal Navy as HMS Powerful during the Second World War. Following the end of the war, construction on the ship was halted and it was not until 1952 that work began once again, this time to an altered design for the Royal Canadian Navy. The ship entered service in 1957 renamed Bonaventure and, until the vessel's decommissioning in 1970, was involved in major NATO fleet-at-sea patrols and naval exercises and participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis. During her career Bonaventure carried three hull identification numbers, RML 22, RRSM 22 and CVL 22. Following her decommissioning Bonaventure was sold for scrap and broken up in Taiwan.
HMCS Bonaventure in 1961
Banshees overflying Bonaventure in the late 1950s
Two aircraft carriers under construction during the Second World War, Magnificent and Powerful, both of which would end up in Canadian service postwar
HMCS Bonaventure from the stern, photo taken in October 1957
1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier
The 1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier, commonly referred to as the British Light Fleet Carrier, was a light aircraft carrier design created by the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and used by eight naval forces between 1944 and 2001. They were designed and constructed by civilian shipyards to serve as an intermediate step between the expensive, full-size fleet aircraft carriers and the less expensive but limited-capability escort carriers.
HMS Glory in 1946
Magnificent (left) and Powerful under construction at Harland and Wolff in 1944
Some of Sydney's Bofors guns firing during gunnery practice in 1951
HMS Glory during her 1951 deployment to the Korean War