HISTORY OF THE 423 SQUADRON

CHAPTER VIII

THE SEAKING ERA

Interesting Times

1982 to 1984 saw the squadron through some interesting times, both good and bad. This period had a very promising start with the completion of the APN 171 radar altimeter operational evaluation (OPEVAL). A training program was initiated to regain night dipping qualifications, and the squadron's first night dipping mission was conducted on 13 May 1982. LCol Jay Doyle, Maj Herb Harzan, Lt Shawn Burtenshaw and Sgt Stu Fairchild formed the rather senior crew, with the Commander Maritime Air Group, BGen Pickering, along as "a very interested observer."

The Sea King Omnibus Modification Program (SKOMP), aimed at providing a limited passive ASW search capability, also progressed through OPEVAL, initial fitment and aircrew training. The squadron looked forward to the first operational deployments with the SKOMP aircraft. Of no less importance was Air Command's approval of a new squadron call sign. Henceforth, the squadron was to be known as "TALON."

With morale at its peak, aircraft problems surfaced in August 1982, which dictated the cancellation of squadron involvement with maritime deployments for the rest of the year. Main transmission support brackets were the culprit, and the fleet was virtually grounded until December. Proficiency and operational readiness suffered from the lack of flying hours, but spirits remained high. When Sea Kings returned to service in the new year with replaced or retooled transmission mounting brackets, 423 quickly regained its operational skills. 1993 proved to be an exceptionally active year of flying with the Navy. The squadron managed time to bid farewell to LCol Doyle and welcome a new CO, LCol M.L. Myrhaugen.

1984 was a year of notable achievements for HS 423. The squadron provided operationally ready air detachments for its commitments with CANDESRON ONE. ASSINIBOINE had conducted air workups on the way south in preparation for EASTLANT, as the ship had not had an Air Det onboard for over a year. Unfortunately, OTTAWA, MARGAREE, ALGONQUIN, and PRESERVER would have to depart for an exciting deployment without ASSINIBOINE. Because of severe keel and hull cracks, ASSINIBOINE returned to Halifax after a short paint ship routine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her helicopter and one crew returned to Shearwater while the other crew was distributed among other air detachments.

HMCS ALGONQUIN's air detachment flew a record 610 hours from January to April during EASTLANT and TEAMWORK. All ships had excellent opportunity to brush up on their "recce," as contact was made with numerous Soviet forces. Sightings and active contact time were made on Kashin and Kresta II class destroyers, Bear D, Badger, and Hormone aircraft, and Foxtrot, Victor and Oscar class submarines.

HMCS ASSINIBOINE was not out of action for long. With her hull repaired, and a FISHPAT and TACEX completed in the spring, the ship was sent to assist with the Tall Ships race from Bermuda to Halifax. ASSINIBOINE carried a number of race officials to the start line, where a true battle of the seas would begin. Early in the morning of 3 June, a MAYDAY was received. After giving hasty directions for Bermuda to a small vessel she had been escorting, ASSINIBOINE launched her helo and turned northward in the direction of the SAR datum. The SAWISTZA CZARNY had picked up eight crewmembers from the MARQUES, which sank less than a minute after being struck by a storm squall at 0400. The helicopter rescued a ninth person just at the end of their sortie. Although many more hours were flown in search of survivors, only debris from the stricken ship was found. SKEENA, MARGAREE, and PRESERVER, in the area on a COMBATEX/MARCOT, combed the area for three more days without finding any other survivors.

On the same day as the MARQUES SAR, SV URANIA, another participant in the Tall Ships race, developed flooding problems when she lost a hatch. PRESERVER's helicopter assisted the vessel by airlifting a pump, which had been dropped by a USCG Hercules aircraft. The race had proved to be a trying, but exciting, experience for Canadian ships and 423 helicopters.

The proverbial "needle in the haystack" was found by a crew while flying a mission during EXERCISE SAFEPASS in September. While in the dip, a bottle with a note in it was discovered and retrieved. The note had been sent by three fellows on a cruise and it promised a bottle of good wine to the discoverers. Subsequent correspondence with the senders of the note confirmed their intentions, however it was learned that customs would not allow the liquor to cross the border through the mail. In the end, a 423 poster and zapper were sent to each of the originators of the note as a goodwill gesture.

Back at Shearwater, the annual HS Competition was held from 23-28 September. Originating in 1980, the competition encompassed all aspects of the HS profession, including ASW and utility flying, simulator trips, maintenance evaluations, and recce, tactics, and Aircraft Operating Instructions (AOI) exams. Winning the Patrick and K.J. MacDonald Memorial Trophies, 423 Squadron won the overall competition for the first time since its inception.

To The 25th Anniversary

1985 proved to be another good year for the squadron. Air Dets were provided to ATHABASKAN, ALGONQUIN, SKEENA, OTTAWA, and MARGAREE. Most of the ships would join forces throughout the year on exercises such as CARIBOPS, a MARCOT, and OCEAN SAFARI. SKEENA, however, completed a fisheries patrol in the spring and then sailed on a five month NATO cruise, her second in two years.

The first challenge faced by HS 423 in the new year had nothing to do with helicopters or anti-submarine warfare. On 3 January the Squadron entered a team in the Annual Fleet Whaler Grunt. In this tough competition, which included a 650 yard whaler race in frigid harbour waters, attempted piracy by other crews, and repeated slurs about our airmen's abilities as sailors, HS 423 finished a respectable third place among the twenty-one entries.

Thus, the stage was set for even fiercer competition during the HS Symposium held 10 January. The HS Symposium was developed to provide a forum for sailors and airmen to exchange ideas and to engage in friendly competition. Over 250 officers turned out to watch a determined team of ALGONQUIN's Naval Officers and the Air Detachment finally beat out the opposition in a rugged Tug-of-War. Although the morning's briefings were almost as violent as the afternoon's games, they proved the high value of Navy/Air dialogue.

Real excitement occurred, when on 20 March, a MAYDAY was received from an Okanagan Company S-61 helicopter, which was ditching thirty-five miles out to sea from Halifax. Twenty minutes after that call, the first HS 423 helicopter was on the scene of the crash. Two Squadron helicopters rescued all seventeen crew and passengers and flew them to Shearwater. A third helicopter, from SKEENA, provided backup support and a communications link. For their actions, the members of the two crews were presented with Sikorsky Rescue Awards. From one survivor, happy to be safely ashore, came the comment, "We weren't even in the water long enough to get wet!"

The squadron, meanwhile, was organizing the social event of the year at Shearwater. The annual Caribbean Capers was established to reunite the crews of HS squadrons, just back from their southern deployment, with the home unit. Participants of CARIBOPS were distinguishable by their tans and Limbo skills, while the entire squadron enjoyed another memorable event among the plywood palms and steam plant-generated warm breezes (it was still rather cold outside).

On 1 August, LCol J.L. Orr assumed command of HS 423.

During 1986, the squadron deployed on now familiar EXERCISEs SAFEPASS, NORTHERN WEDDING, and EASTLANT, while OTTAWA and ALGONQUIN took turns deploying with the Standing Naval Force Atlantic. One change had a significant impact on the squadron. It was designated a Bilingual Unit vice an English Language unit. This was done in order to reflect the responsibility of the squadron to support two French language units, ALGONQUIN and SKEENA.

While OTTAWA's detachment was off with STANAVFORLANT or "SNFL," ATHABASKAN, SKEENA, and PROTECTEUR Air Detachments were busily preparing for their deployment on EXERCISE SAFEPASS. As departure day arrived, so did an unusual combination of fog, overcast skies and strong winds. Unable to embark the helos by normal methods, a new operation for Shearwater was carried out. This involved towing the aircraft down to the Shearwater jetty and having the ships close in to visual range. Once the aircrew could see their ship emerging out of the fog, they were cleared by the portable control tower on the jetty to launch and embark. The "jetty hop" would become one of the standard methods of embarking helos in poor weather conditions.

During the Workup phase of SAFEPASS, conducted during CARIBOPS, ATHABASKAN's combat readiness routine was interrupted by a return to Roosevelt Roads. The ship was tasked to prepare for the possible evacuation of Canadians from Haiti, due to rising tensions in that country. ATHABASKAN was loaded with provisions, and plans were made early in February, but the crisis passed and military assistance was not required . . . yet.

Numerous manning changes occurred during 1987 as a result of the disbanding and reforming of the HELAIRDETs, as well as postings to and from the squadron. One of the main reasons behind these changes was the formation of the HS 443 West Coast Detachment. This detachment was created by transferring HMCS HURON (DDH 281) and four Sea King helicopters to MARPAC. The helicopters were to operate from HURON and PROVIDER, the west coast oiler. The most noticeable manning change for the squadron, however, came when LCol J.M. Cody assumed command.

In addition to contributing to the start of "HS West," the squadron disbanded three detachments, formed two more, and deployed to locations as diverse as Aruba, Vestfjord and Gibraltar. 1987 aptly demonstrated the demanding nature of HS operations, the unit's flexibility, and the capable manner in which challenges were met.

On 9 November, Capt B. Wallebeck became nationally famous by landing a squadron Sea King in the soccer field of Herring Cove Junior High School. As this incident came one month after Sea King 409 ditched at sea, and two weeks after his own landing in another schoolyard, Capt Wallebeck was reported in the Ottawa Citizen and the Globe and Mail.

1988 was the 25th Anniversary of the Sea King helicopter. The aircraft did experience some serviceability problems during the year, but despite their age, they allowed the squadron to meet all of its operational commitments. Of course, the perseverance and dedication of maintenance personnel and aircrew helped. All the HELAIRDETs had busy schedules throughout the year. HS 423 manned HMC Ships ATHABASKAN, IROQUOIS, SKEENA, and PROTECTEUR through EXERCISES FLEETEX, CARIBOPS, SAFEPASS, MARCOT, COMBATEX, TACEX, TEAMWORK, and EASTLANT, as well as the usual support to STANAVFORLANT, OPEVALs, air shows and "Shop Windows." SAGUENAY and MARGAREE Detachments would be reborn later in the summer and take their part of the workload.

There were some highlights for the squadron in the summer and autumn. SKEENA Det took part in the search for survivors after a tragic fire on the oil rig PIPER ALPHA in the North Sea early in July. This was SKEENA's last act after a four month SNFL deployment. Later in the same month, LCol Cody and MWO Waddell paid a visit to the Sikorsky plant in Stratford, Connecticut to attend several formal events held in recognition of the 25th Anniversary of the Sea King. The last big event for 423 occurred in October and November when, during the busy MAST audit and OPEVAL season, the squadron won the annual HS Competition. MARGAREE Detachment won the aircrew and maintenance trophies and took top honours overall.

1989 was another busy and successful year for HS 423. In addition to the usual number of deployments at sea, the big event for the squadron was its participation in the Canadian National Exhibition Airshow in Toronto. 423 crews had been giving impressive performances to the crowds, when the tragic collision of two Tutor jets of Canada's "Snowbird" air display team occurred. A Sea King, piloted by Capts M. Brulotte and J.D. Moulton, was on the scene in twenty minutes to assist with the search for survivors. The crew remained in the area after the search, attempting to locate aircraft debris using the sonar.

The state of flux brought about by the final departure of HS 443 to the West Coast in 1989 saw 423 Squadron grow in size and responsibility. 423 would be the only operational Sea King squadron on the East Coast. The change of command ceremonies on 13 July marked a change of more than commanding officers. The new CO, LCol L.A. McWha, would see the squadron enter a decade of significant departures from the past.

The Wall Falls

While the detachments deployed during 1989, the world scene was undergoing a radical change. 423 Squadron history, since its resurrection in 1953, had been played in terms of the Cold War, and one enemy, the Soviet Union. The need for political change in Eastern Europe gathered momentum throughout the 1980s, and by the end of the decade, the Soviets could no longer afford to prop up their regime. Communism began to collapse in Eastern Europe, culminating in the opening of the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989.

423 Squadron was entering a new era, for instead of easing world tensions, the end of the Cold War seemed to lift the constraints on open conflict. As trouble spots flared up, the squadron would find itself increasingly called upon to commit resources to subdue or prevent hostilities. Aircraft and crews were expanding beyond the traditional HS roles, and coming in harm's way more often.

1990 had a typical start. Detachments prepared for the annual CARIBOPS exercise, air show season started in the spring, COMBATEX/ MARCOT took place at the same time, and successful rescue efforts by 423 aircrew occurred off Bermuda and in the Gananoque region of Ontario. A lost solo student pilot was guided to a safe landing in the latter instance.

The Gulf War

OPERATION FRICTION caught the squadron by as much surprise as had Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. On 10 August, several HELAIRDETs were busy preparing for EXERCISE TEAMWORK, a major NATO exercise in the Eastern Atlantic, when Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced that Canada would be sending HMC Ships ATHABASKAN, TERRA NOVA, and PROTECTEUR to the Persian Gulf to help enforce UN resolutions against Iraq. That announcement commenced two weeks of intense preparations.

Six helicopters were stripped of their Anti-Submarine Warfare gear and fitted with self protection equipment and surface surveillance gear. These fits included Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) and Night Vision Goggles (NVG), used to see at night; Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation equipment; an Infra-Red jammer and flare dispensers to protect against heat seeking missiles; a radar warning receiver and chaff dispensers to confuse radar guided missiles; and a light machine gun mounted in the aircraft's cargo door. Each aircrew received special environmental clothing to cope with the extreme temperatures in the region and to protect against enemy attacks. Temperatures in the Gulf often exceeded forty degrees Celsius during the day. The personal cooling equipment was a vest-like garment which circulated cold water through it from an ice-filled reservoir. This was particularly necessary when wearing the chemical defence gear which, while protecting from chemical attack, trapped heat and sweat inside it. Sadaam Hussein had already proven his willingness to use mustard and nerve gases in attacks against Kurdish villages in Iraq. Soft body armour, bullet-proof vests of Kevlar fabric, were also to be worn to supplement the armour installed in the seats and seat backs. Special visors were fitted to flying helmets to protect against attack by lasers, which could have been used to blind the pilots. Gyro-stabilized binoculars were carried to help in identifying contacts.

While the engineers and technicians were condensing years of work into a mere two weeks, the air and ground crews began to scale the steep learning curve which stood before them. The days were filled with a myriad of briefings, from the new equipment fit to environmental briefings for the Persian Gulf area. Kitting out had to be done as well as all of the administrative matters which had to be attended to before a deployment of unknown, but probably extended length.

On 24 August, after tearful goodbyes with loved ones, and a truly patriotic and emotional send-off by the people of Halifax and Dartmouth, five helicopters, their groundcrew, and aircrew embarked onto HMC Ships PROTECTEUR (four crews) and ATHABASKAN (three crews), and headed for the Persian Gulf. The sixth converted helicopter remained in Shearwater to continue the testing of the new equipment and the development of procedures and tactics. The compressed time schedule had not allowed complete testing and no one knew what response the situation would call for in the Persian Gulf patrol areas.

One aircrew member relates:

"Because of the preparations involved, the vast majority of the aircrew flew in the newly modified aircraft for the very first time during the embarkation. The very next day began the most intensive training period most of us would ever see. Ship's evolutions, action stations, chemical defense, damage control, etc., on top of the training required to become familiar with all the new equipment, then to become proficient in their use, then to devise tactics to use to advantage the new capabilities given us. We borrowed information from our allies and worked on many of our own ideas until we came up with tactics we believed would do the job. Then, of course, we had to evaluate our tactics. It was a challenging time for all involved. We arrived in the Persian Gulf on the 25th of September and began our jobs in earnest."

On arrival in the Persian Gulf, the Canadian Task Group was immediately put to work, and with it, the Sea Kings of 423 Squadron:

"Because of our equipment fit, we were tasked to fly our operational sorties of interdiction (of shipping) mostly at night. With FLIR and NVG's we were able to identify all shipping at night. We hailed vessels to determine the ship's cargo and destination. Any suspect vessels would be boarded and searched and then diverted or allowed to proceed. While there, we developed a method of inserting a boarding party using the helo, called VISIT ( Vertical Insertion Search and Inspection Team)."

Along with the operational sorties came taskings of a more routine nature:

"During the days, we were tasked with HDS (Helo Delivery Service) missions, usually mail and parts from our forward operating base in Manamah, Bahrain. The mail we received from home was absolutely incredible. We hauled a lot of mail while we were there. It got to be very crazy around Christmas time as parcels began to arrive. At the busiest time, we were making two trips every couple of days just for the mail!"

At this time active hostilities against Iraq had not yet commenced. The United Nations was still pursuing a diplomatic solution to the crisis. This did not mean, however, that flying operations were at a reduced level or that the demands on the crews were lessened. Time for a diplomatic solution was running out and tensions were escalating. Although most expected that hostilities were imminent, none were sure of what new roles would be demanded of the Sea King crews. In addition to the interdiction patrols and other tasks being met, training continued:

"We participated in several exercises in between our interdiction patrols. One involved combat search and rescue scenarios where we went against either British or American helos. We had to be prepared for anything, and that particular exercise was a real eye opener! We also took part in EXERCISE IMMINENT THUNDER, which was a practice landing conducted in Northern Saudi Arabia. The ATHABASKAN was tasked to escort the hospital ship USNS MERCY. It got us thinking more about searching for mines and anti-ship missile defence which, as it turned out, became our primary taskings once the war broke out."

On the night of 16 January, the attack began. Coalition Air Forces attacked Iraqi bunkers, strongholds, headquarters and command and communications installations. In an amazing display of airpower, virtually nothing could move in Iraq and troop formations were effectively cut off and isolated. Demoralized and unsupplied they, in most instances, offered no resistance to Coalition ground forces when facing them just over thirty days later. Indeed, many whole formations went out of their way to surrender, some after killing their officers who might try to stop them. In more than one case, war correspondents found themselves taking the surrender of Iraqi troops and were at a loss as to what they should do with the prisoners.

The naval forces, including 423 Squadron, continued to do their job. Thousands of ships were stopped and searched and supplies to the beleaguered Iraqi Forces were cut off. These actions were the first line of denial of equipment and supplies, which isolated Iraq from the rest of the world. In addition, Canada's support to Coalition Naval Forces was increased:

"At the outbreak of hostilities, the Canadian ships were in charge of the Combat Logistics Force (CLF), which comprised all the replenishment ships of the coalition forces. Our role was to keep this "holding pen" clear of any merchant vessels or fishing boats and other non-coalition vessels to protect against any possible terrorist threat. This proved to be a frustrating evolution since the CLF box had been placed in a very rich fishing area and the locals were very persistent!

The threat to the Naval Force was very real. They were often in range of attack from Iraqi anti-ship missiles and of Scud missiles capable of carrying chemical and biological warheads. Iraqi naval forces consisted of small, fast patrol boats capable of attacking Coalition ships with missiles and torpedoes, and were very difficult to distinguish from fishing and other small boats except by visual identification. Small boat traffic in the area was heavy and an innocent looking dhow could be carrying weapons or explosives capable of damaging warships. The Iraqis had sown a huge number of mines in the area.

One of our more interesting, albeit sobering taskings, was travelling to the Northern Gulf to escort the USS PRINCETON back into port. The PRINCETON had been badly damaged by an influence mine. The threat of something similar happening to us kept us alert while searching for mines."

The days and nights of duty were long and tension-filled, with few diversions available to the air and ground crews. As 423 had shown throughout their history, however, squadron personnel could make fun and include their neighbours, often making a name for themselves in the process:

"To keep our spirits up, we had made it an ATHABASKAN HELAIRDET custom to greet any visiting helo with a six pack of cold ones. Word soon got around, and not surprisingly, more helos began making our deck a favourite fuel stop. In fact, we later found out that some crews actually fought over who would get the ATHABASKAN trip. The rewards started coming in as well. The other helos would drop of a bottle or a few pints of their finest. It also provided an opportunity to use up all the zappers (vinyl stick-on crests, not always officially sanctioned) we had brought along."

With advances of Coalition troops, the area of operations and the scope of taskings increased. Canadian ships were moved yet closer to the action, and encountered oil slicks deliberately caused by Iraqi forces in order to deny access to coastal waters. Sea Kings were now tasked to fly close to land:

"When the ground war began, we were tasked to escort the hospital ship USNS COMFORT to a position off the Kuwait coast. It led to some very interesting flying. We had the usual mine sweeps to do, but as we got farther North, we had to scout ahead of the ships to find a path through the heavy oil slicks. The oil would foul the ships intakes and damage machinery as well as stop our fresh water making capability. When we reached the anchorage position for the COMFORT, we were able to crawl along the Kuwait coast. We saw first hand the damage that had been caused by the Iraqi army. Property had been looted and destroyed. What the Iraqi soldiers had not been able to carry with them, they had vandalised. It was a very disturbing sight."

Iraqi Forces had pursued a "scorched earth" policy while withdrawing. Hundreds of oil wells were destroyed and set on fire. They produced a pall of smoke visible to the naked eye from orbit, and had scientists actually worried of the possibility of climatic change:

"The area brought new hazards. The smoke from burning oil fields was so thick that we had to fly with surgical masks on to avoid inhaling the heavy fumes. After a mission, the outside of the mask would be black from soot. We often took breaks from our mission and flew up to 8000 or 9000 feet to get above the smoke layer to breathe fresh air. The approaches we made back to the ship were often less than a quarter mile (visibility) in smoke. The FLIR proved invaluable in these cases."

As the Iraqi Forces continued to capitulate and hostilities drew to a close, it appeared that the Sea Kings would be given a rest. Instead, more new taskings were found:

"Finally, on 28 February 1991, the ceasefire was announced. The ship made its way to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates for a well deserved port stop after forty-nine straight days at sea. Our crew was very lucky to be tasked to support the commander of our forces in the Middle East. We ferried various people around for ten days, including a trip to Kuwait City transporting the Canadian Ambassador, Mr. Dickinson, to open up the Canadian Embassy. The trip provided the opportunity to fly through the burning Kuwait oilfields, and to walk through what remained of the terminal at Kuwait International Airport. That was, without a doubt, my most memorable trip ever."

The ships, and 423 crews and aircraft, arrived back in Halifax on 7 April, after almost eight months away. Large yellow ribbons were waving everywhere, and despite the cold weather, the welcome was very warm.

What had been happening back at Shearwater during this time? Support work continued, and 423 crews worked with HOTEF to evaluate the new equipment and make suggestions for its tactical use. Normal commitments, however, still had to be met, and although OPERATION FRICTION greatly tapped the squadron's resources, there were several deployments, including MARCOTs, a COMBATEX, FISHPATs, SUBEXs, CANFLTOPS, NATO rotations, a SALTY DIP, and "Workups." These deployments carried to the end of 1991, with several Dets having the opportunity to use the new aircraft equipment in a variety of roles.

On August 23, 1991, LCol McWha turned the helm of 423 over to LCol R.C. Sorsdahl. The transition into a new era of Sea King operations was well underway. 423 Squadron had successfully passed its first operational test in the post-Cold War world, and there were additional "firsts" for the squadron during this time. 423 crews fired their first shots in action since the Second World War, and the first shots were fired by a female crew member, MCpl Karin Lehmann.2 By the 1990s, female aircrew were represented in every seat of the aircraft.