103 Search and Rescue Squadron

103 Search and Rescue Squadron

103 Squadron badge
Active 1947-present
Country Canada
Branch Royal Canadian Air Force
Type Search and Rescue
Part of 9 Wing Gander
Motto Seek and Save
Website forces.gc.ca
Commanders
Commander Major Jean Leroux
Aircraft flown
Transport AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant

103 Search and Rescue Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force is a search and rescue unit based at 9 Wing Gander on the Canadian island of Newfoundland. The squadron is responsible for a large area covering the offshore waters of Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone in the Atlantic ocean and inland areas in the Maritimes, Newfoundland and Labrador, and some parts of Eastern Quebec. The squadron operates three AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant helicopters.

History

The unit was stood up on April 1, 1947, at RCAF Station Dartmouth as the 103 Search and Rescue Flight a section of 101KU. Later that year, the unit moved to RCAF Station Greenwood. In 1950, the unit was renamed 103 Rescue Unit and moved to RCAF Station Summerside where it remained until unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, when it was disbanded, with the remnants of the unit forming the new 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron at CFB Summerside.[1]

The unit was re-activated in 1977 at CFB Gander to meet the search and rescue demands in Canada's area of responsibility in the western North Atlantic. At the time of its reactivation, the squadron was equipped with the Boeing Vertol CH-113 Labrador twin-rotor helicopter and was stationed in a permanent hangar constructed on the grounds of the airport in 1977. In 1997 the squadron was re-designated to its current name by His Royal Highness, Prince Philip and presented with its standard.[1]

In 2009, the squadron, alongside its parent unit 9 Wing Gander, hosted SAREX 09, an annual search and rescue exercise involving SAR organizations across Canada, with units from the United States Air Force and international observers also attending.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 103 Squadron - History, retrieved 7 October 2011
  2. ↑ Capt Sheppard, Tony, A successful SAREX 2009 in Gander, SARSCENE, retrieved 7 October 2011
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, July 30, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.