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HMCS Magnificent (CVL 21)
Encyclopedia
HMCS Magnificent (CVL 21) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier
that served the Royal Canadian Navy
from 1946–1956.
, laid down 29 July 1943 and launched 16 November 1944. Purchased from the Royal Navy
(RN) to replace HMCS Warrior, she served in a variety of roles, operating both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft
. She was generally referred to as the Maggie. Her aircraft complement included Fairey Fireflies
and Hawker Sea Furies
, as well as Seafires and Avengers.
, thirty-two aircraft handlers on the Magnificent briefly refused an order to turn to morning cleaning stations to protest various grievances. The captain acted with great sensitivity to defuse the crisis, holding an informal discussion with the disgruntled crew members and carefully using the term "incident" instead of "mutiny
", which could have resulted in severe legal consequences for the handlers.
At almost the same time, similar incidents happened on Crescent
, at Nanjing
, China
and on Athabaskan
at Manzanillo, Colima
, Mexico
, both of whose captains acted similarly to that of the Magnificent.
, carrying a large part of the Canadian peacekeeping
force to Egypt
, its vehicles parked on her deck.
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
that served the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
from 1946–1956.
Operational history
The third ship of the Majestic class, Magnificent was built by Harland and WolffHarland and Wolff
Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....
, laid down 29 July 1943 and launched 16 November 1944. Purchased from the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(RN) to replace HMCS Warrior, she served in a variety of roles, operating both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. She was generally referred to as the Maggie. Her aircraft complement included Fairey Fireflies
Fairey Firefly
The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
and Hawker Sea Furies
Hawker Sea Fury
The Hawker Sea Fury was a British fighter aircraft developed for the Royal Navy by Hawker during the Second World War. The last propeller-driven fighter to serve with the Royal Navy, it was also one of the fastest production single piston-engined aircraft ever built.-Origins:The Hawker Fury was an...
, as well as Seafires and Avengers.
1949 'mutiny'
On 20 March 1949, while on fleet manoeuvres in the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, thirty-two aircraft handlers on the Magnificent briefly refused an order to turn to morning cleaning stations to protest various grievances. The captain acted with great sensitivity to defuse the crisis, holding an informal discussion with the disgruntled crew members and carefully using the term "incident" instead of "mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
", which could have resulted in severe legal consequences for the handlers.
At almost the same time, similar incidents happened on Crescent
HMCS Crescent (R16)
HMCS Crescent was a Canadian C-class destroyer, launched on 20 July 1944. She was one of 32 destroyers of that class built between 1943 and 1945 as part of the War Emergency Programme.-1949 'mutiny':...
, at Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and on Athabaskan
HMCS Athabaskan (R79)
HMCS Athabaskan was the second destroyer of the Royal Canadian Navy to bear the name Athabaskan, after the many tribes throughout western Canada that speak Athabaskan family languages. Its pennant was later changed to DDE219...
at Manzanillo, Colima
Manzanillo, Colima
The name Manzanillo refers to the city as well as its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Colima. The city, located on the Pacific Ocean, contains Mexico's busiest port. Manzanillo was the third port created by the Spanish in the Pacific during the New Spain period...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, both of whose captains acted similarly to that of the Magnificent.
Suez Crisis
Her last role was as a transport during the Suez CrisisSuez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
, carrying a large part of the Canadian peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
force to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, its vehicles parked on her deck.
Decommissioning
Magnificent was decommissioned by the RCN in 1956 replaced in RCN service by HMCS Bonaventure, another RN Majestic class carrier (HMS Powerful) that had been not been completed at the end of the war. Magnificent was returned to the RN in 1957 and placed in reserve until disposed of. The ship was broken up in Faslane in July 1965.See also
- List of aircraft carriers
- List of ship launches in 1944
- List of ship commissionings in 1946
- List of ship decommissionings in 1956
- List of ships of the Canadian Navy
- Royal Canadian Navy#1949 'mutinies'