Canada's Bomarc Squadrons

The Cold War clearly had an impact on the small city of North Bay. The "Gateway to the North" was not only chosen as a NORAD Control Centre and electronic warfare training base but was also blessed with nuclear missiles, one of only two towns in Canada with that distinction. In the 1950’s, the RCAF was growing by leaps and bounds with the creation of new interceptor squadrons and the Pinetree, Mid-Canada and DEW Lines, along with the fulfillment of NATO requirements on Europe. The RCAF saw the need for anti-bomber defence to protect Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto and organized two Surface-to- Air Missile (SAM) units to that effect, 446 SAM Squadron at North Bay and 447 SAM Squadron at La Macaza, Quebec. Both units were equipped with Bomarc CIM-10B rockets.

The Bomarc was a long-range SAM whose name came from its two designers, Boeing and the Michigan Aeronautical Research Centre, the latter a division of the University of Michigan. Several trials were conducted off the Florida coast, which suitably impressed key RCAF officers. The Minister of National Defence authorized the Air Force to form two squadrons and acquire 58 Bomarcs, to be evenly divided between the two units. One of the conditions of the Bomarc acquisition agreement with the US was that at least part of the missiles would be built in Canada. Thus, while the rocket bodies were constructed by Boeing in Seattle, the wings and ailerons were manufactured by Canadair.

446 Squadron was officially formed on 28 December 1961 and its site, an old Air Force Radio Station, was completed and manned by the following February. Each site was outfitted with 28 rockets with the spare used for training purposes. However, these missiles were only declared operational two years later, in January 1964, as the nuclear warheads were only received the previous month. Since test firing couldn’t be performed at North Bay, engineers devised a routine and jig to test the missiles’ response to launch commands and simulated guidance.

The Bomarc’s launching sequence began with the horizontal separation of the shelter’s roof into two halves and the missile’s erection from a horizontal to a vertical position. Launch was controlled by a dual-key system, one carried by a Canadian officer and the other, by an American. The internal rocket booster gave the initial momentum while sustained propulsion was provided by the two Marquardt ramjet engines located under the wings, each giving 12,000 lbs. of thrust. The missile’s direction was controlled by a SAGE centre until the last ten miles whereupon the rocket’s DPN-34 nose-radar took over. These missiles, or "pilotless interceptors" as they were sometimes called, had a range of 440 miles at a cruising speed of Mach 2.8. Missile maintenance at the site was looked after not only by the RCAF but also by a detachment of the USAF’s 425^th Munitions Maintenance Squadron.

446 Squadron sparked intense curiosity among the populace. Several media people were given tours and demonstrations by the Squadron Commander, as were many by Canadian Army and RCN officers. Even the University Nuclear Disarmament Committee was received. The airmen’s wives also appreciated a tour. "Of course", the CO wrote in the unit historical record, "they were shown a missile erection".

In the early 1970’s. after a Defence Review by the Trudeau government, the Bomarc was removed from service as it was declared obsolete, not from a technical sense but rather from a functional one. By the late 1960’s, the primary threat from the Soviet Union was deemed to be from ICBMs and not from long-range bombers. Operations at the North Bay site were terminated in May 1972 and 446 Squadron disbanded the following September with the missiles shipped back to the United States for disassembly. This marked the end of Canada’s long-range SAM capability.

Today (1991), the $60 million site or more or less intact. The property and buildings are now owned by Canadore College and these make up its helicopter campus. The 28 missile shelters are now used for storage purposes. This site cannot be seen directly from the highway. One must rather look for a brick gate on the highway’s west side before a long curve; this marks the entrance. One of the few remaining Bomarcs in Canada is in a park near the Ontario Northland Railway yards on Lakeshore Boulevard.

Updated: February 13, 2001