With the worsening Cold War in Europe during the 1950s NATO air defenses expanded. East-west tensions in Europe were heightened during 1956 by the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian Revolution, and these events encouraged the air arms build-up by both sides. While most squadrons were equipped with day fighters like the Sabre, Hunter and Mystere, there was a big gap - there was little air defence coverage by modern all-weather interceptors. To help fill this gap, Canada agreed to provide four CF-100 squadrons. The arrangement was to replace one Sabre squadron from each wing with one CF-100 squadron. The first squadron so deployed was 445. Led by W/C EG Ireland, it ferried its 20 aircraft from Uplands to Marville November 1 to 4, 1956, on Operation Nimble Bat 1.
Nimble Bat 1 was the only such operation out of four to lose an aircraft. While over Scotland in 18395, F/L Jack Flannigan had his controls lock. He and F/O Earl Martin were forced to eject. The only other problem on Nimble Bat 1, and one experienced by other such crossings, was frozen valves in the wing tip fuel tanks. Aircraft were coming into Keflavik with full tip tanks, without the crew realizing it. Suspected cause was the fuel taken on at Goose Bay. Apparently it had been in underground storage for a long time and contained excess moisture which was freezing and causing the valves to stick.
A typical crossing on Nimble Bat 1 was made by the crew of F/Os Norm Hull and K Harding. They took 18380 across flying Ottawa to Goose Bay (2:10 hours), Goose Bay to Keflavik (3:40 hours), and Keflavik to Marville (3:00 hours).
Updated: May 13, 2003