NAC News – Edition 355
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of May 1st 2020
Edition – 355 “The Navy is much more than a job; much more than service to country. It is a way of life. It gets in your blood.” Albert F. Pratt (US soldier, lawyer, and politician)
Rod Hughes – Editor NAC News rhughes@shaw.ca (comments welcome to help improve this service)
Contact David Soule executivedirector-nac@outlook.com if you wish someone (who may be a member or perhaps a good candidate to join) to be added to the NAC News email distribution.
★ Editor’s stars of the week
Keep in touch with the NAC
If you are receiving NAC News, but are not a member, please consider joining NAC https://www.navalassoc.ca/branches/joining-membership-renewal/
Link to Starshell Magazine https://www.navalassoc.ca/naval-affairs/starshell/
Other Interesting Web Sites https://www.navalassoc.ca/naval-affairs/links/
Archived weekly NAC New Links https://www.navalassoc.ca/naval-affairs/nac-news/
TWITTER @navalassn
Should you wish to donate or leave a memorial – NAC Endowment Fund
NAC reference to assist veterans and/or seniors is located at Veteran’s Corner
Keep in touch with the RCN
TWITTER @RCN_MRC @Comd_MARPAC @MARPAC @RCN_MARLANT #RCNavy or #MarineRC
YouTube Royal Canadian Navy or Marine royale canadienne
flickr Royal Canadian Navy / Marine royale canadienne
vimeo https://vimeo.com/thenavylamarine
NOTICES
- Just for the Hull of It (Editor – precis of the words of the Chair of the CNMT “Thirty-six years ago, the Naval Association of Canada took the lead and the volunteer Canadian Naval Corvette Trust (later Canadian Naval Memorial Trust) was established to acquire and restore HMCS Sackville to her 1944 configuration…Mother nature has taken a toll on the hull of the ship…Funds raised during the campaign will be designated to the CNMT Preservation Fund for the critical and necessary work to safeguard the ship…with a goal of approximately 12 million dollars.)
- Loss of HMCS Fredericton sailors and aviators – Message from Bill Conconi, President NAC and reply from Vice -Admiral Art McDonald, CRCN (See SCUTTLEBUTT below)
- BOA Weekend 2020 (30 April – 3 May 2020)
- May 2020 marks the end of the Second World War in European Theatre. For the Royal Canadian Navy, it marked the end of the war’s longest campaign – the Battle of the Atlantic. For the past several years The Naval Association of Canada (NAC) has hosted a Battle of the Atlantic Gala Dinner in Ottawa which brings together serving and past members of the RCN, representatives of government and industry to pay tribute to all naval veterans for their service to Canada.
- Unfortunately this year’s event, focussed on honouring those who served in the BOA campaign, an associated conference, and the RCN’s own planned commemorative events across Canada have been cancelled or deferred to a later date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- I encourage all to spend at least one minute this weekend to remember those who have served and continue to serve our country in the RCN and RCAF.
- “Sons of the Waves” – a two-part film by filmmaker Sean Scally – Honouring those who served in the RCN, the ships in which they served, and those in the ships’ namesake towns who supported them from afar during the Second World War. (see SCUTTLEBUTT below for the background of this film. Sean is an Air Force veteran who lives in the Bay of Quinte area)
- NAC National AGM – Tuesday 16 June 2020 at 1200 (Ottawa time) via electronic means (GoToMeeting). Details including background material, agenda and proxy nomination/ballot forms will be posted to the NAC National website by 15 May.
- Vanguard Launches First-Ever Canadian Submarine Event (Editor – The next big RCN procurement challenge! The Deep Blue 2020 Forum, a one-day event, will take place on 29 October 2020, details to follow)
CANADA
- 1 dead, 5 missing in Canadian military helicopter crash during NATO operations near Greece
- A joint statement from Commanders of the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force on the crash of a CH-148 Cyclone helicopter
- Military identifies service members missing in deadly helicopter crash
- First federal assessment of Arctic Ocean finds drastic change
- HMCS Calgary officer tackles “board” with success
- It’s ‘All hands on deck’ in COVID-19 fight says veteran
- Canadian Coast Guard asks B.C. mariners to stay home to prevent spread of COVID-19
- Thunder Bay and Valleyfield beefing up their project and breakbulk capacity
- We need your stories to commemorate the Battle of the Atlantic
- Canadian Armed Forces Mobile App (Editor – The CAF app itself)
USA & AMERICAS
- USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: April 27, 2020
- US navy has taken delivery of final Block II Super Hornet aircraft (Editor – Block III, when will Canada’s fighter decision be made? It would be ironic to acquire a naval aircraft with no navy air, nor ship capable of flying them off of)
- Carrier USS Nimitz Underway for Final Rounds of Training Ahead of Deployment
- U.S. Navy’s Leaders Recommend Reinstating Capt. Crozier
- VCNO Burke to Oversee Expanded Theodore Roosevelt Outbreak Investigation
- The U.S. Navy’s Ship Crisis Is Getting Worse and Worse
- US Navy Awards Guided Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) Contract
- Hospital Ship Comfort Ends NYC COVID-19 Mission After Treating 182 Patients
- Destroyer USS Zumwalt Delivers to Navy After Combat System Activation
- Lockheed to Supply MK 41 Missile Launch System Parts Under $148M Navy Modification
- Coronavirus-hit US Navy Destroyer Arrives in San Diego
- Ingalls Delivers Destroyer Delbert D. Black
- Vigor to Overhaul USNS Guadalupe (Editor – 14th of the 18 in the class)
- Video: With Oil Demand Plunging, Full Tankers Anchor Off California (Editor – 27 tankers at last count in this 41 sec video)
INDO-PACIFIC
- Navy Will Host Scaled-Down RIMPAC Exercise in Hawaii With At-Sea-Only Events
- USS Barry Transits Taiwan Strait
- USS Bunker Hill Conducts 2nd South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Operation This Week
- China Says PLA Scrambled Aircraft, Ships to ‘Expel’ U.S. Warship from South China Sea Island Chain
- Undersea deterrence and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific
- China launches second amphibious assault ship
- HHI Launches Fourth Daegu-Class FFX Batch II Frigate For ROK Navy
- Report to Congress on Chinese Naval Modernization
- Chinese navy commissions nuclear-powered submarine
- Taiwan unveils locally built patrol ship
- Navy to get new patrol boats to boost capability
- Sailors Begin Returning to USS Theodore Roosevelt After Quarantine Period on Guam
- Wescom says Chinese warship readied guns vs PH Navy ship in PH territory
- 2 Philippine Navy ships depart Oman, to make a stop in India for PPEs
EUROPE
- Russian Navy sub embarks on deployment to Mediterranean Sea
- Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 Exercises with Hellenic and Turkish Navies (Editor – what I believe HMCS Fredericton was doing at the time of the Cyclone crash)
- Boris Johnson Faces a Gibraltar Crisis on His First Day Back At Work
- Russian Navy Likely To Have 12 Borei-Class SSBN – Part 1
- Norway Kicks off Formal Negotiations with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems for New Submarines (Editor – another boat for Canada to consider)
- Royal Navy Shadows Russian Warship In English Channel
- Russia Threatens Massive Response if US Deploys Low-Yield Nukes on Subs
- ★ Russia’s Most Radioactive Ship Being Cleared of Spent Fuel
- Former HMS Quorn sold to Lithuania
- Russia Has Abandoned Its Massive Nuclear Destroyer And Supersized Frigate Programs
- Coronavirus: Royal Navy submarine lockdown party captain sacked
- French Navy SSN ‘Suffren’ Performs Static Dive Test As Part Of Initial Sea Trials
- NH90 NFH Caïman Maritime Helicopter of the French Navy’s 31F Squadron (Editor – a great look at the French NH90 helo in this 5:40 min video)
- Spain Awards Lockheed Martin $519m For F-110 Aegis & SPY-7 Radar Systems
- Low Water Hampers Rhine River Shipping
MIDDLE EAST
- Eisenhower Strike Group Participates In Interoperability Exercises With French Navy
- Yemen war: Separatists declare autonomous rule in south
- Lebanese elites flee as banks come under attack
GLOBAL INTERESTS
- Global Defence Spending Up To Highest Level Since Financial Crisis
- Naval News Monthly Recap – April 2020 (Editor – remarkable pics in this 5:50 min video)
- Italian Navy Deploys Frigate To The Gulf Of Guinea While French Navy Suspends Patrol Mission
- How to stop plastic getting into the ocean | The Economist (Editor – appalling 8:46 min video)
- ★ Piloting a Megaship: Record-Setting MSC Anna Arrives in San Francisco Bay (Editor – amazing, what would mariners from a hundred years ago would say about these ships?!)
- Sea-Intelligence: We are at the peak impact of the pandemic in terms of blank sailing
- Twenty Port Authorities Sign COVID-19 Declaration
- Liberia Calls for Flag States to Join Together for Crew Changes
- What drove oil prices through the floor this week?
- Hapag-Lloyd secured 9 percent in energy savings by removing fouling on 33 ships
SCUTTLEBUTT
From: Bill Conconi [mailto:billconconi@me.com]
Sent: May 1, 2020 12:17 AM
To: McDonald VAdm AG@C Navy@Ottawa-Hull <Art.McDonald@forces.gc.ca>
Subject: Tragic Helicopter accident
Hello Art
I was very saddened to hear on the news and then to read in the paper about the tragic loss of Fredericton’s helicopter. Our hearts go out to the families that have lost loved ones but also to the ship’s company of HMCS Fredericton and their RCAF and RCN families. This is indeed a sad time for all. We in NAC send our deepest sympathies. The next while will be very tough for all. We stand by to help anyway we can.
We extend our sincerest condolences to all, they are in our hearts
In sadness
Bill
From:Art.McDonald@forces.gc.ca
Date: April 30, 2020 at 22:54:04 PDT
To: billconconi@me.com
Subject: RE: Tragic Helicopter accident
Thanks, Bill. Means a lot. Indeed, a tragic day for the RCN/RCAF TEAM. I’m so appreciative of the strong CAF/RCN-RCAF team and our extended naval family that we have to respond to this terrible incident & with which we can ensure adequate care for our shipmates at sea and their families back home. Strength is needed in a tough time as you know.
Well appreciated are your thoughts and prayers for the FREDDIE sailors, aviators, & families as well as all those across our Force and extended family. Will share. They join a chorus of others from across our remarkable, supportive and resilient naval extended family of which the NAC is a key part. In a difficult time, may we all be able to take strength from it!
Yours Aye,
ArtMcD, VAdm, CRCN
- “Sons of the Waves” – Honouring those who served in the RCN, the ships in which they served, and those in the ships namesake towns who supported them from afar during the Second World War. (see link below)
- A couple of weeks ago, a local Trenton film producer and photographer and native of the Bay of Quinte, Sean Scally approached me about sharing a film he has produced about HMCS Trentonian with the NAC membership. He was aware that our annual BOA Gala Dinner and associated events had been cancelled this year due to CORONAVIRUS-19. He wanted to do this as a means to ensure that we were still able to recognize those who served in the RCN in the Second World War. This film was originally planned for release in Trenton as part of this year’s November 11 Remembrance Day. He completed this film in cooperation with his friend and NAC member, Roger Litwiller, author of “White Ensign Flying”. Sean is an Air Force veteran.
- The NAC hopes this film, the story of one of the RCN’s ships in the campaign, her crew, and the townspeople from the namesake town – Trenton Ontario – who supported the ship and its crew from afar, is an appropriate way to recognize those who served during the Battle of the Atlantic. The film has been divided in two parts with options for you to view at your convenience since it can be viewed on Youtube. Sean hopes you will share the links with others.
- Thanks Sean for your generosity.
- part 1 https://youtu.be/KtxWBpcvpEw
- part 2 https://youtu.be/DSposmoLrRI
- ★ The Secret Mission to Tap Soviet Undersea Cables – Operation Ivy Bells (Editor – fascinating saga in this 10 min video)
- ★ Japanese ‘Invasion’ of America 1942 – (Episode 2: Canada & Oregon) (Editor – amazing details and pics in this 15:42 min video)
- De Havilland Mosquito: The Plane That Saved Britain (part 1 of 2) (Editor – not a dedicated maritime aircraft, but an amazing tale in this 24:28 min video)
- De Havilland Mosquito: The Plane That Saved Britain (part 2of 2) (Editor – 22:25 min video)
SIGNIFICANT RCN DATES – MAY
(If you see any omissions or errors please inform me, and any more modern significant dates are also welcomed. The list draws primarily from the Directory of History and Heritage’s comprehensive “Significant Dates in Canadian Military History”, the now defunct “Canada Channel”, “Legion Magazine”, Roger Litwiller’s excellent web site, and anywhere else I can find credible information)
- 1 May 1961 415 Maritime Patrol Squadron is reformed at Summerside, Prince Edward Island, flying Argus maritime patrol aircraft.
- 3 May 1937 A Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR) half-company was authorized in Thunder Bay (Port Arthur at the time) and later developed into HMCS Griffon, the current local Naval Reserve unit.
- 4 May 1910 The Canadian Navy, later re-designated as the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), is authorized after Royal assent is given to the Naval Service Act of Canada.
- 4 May 1911 Her Majesty’s Dockyard Esquimalt is transferred from British to Canadian authorities.
- 4 May 1945 The cruiser HMCS Uganda sails with an American task force to bombard Japanese airfields as part of the Okinawa campaign.
- 7 May 1944 HMCS Valleyfield, a frigate, is torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-548 in the Atlantic Ocean with a loss of 125 sailors.
- 7 May 1945 SS AVONDALE PARK, Park SS Ltd., was Canadian registered, the last merchantman lost in the Battle of the Atlantic, off Firth of Forth, to U-2336 while in convoy EN-91. 9 crew were lost, typically including her Chief Engineer, 1 donkeyman, 4 RN DEMS gunners & 3 Maritime Reg’t RA gunners.
- 8 May 1942 U Boat 553 is the first enemy submarine to enter the Gulf of St. Lawrence to attack Canadian shipping.
- 8 May 1967 The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act is given Royal assent and begins the process of unification of the previously-separate RCN, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force.
- 9 May 1918 Lieutenant Rowland Bourke Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was commanding Motor Launch 276 when the events that would earn him a Victoria Cross occurred. The British had attempted an operation to block the port of Ostend, Belgium so it could not be used by the Germans who were occupying it. In the aftermath of the overnight daring but bloody naval assault, Bourke took his ship into the enemy harbour to look for any remaining survivors of the raid.
- 11 May 1898 Canadian brothers Harry and Willard Miller born in Noel Shore, Nova Scotia. while serving as USN sailors on board the U.S.S. Nashville in Cuban waters, both earned the US Medal of Honour. During a ship’s boat undersea cable-cutting operation and facing the heavy fire of the enemy they both displayed extraordinary bravery and coolness throughout the action.
- 12 May 1940 HMCS Ypres while operating the harbour entrance “gate” was accidently rundown by HMS Revenge. She was the first loss of the RCN during WW2.
- 12 May 1942 The German submarine U-553 sinks the steamers Nicoya and Leto between Gaspe and Anticosti island.
- 12 May 1945 HMCS Victoriaville (frigate) escorts the surrendered U-Boat 190 into Bay Bulls, Newfoundland.
- 13 May 1943 HMCS Drumheller, HMS Lagan and an aircraft from the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 423 Squadron combine to sink the German submarine U-753 in the Atlantic Ocean.
- 13 May 1945 German submarine U-899 officially surrendered to the RCN near Shelburne, N. S. becomes the only German sub to surrender in Canadian waters during Second World War.
- 14 May 1917 Lieutenant R. Leckie, Royal Naval Air Service, flying a Curtiss H-12 flying boat shoots down the German Zeppelin L.22 over England.
- 15 May 1941 Ten corvettes in UK shipyards are formally commissioned as RCN ships.
- 16 May 1945 HMCS MATANE is sent to escort 14 surrendered U-Boats from Trondheim to Loch Eriboll.
- 17 May 1963 Approval is given for the RCN to begin work on the first Canadian military hydrofoil, HMCS Bras D’Or.
- 18 May 1914 The Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR) is authorized as part of the RCN.
- 21 May 1917 The Imperial War Graves Commission (now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission) is established by Royal Charter.
- 21 May 1939 King George VI unveils the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
- 22 May 1931 HMCS SAGUENAY is commissioned at Portsmouth-one of the first ships built for the RCN.
- 24 May 1941 HMS Hood is sunk by the Bismarck in the Denmark Straits: three Canadian midshipmen serving on the battle cruiser are killed.
- 30 May 1939 King George VI presented his Color to the RCN in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, B. C.