NAC News – Edition 378
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of October 9th, 2020
Edition – 378 “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke 1770
Rod Hughes – Editor NAC News rhughes@shaw.ca (comments welcome to help improve this service)
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NOTICES
- “Marine Industry Supply Chains of Canadian Shipyards in the Era of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.” Date Wednesday 14 October. The Canadian Marine Industries and Shipbuilding Association CMISA) in collaboration with the Royal United Services Institute of Nova Scotia (RUSI-NS) presenting. Registration and other details can be found in “SCUTTLEBUTT”. Registration required, send email to RUSINovaScotia@gmail.com by close of business Sun, 11 Oct.
- ★ A Tribute to Fern Blodgett Sunde: first female radio operator to go to sea (Editor – the unveiling of the memorial is happening 17 October 2020. NAC supported project with NAC EF donation (NAC-TO) and NAC member, naval historian Dr Rich Gimblett provided guidance on the BOA that the group wanted to acknowledge. Watch the ceremony live at www.cobourgmedia.ca/fernblodgettsunde to access Facebook or YouTube stream. Preshow: 1:15 pm EST ~ Ceremony: 1:30 pm EST. The broadcast will be available afterwards at the same address.
- ★ Maritime Security Challenges Virtual Sessions will debut on 20 and 22 October 2020
with a focus on Great Power competition in the Indo-Asia-Pacific (Editor – see link to sign up for either session) - Vanguard Launches First-Ever Virtual Event For Canadian Defence Industry (Editor – note it’s a virtual event…first-ever Canadian underwater/submarine event that will take place on October 29th and 30th, 2020)
- The Memory Project is launching a new video on the Gulf War in January 2012. I will keep an eye out for the details as the time approaches. The video features audio and images provided by Memory Project speakers who served during this conflict.
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CANADA
- 2020 Fall Update – Part III (3/3) (Editor – 3rd part of Cdr RCN update in this 4:45 min video)
- ★ Seaspan Shipyards Delivers CCGS John Cabot, Completing First Class of Ships under Canada’s NSS. Check out this video. Near the end check out the list of companies that supported these builds; big, small and in all aspects.
- Your Navy Today – September 2020 (some great stories this past month!)
- Canada deploys HMCS Winnipeg to support Operation NEON
- How the U.S. election could change NATO’s future and Canada’s defence strategy
- Shipbuilding industry pushes back as federal government shops for used icebreaker
- Most military cadets say they’ve seen unwanted sexualized behaviour at college and a lengthy 2018 DRDC report on gender at RMC A Study of the Regular Officer Training Plan Using Gender-Based Analysis Plus: Phase 1 (Editor – an old Maclean’s article from 2013 indicated that RMC had the lowest percentage of women of all Canadian universities and colleges)
- Coronavirus: RMC to send 300 officer cadets home after fall break to finish semester remotely and Canadian military reports 24 active COVID cases in the ranks
- Canadian Naval Review (Editor – the CNR website its worth a look, the next edition (preview) is due soon. Note the inclusion link to the NAC Briefing Notes share them with the uninitiated)
- Adelaide Sinclair: WRCNS director dedicated her life to public service
- Government spent more than $213K defending Seamus O’Regan in small claims court (Editor – except: “As of last December, the federal government acknowledged spending $1.4 million on prosecuting Norman, who was accused of leaking cabinet secrets. But that sum does not include the cost of the RCMP’s investigation, the former senior military officer’s settlement and the cost of covering his legal fees.”)
- Davie releases proposal for an actual JSS (Editor – interesting design)
- Veterans Affairs still planning to significantly reduce disability backlog by 2022
- CAF Story | Keeping the CAF Fit and Ready (Editor – 2:49 min video)
- Sexual assault charges stayed as questions of independence rock military justice system
- Workers at Davie shipyard exposed to lead during Coast Guard icebreaker refurbishing
- Leading Canadian Submersible Robotics Company Launching New Semi-Autonomous ROV System, REVOLUTION NAV (Editor – includes cool 1:51 min video)
- Clear Seas launches a new interactive mapping tool assessing the sensitivity of Canada’s Pacific coast to oil spills (Editor – interactive map and explanatory videos)
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USA & AMERICAS
- USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Oct. 5, 2020
- SECDEF Esper Calls for 500-Ship Fleet by 2045, With 3 SSNs a Year and Light Carriers Supplementing CVNs
- CIMSEC: Sea Control 204 – American sea power at a crossroads with Bryan Clark & Tim Walton (Editor – 1 hr 5 min podcast)
- America is a maritime nation, and we need to start acting like it
- USS Pinckney Returns Home after Nine-Month Deployment
- Should the US Navy consider buying the Type 26 Super Frigate?
- U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship Future USS Mobile Completes Acceptance Trials
- SECNAV Braithwaite Names First FFG(X) USS Constellation
- US Navy struggling to keep ageing surface fleet ‘fit for purpose’
- Introduction to the Air Force’s Next Generation Air Dominance Program (Editor – not a naval programme but the implications are far-reaching)
- US awakens to rare earth mineral gap
- Colombian Navy’s Pohang-Class Corvette Begins Journey to Colombia
- Mexico Plans to Stop Port and Customs Corruption with Military Control
- US Sanctions: Spotlight on Cuba (Editor – arcane situation explained)
- Coast Guard Offloads $48M in Cocaine, 6 Suspected Smugglers in Puerto Rico
- Royal Navy: Over $200M of drugs seized in the Caribbean
- French company Piriou launches second OPV Offshore Patrol Vessel ARA Piedrabuena for Argentinian Navy
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INDO-PACIFIC
- No peacemakers for the new/old Caucasian war. Understanding the Armenia-Azerbaijan clash
- Quad is built on wobbly foundations or! Quad gains traction as unified anti-China front
- Pakistan’s New Type-039B AIP Submarines: Image Shows Shipyard Expansion
- Japan’s converted Izumo-class carriers will not feature a ‘ski-jump’ ramp for F-35B operations
- South Korean military aiming to speed up acquisition of light aircraft carrier
- US, Singapore Navy Chiefs Reaffirm Continued Partnership
- Chinese Test Shows Potential for Ballistic Missiles on Merchant Ships
- Cambodia opens the way for Chinese naval presence
- RAN’s first new oiler arrives in Australia
- Subs: dollars, strategic and nightmares
- HMM’s New Megaships Sailed Fully-Loaded on Maiden Voyage (Editor – wow)
- Kamchatka: Pollution killing sea life in Russian far east
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EUROPE
- Canadian navy in huge international exercise in Scotland
- HMS Queen Elizabeth leads thousands of NATO troops in major exercise off Scottish coast (Editor – interesting historical perspective in this 8:24 min video, and Here’s why Britain is struggling to form a fully effective carrier strike group in a 8:40 min video, and more cool plane footage in a 2:12 min BBC video HMS Queen Elizabeth: On board the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier
- Russian Navy monitoring UK warship in Black Sea
- Russian Navy postpones upgrade of third-generation nuclear submarines
- Russian Navy frigate successfully test-fires Tsirkon hypersonic missile
- First sea trials for the FREMM DA Alsace air-defense frigate for French Navy
- How many Type 26 Royal Navy frigates will be built? Eight or Three (Editor – more type 26’s? Note the article above in the USA & Americas section)
- The Future UK Super Dreadnought attack class Submarines will be The Best In the World (Editor – 8:37 min video)
- Women At Sea: A Trailblazing Royal Navy Career (Editor – recorded videos included)
- Huawei: MPs claim ‘clear evidence of collusion’ with Chinese Communist Party
- UK to build military vessels for Ukraine
- Ep. 5/8 – Naval Group Underwater Weapons in Saint-Tropez: F21 Torpedo Heavyweight Torpedo in Details
- The Bofors 57 Mk3 naval gun to installed on the UK Type 31 Frigate (Editor – interesting explanation in a 8:25 min video, and more images in this 3:29 min video How’s Powerful The Bofor? | New Weapon To Be Installed on Royal Navy’s Type 31)
- Mystery Wave Glider Unmanned Vessel Washes Up On Scottish Island
- Turkish Drillship Returns to Turkey After Operating Off Cyprus
- Cruise Ship Shipbreaking Booming in Turkey
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MIDDLE EAST
- Nagorno-Karabakh: Iran warns of ‘regional war’ as fighting rages
- Yemen Peace Talks Threatened by Renewed Unrest at Port of Hodeidah
- Anadolu shipyard from Turkey launches first Cadet Training Ship Al Doha for Qatari Navy
- Developing Mega Container Port in Saudi Arabia
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GLOBAL INTERESTS
- It’s with joy and gratitude that today we announce the Global Mercy (and their newest vessel the Global Mercy in a 4:42 min Facebook video and Timelapse (29 Sec): World’s Largest Civilian Hospital Ship Falling into Place)
- Defense updates weekly news round-up 04th Oct – first MQ-25 Stingray squadron established ! (Editor – eclectic but interesting 10:33 min video)
- Heavy transport is a big carbon emitter — how can we change course?
- IOM: ‘At least 8 migrants dead, 12 missing’ off Djibouti
- US Africa Command leaders meet with US Coast Guard leadership
- Study: Deep Ocean May Contain More Plastic Than Previously Known
- November Cruises and Beyond Canceled as More Lines Extend Pause
- No more hostages held by Somali pirates (Editor – progress!)
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SCUTTLEBUTT
- Russia’s Submarine Satellite Projects (Editor – something extraordinary explained in this 8:54 min video)
- HMS Belfast – A Town that served a Country (Editor – interesting 53:53 min video) and HMS Belfast firing all 6 inch fwd guns. 05/06/2014. For D-Day (49 sec video)
- Incident Video: Dredge Impales Tanker at Malaysian Anchorage
- “Marine Industry Supply Chains of Canadian Shipyards in the Era of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.” Wednesday 14 October 2020 – The Canadian Marine Industries and Shipbuilding Association in collaboration with the Royal United Services Institute of Nova Scotia extends an invitation to members of the NAC to.hear VTC presentations, by Steven Christianson, Vice President Supply Chain Management, Seaspan Shipyards; Lindsey Kettel, Executive Vice President, Chantier Davie Canada; and Philippe Flébus, Director Procurement & Infrastructure, Ocean Group; titled “Marine Industry Supply Chains of Canadian Shipyards in the Era of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.” The webinar will start at 1 pm Ottawa time Wed, 14 Oct, then be followed by Q&A and finish by 3 pm Ottawa time. There is no fee to attend this event. Registration is required, send email RUSINovaScotia@gmail.com by close of business Sun, 11 Oct. Use subject line on your email, “CMISA Webinar 14 October 2020 Registration”. In addition to your name please also provide your company or organization.
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SIGNIFICANT RCN DATES – OCTOBER
(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, the encyclopedic guidance from Fraser McKee, and anywhere else I can find credible information.)
- 1 October 1910 Captain E.H. Martin, RCN, is appointed Captain-in-Charge, Halifax, thus establishing the Atlantic Command.
- 2 October 1952 HMCS Iroquois is hit in action by shore artillery batteries. Three men are killed, and ten wounded, becoming the only battle casualties suffered by the RCN during the Korean conflict.
- 4 October 1944 HMCS CHEBOGUE (frigate) is torpedoed by U -1227 800 miles west of the British Isles but was able to reach port.
- 8 October 1944 HMCS Mulgrave strikes a mine off Le Havre, is beached and becomes a total loss.
- 8 October 1992 The Governor-General, the Prime Minister and other dignitaries unveil the Peacekeeping Monument in Ottawa.
- 8 October 2001 Minister of Defence Art Eggleton announces the details of Canada’s contribution to the campaign against terrorism. Canada’s initial commitment involved 2000 personnel from the Canadian Forces and included the deployment of ships, aircraft and a small contingent of soldiers. It is the biggest mobilization of the armed forces since the Korean War.
- 13 October 1710 The defenders of Port Royal surrender to a British naval expedition.
- 13 October 1910 Her Majesty’s Dockyard, Halifax, is transferred to Canadian ownership by a British Order in Council.
- 14 October 1944 HMCS Magog (frigate) is torpedoed and badly damaged by U-Boat 1223 in the St. Lawrence River off Pointe des Montes.
- 16 October 1915 An Order-in-Council gives the Hospitals Commission authority to provide retraining and rehabilitation for disabled veterans.
- 16 October 1944 HMCS Annan A/LCDR Charles P. Balfry, RCNR, sank the German submarine U-1006 south of the Faeroes.
- 17 October 1944 HMCS Prince Henry and HMCS Prince David engage in landing liberation forces in Greece (17-18 Oct).
- 19 October 1940 HMCS Bras D’Or an auxiliary minesweeper founders in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, she sank with all hands (5 officers and 25 crew).
- 20 October 1940 HMS Windflower, the first corvette built in Canada, is commissioned into the Royal Navy with a Canadian crew. She is turned over to the RCN in 1941.
- 21 October 1910 HMCS Niobe arrives in Halifax, the first Canadian warship to arrive at her base in Canada.
- 21 October 1942 HMCS Royal Roads becomes the Royal Canadian Naval College and commences training cadets.
- 21 October 1943 HMCS Chedabucto sank after night collision with the cable vessel Lord Kelvin, 30 miles from Rimouski, Quebec. She is later beached and becomes a total loss.
- One officer was lost.
- 21 October 1944 HMCS Uganda (later Quebec) is commissioned, becoming Canada’s first cruiser since Aurora was paid off in 1922.
- 22 October 1914 HMCS Niobe makes her first operational patrol off the Strait of Belle Isle.
- 22 October 1940 HMCS Margaree (Destroyer) lost in the North Atlantic, after collision with the freighter Port Fairy, while escorting the five-ship convoy OL.8. 142 of her ship’s company were lost, many of which were survivors of HMCS Fraser’s tragic sinking.
- 23 October 1939 HMCS SAGUENAY (Destroyer) intercepted the German tanker Emmy Friederich which scuttled herself.
- 23 October 1969 A major explosion occurred aboard HMCS Kootenay. The blast and intense engine room fire would become known as one of the worst peacetime accidents in the history of the RCN, with nine of her crew killed. Three years later, six crew members received medals honouring their bravery during the incident. Chief Petty Officer V.O. Partanan was posthumously awarded the Cross of Valour.
- 24 October 1949 A programme for the construction in Canadian shipyards of anti-submarine destroyer escorts for the RCN was announced by the Minister of national Defence in Parliament.
- 25 October 1944 HMCS Skeena was wrecked in a storm, and grounded near Reykjavik, Iceland. Fifteen lives were lost.
- 26 October 1952 HMCS Crusader destroys a North Korean supply train near Songjin: RCN gunners account for the destruction of eight enemy trains during the conflict.
- 28 October 1955 HMCS St. Laurent (second of name) is commissioned as the first warship of all-Canadian design and construction.
- 30 October 1918 HMCS Galiano was lost, with all her crew of 39 and one female passenger, in Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island. HMCS Galiano and her crew of Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reservists was the only Canadian Naval vessel lost during WWI – only 12 days before the armistice to end the “war to end all wars”.
- 30 October 1942 A RCAF Hudson of No. 145(BR) Squadron destroyed U658 with a salvo of depth charges 320 miles out of St. John’s Newfoundland. Later that same day, a Digby of No. 10(BR) RCAF Squadron sent U520 to the bottom far out in the Atlantic.