NAC News - Edition 478 - Naval Association of Canada

NAC News – Edition 478

Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of September 9th, 2022

Edition: 478 “The ceremonies you have seen today are ancient, and some of their origins are veiled in the mists of the past. But their spirit and their meaning shine through the ages never, perhaps, more brightly than now. I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.” Speech on her Majesty’s Coronation Day, June 2, 1953

Editor – Her Majesty will be fondly remembered and greatly missed. Life goes on, God save the King.

Rod Hughes – Editor NAC News rhughes@shaw.ca (Comments welcome to help improve this service.)

Links to keep in touch with the NAC and RCN can be found at the bottom of this email. Contact David Soule executivedirector-nac@outlook.com if you wish someone to be added to the NAC News email distribution. (Influencer or good candidates to become a NAC member, and note the first year’s NAC & Branch membership dues are waived)

NOTICES

Job Posting – Executive Director NAC – extended to 15 September 2022

12 Sep 2022 19:00 (Ottawa time) The Naval Association of Canada – Ottawa Branch is pleased to announce the September Speaker’s Evening. “Reflections on Canada’s ‘Citizen Navy’ at 100”, HMCS Carlton’s CO, Cdr Chris Knowlton, will provide an overview of the activities being planned to honour this achievement across the country -and at HMCS Carlton, including a timely brief on the revitalization project of the National Naval Reserve Monument located at Dow’s Lake in Ottawa.

1-2 November Vanguard’s 2022 Deep Blue Forum – The Canadian Patrol Submarine Project: 2030 Options for Canada. National Arts Centre, Ottawa, ON. Reception 1 November 17.30 – 20.00 (Ottawa time) at the National Arts Centre 1 Elgin Street. Details for attending.

14-16 November 2022 Registration for Maritime Security Challenges 2022 in Victoria BC is open! The past two years have seen an explosion of major events and trends that are shaking the world: a once-in-a-century-pandemic; a land war in Europe; international energy and food crises; the rise of authoritarian political movements and governments; more dramatic weather; and decades-high inflation. Many of these issues are playing out at sea, as shipping costs soar, navies modernize to protect their national maritime claims, and state rivalries flourish in the maritime domain.

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THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES

Queen Elizabeth II: her reign in numbers (Editor – 7:50 min Economist video) and Queen Elizabeth II: A life in pictures

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CANADA

First West Coast AOPS Delivered in Halifax and Third new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship delivered to Canada then Navy takes delivery of third new warship while it can’t deploy the first one

Chrystia Freeland has a ‘legitimate shot’ at top NATO job, expert says

CSIS: Foreign Interference and You

HMCS Harry DeWolf Arctic Ship Unable To Patrol The Region Due To Failure Of Main Diesel Generators

No injuries after Coast Guard helicopter crashes near Puvirnituq, Que.

Kraken Robotics to Supply NATO Member With Minehunting Systems

Kamsack sailor earns gold service insignia for 1,460+ days at sea

The Canadian magazine: Vol. 20, no. 6 (Apr. 1903) – cover – Canadiana (Editor – this pre-RCN 1903 article was sent to me and is so apropos with our Naval Reserves 100^th approaching. When opened, at the top left corner labelled “cover”, tap and select p 531, it’s a 6-page time capsule! It can be downloaded as a pdf (bottom left) as single page or whole magazine for ease of reading is desired)

American historian ‘thrilled’ efforts to honour Canadian hero paid off

HMCS Fergus honoured Centre Wellington’s ‘sailor’s town’

Lookout Volume 67, Issue 35, September 6, 2022 with Fleet Maintenance Facility Cape Breton introduces exoskeletons

Trident Volume 56, Issue 18, September 5, 2022 with Back on the water: Community support brings CANSail success back to Halifax and the Sea Cadet Program

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USA & AMERICAS

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Sept. 8, 2022

HALO Programme Accelerates US Navy Hypersonic Capability Drive

Fat Leonard: Malaysian businessman linked to US Navy scandal escapes then New Details Revealed in ‘Fat Leonard’ Escape, Detention as Manhunt Continues

U.S. Maritime Forces Arrive for UNITAS LXIII hosted by Brazil

Brazil commissions its first Scorpène type submarine: Riachuelo (Editor – 7:15 min video supporting last week’s article)

Three Different US Navy Aircraft Control Unmanned MQ-25 and The Return of Range: How the Navy Got the MQ-25 Right

Northrop Grumman LITENING targeting pod makes first Navy Super Hornet flight

Tow for “Toxic” Aircraft Carrier Reverses Course Back to Brazil

USNS Burlington Conducts Theater Security in Caribbean and USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10) (Editor – multi-role vessel indeed)

Report to Congress on Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter

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INDO-PACIFIC

North Korea declares itself a nuclear weapons state

Report: Invasion of Taiwan Risks Container Shipping, Internet Cables

Japan’s Aegis Ashore destroyer plan is full of holes

Off-the-shelf Astute Class off the table, says UK though UK To Train Australian Nuclear Sub Sailors

Canadian navy ship HMCS Winnipeg conducts port visit in Jakarta

China’s Jiangdao-class Corvette: Mainstay of the First Island Chain

CAE Australia secures RAN training contract

Naval ships hold landing training in South China Sea (Editor – 1:04 min video. Their gear always looks brand new, unused)

Taiwan Signs $555M Deal With US to Buy Four Sea Guardian Drones

China mapping underwater assets

Breaking down Cambodia’s naval base controversy

Chinese, Russian vessels join drills to uphold post-WWII global order (Editor – the other side of the coin)

India Inducts Second Aircraft Carrier As Seas Get Militarized and Navy pushes for third carrier, a 65,000-tonne warship

The first year – Royal Navy OPVs deployed in the Pacific

Philippine Navy christens first two Acero-class patrol gunboats

Israeli-made missile boats to help defend PH littoral zones

Super Typhoon Disrupts Asian Shipping and Closes Korean Shipyards

Solomon Islands Exempts Australia – New Zealand from Foreign Naval Ban

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EUROPE

Ukraine:

Russia’s failed lessons from Chechnya and Spasm escalation: Russia’s last weapon has been spent

Ukraine war: US approves $2.6bn in aid for Ukraine and allies

US poised to relocate bio programs from Ukraine to other post-Soviet states — top brass (Editor – TASS article)

Ukraine Dispatches Its Biggest Grain Convoy Of U.N. Deal So Far but Russia Says West Is Breaking IMO Grain Deal

Russian oil still flowing to Europe via waters off Greece

General:

Editor – Reading these two articles I remember that wars are often fought over resources…this does not bode well for the future) Erdogan Dials Up Tension In The Aegean Sea

Nord Stream 1: How Russia is cutting gas supplies to Europe

Russia’s Severny Polyus vessel on its way to the Arctic this month

Three British Type 23 frigates shadow Russian warships near UK

German Sachsen-Class Frigate Joins Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (Editor – visiting Halifax)

US Navy assault ship takes part in Baltic Sea training

JFD Successfully Completes NATO Submarine Rescue System Northern Crown Exercise in Sweden

NATO Biannual Mine Countermeasures Dynamic Goose Kicks off in Italy

HMS Queen Elizabeth replaces HMS Prince of Wales in US trip

Strengthening Partnerships, Recreating History: George H.W. Bush Sails Alongside Amerigo Vespucci

Most of UK’s warships ‘out of use’ as Navy chiefs struggle

Spain Selects Naval Strike Missile As Harpoon Replacement

Sweden Increases Investment in Underwater Ranges

UK to Announce Dozens of New North Sea Oil and Gas Licenses -Sources

Nearly All the Oil has Been Recovered from OS 35 off Gibraltar

Divers clean HMS Audacious hull after submarine’s six-month Mediterranean patrol

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MIDDLE EAST

Iranian navy nabs 2 American sailing drones, dumps them overboard: Iranian media and U.S. Navy Statement on Iranian Incident in Red Sea

USCG Cutter Glen Harris Makes Third Drug Seizure in Gulf of Oman

Iranian IRGC Navy gets new warships including Martyr Soleimani warship multi-hulled watercraft

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GLOBAL INTERESTS

Nations Fail to Reach Deal on UN Treaty to Protect Sea Life

Shell and Total Namibia Offshore Oil Discoveries ‘Likely in Billions of Barrels’

USCGC Mohawk (WMEC 913) completes maritime security deployment in Gulf of Guinea

Shipping needs up to $28 billion per year to switch to carbon-neutral fuels by 2050, DNV forecasts

LNG Carriers Continue to Lead Newbuilds with Further $2.6B in Orders

Container Shipping Marks Seven Straight Quarters of Record Profits

Editor – not maritime articles except the drugs are often transported at sea and the proceeds help fund all sorts of destabilizing problems)

The foreign policies of the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG – Part I: In the Americas

The foreign policies of the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG – Part II: The Asia-Pacific

The foreign policies of the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG – Part III: Africa

The foreign policies of the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG — Part IV: Europe’s cocaine and meth markets

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SCUTTLEBUTT

Why Are Submarine Propellers Covered Up? #shorts (Editor – 30 sec video)

The Mariner’s Mirror Freak Ships of the Nineteenth Century I: Monitors (Editor – 38 min podcast)

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THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY

10 September 1813 US Captain Oliver Perry defeated six British warships at the Battle of Lake Erie. During this battle Lt Frédérick Rolette was the First Lieutenant (second in command) of the British schooner Lady Prevost. When the captain was mortally wounded, he assumed command and fought the ship “with great skill and gallantry” until he himself was severely wounded, burned by an explosion and the ship was a broken unmanageable and sinking wreck. Lt Rolette served with great distinction throughout the War of 1812. Significantly, just before the outbreak of the War of 1812, Lt Rolette was posted to Amherstburg, Ont., and he was in charge of the brig General Hunter. When word of the outbreak of war reached Amherstburg on July 3, 1812, Lt Rolette acted immediately, capturing an American vessel, the Cuyahoga, before the American crew became aware that their country had declared war on Britain. This was the first action of the War of 1812 and a significant prize, because on board the Cuyahoga were American commander General William Hull’s papers and dispatches, providing the British with a great deal of intelligence on American strengths and deployment. The Harry DeWolf Class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel HMCS Frédérick Rolette is named in his honour.

10 September 1814 The Kingston Ontario naval dockyard launched the 112 gun HMS St. Lawrence, carrying more armament then Admiral Nelson’s HMS Victory. The Naval Dockyard was on the grounds of what is now the Royal Military College, with the current Stone Frigate originally being the naval stores building. At the time she was the largest warship to sail the Great Lakes and she was the only Royal Navy ship of the line ever to be launched and operated entirely in fresh water. The construction of a first-rate ship of the line, in a campaign that had been dominated by sloops and frigates, gave the British uncontested control of the lakes during the final months of the war. HMS St Lawrence never saw action, because her presence on the lake once battle-ready deterred the U.S. fleet from setting sail. The naval actions and building programmes in the Great Lakes lead to The Rush–Bagot Treaty or Rush–Bagot Disarmament treaty between the United States and Great Britain limiting naval armaments on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain, following the War of 1812. Vessels would be limited to one vessel on Lake Champlain, one vessel on Lake Ontario, and two vessels on the upper lakes. None of the vessels was to exceed 100 tons and its armament was not to be more than 18-pounder gun. It was ratified by the United States 16 April 1818, and was confirmed by Canada, following Confederation in 1867.

10 September 1939 Canada declares war on Germany. It was the first time in our history that Canada had issued a formal Declaration of War in her own right. On the 11th and 12th parliament adopted a special War Appropriation Bill and other bills arising out of the Declaration of War.

10 September 1941 HMCS Chambly commanded by CDR James D. Prentice, RCN, and HMCS Moose Jaw commanded by LT Frederick E. Grubb, RCN sank the German submarine U-501 off the coast of Greenland. This is the first U-boat kill made by the Royal Canadian Navy. During the war the RCN sank, or shared in the destruction, of 31 enemy submarines. For its part, the RCN lost 14 warships to U-boat attacks and another eight ships to collisions and other accidents in the north Atlantic.

11 September 1833 Quebec-built steamship ‘Royal William’ reaches England safely; the wooden paddle wheeler is the first ship to cross the Atlantic under steam all the way, although sails are raised whenever the wind is fresh; the two steam engines are kept running, but the ship goes slowly under sail because of the drag from the paddle wheels.

11 September 1904 CGS Vigilant when launched was designed as an armed patrol vessel for service on the Great Lakes, was of steel construction and fitted with a ram bow. Described as the “first modern warship to be built in Canada”, was acquired for patrol service on the Great Lakes to replace the aging CGS Petrel. Vigilant was credited at the time by the Minister of Marine and Fisheries, Louis-Philippe Brodeur as being the nucleus of the future Royal Canadian Navy. Upon entering service, the crew of the vessel wore naval-style uniforms, a first for Canada.

11 September 1942 HMCS Charlottetown was torpedoed and sunk in the St. Lawrence, near Cap Chat Quebec, by U517. She had just delivered a convoy to Rimouski and was returning to Gaspe. Ten of her ship’s company were lost.

12 September 1759 Admiral Saunders bombards Beauport and feigns a landing to divert attention away from Wolfe’s landing below the Plains of Abraham.

12 September 1846 Franklin Expedition ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror are trapped in ice in Victoria Strait.

12 September 1940 Canada’s cabinet introduces Order In Council P.C. 4751, giving Canadian authorities power to imprison disobedient foreign seamen from non-Canadian ships in Canadian ports.

13 September 1750 General Wolfe’s forces conducted an amphibious assault and stormed the cliffs of Quebec City and defeated the French. This battle marked the beginning of the end of France’s rule in North America.

13 September 1942 HMCS Ottawa sunk by U91 who hit her with two torpedoes in the North Atlanta while she was escorting convoy ON.127. Five officers and 109 men of her Ship’s Company were lost, plus 6 RN seaman, and 22 merchant seamen. This included the CO, LCdr C.A. Rutherford, who had given his own life belt to a rating.

13 September 1943 – On 8 February 1943, in the Mediterranean near Oran, Algeria, the Canadian built (North Vancouver Ship Repair, Vancouver) but British crewed SS Fort Babine was bombed and badly damage by Luftwaffe aircraft. After receiving some repairs in Gibraltar, she was being towed to Newcastle, England for further repairs. On 13 September, when the towed freighter was about 300 nm NW of Lisbon (41°31’N 14°39’W), the Luftwaffe again bombed the Fort Babine. There were several casualties, and she was abandoned and sunk.

14 September 1940 The Ex-Servicemen’s General Assembly of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the two French islands located about 15 miles (24 kilometers) off the coast of Newfoundland, announces its support for General Charles DeGaulle. The British Foreign Office sends note to Ottawa, urging the Canadian government to support the movement. Canadians decline to act, and the islands Vichy governor dissolves the veterans league.

14 September 1942 500 km east of Newfoundland, German U-Boat U-91 torpedoes and sinks RCN River Class destroyer HMCS Ottawa (A/LCdr Clark Anderson Rutherford, RCN) in the North Atlantic, while escorting convoy ON-127; hit by two torpedoes, she blows up and sinks immediately; 113 of her ship’s company are lost, plus 6 RN seaman and 22 merchant seamen; there are 69 survivors; Battle of the Atlantic growing in intensity.

15 September 1940 Single men aged between 21 and 24 are called up for service.

15 September 1940 – The Great Lakes freighter SS Kenordoc (Peterson Steamships Ltd., Fort William, Ontario), with a cargo of lumber, was one of 47 ships in convoy CS-3 which had departed Sydney NS on 2 September 1940 and was eastbound for Liverpool. The Kenordoc became a straggler from the convoy. She came under a gunfire attack by U-99 (Otto Kretschmer) on 15 September (57°42’N 15°02’W) about 300 nm WNW from the North Channel access to Liverpool. The ship was later scuttled by HMS Amazon. The master and six crew members were casualties. Thirteen crew members were rescued by Amazon and HMCS St. Laurent and landed at Greenock, Scotland.

16 September 1910 The cruiser HMCS Niobe formerly of the Royal Navy becomes the second warship to join the Canadian Navy arriving at Halifax in October.

16 September 1939 – The first convoy of the war—designated HX-1—leaves Halifax for the United Kingdom. Eighteen merchant ships are escorted by HMCS Saguenay and HMCS St. Laurent to a North Atlantic rendezvous with Royal Navy cruisers Berwick and York. Subsequent convoys included all ships bound for the United Kingdom whose speed was between nine and fifteen knots, and unarmed vessels of over fifteen knots. Other vessels, including all ships sailing to destinations outside Britain, were able to proceed independently for some months after the beginning of the war. Soon, two convoys a week were sailing from Halifax. By the end of 1939, some 410 ships in 14 HX convoys had crossed the Atlantic. Escort work would remain the RCN’s chief responsibility for the duration of the war.

16 September 1942 The first of sixteen RCN corvettes sails for the Mediterranean Sea to take part in the North African landings (Operation Torch).

SIGNIFICANT RCN DATES – 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”, The Naval Service of Canada, Its Official History Vol 1-3, NAC member Roger Litwiller’s excellent web site, encyclopedic guidance from NAC member Fraser McKee, the Uboat.net site, and anywhere else I can find credible information. For the merchant ship history, a special thanks to NAC member Bill Dziadyk for his able assistance and detailed work. The RCN lost 1,965 men and 24 ships during the War, most of them in the Atlantic. A comprehensive list of the staggering merchant losses – sunk, damaged, or lost – Canadian Merchant Ship Losses of the Second World War, 1939-1945 by Rob Fisher {Revised June 2001}, and for the loss of individual personnel RCN Ship Histories, Convoy Escort Movements, Casualty Lists 1939-1947)