naval affairs

NAC News – Edition 526

NAC News – Edition 526

Photo: Alexandra Mehl, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of  August 19th, 2023

Edition: 526   Quote: “The recommissioning of the UNTDA as the NRAC at the AGM was a giant step in the ongoing commitment to provide a venue for all past current and future Naval Reservists of all ranks to stay connected.  Great to reacquaint with friends from the past.  Some we just carried on as if we had just parted yesterday.  Outstanding results from well organized and executed events.”  Ray Zuliani, Naval Reserve Association of Canada, Victoria Conference, 12 May 2023

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 Kevin Goheen 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

17/18 October 2023 ABCMI’s Annual Business Opportunities Conference & Trade Show – Vancouver Conference Centre ABCMI’s Annual Business Opportunities Conference & Trade Show.  See the website for developing Event Details including Exhibitor Spaces and Sponsorship Opportunities.

2 November 2023 The Deep Blue Forum 2023 Super Early Bird Registration is Open!  Venue – The Westin Ottawa, 11 Colonel By Drive.

13 November 2023 0900-1600 hrs Vancouver BC Day Sail event on warship for women and girls

6 December 2023 7:30 am – 6:30 pm Ottawa time.  Industrial Participation Association of Canada (IPAC) announced their first ever Industrial Participation Conference, titled The Changing Landscape of Industrial Participation in Canadian Federal Procurements Conference to be held at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa.

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THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES

CDAI: Dr. James Boutilier on Indo-Pacific Security, Expert Series, August 10, 2023 (Editor – Dr. B, insightful as ever)

Opinion: Time to Increase Arctic Maritime Domain Awareness

Canada’s free riding on NATO: America needs to pick a lane – Brian Lee Crowley in the Washington Times and an opinion from the US Canadian Royal Navy Spending Is Disappointing

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CANADA

Canadian warships depart for Indo-Pacific operation, fulfilling promise to increase naval presence in region second similar article Canada Expands Indo-Pacific Deployment with Two Additional Frigates

Chief of the Defence Staff Announces CPO1/CWO Special Appointments and Retirements 2023 (Editor – a few MARPAC appointments)

More Than Half (56%) of Canadians Consider Canada’s Armed Forces to be Old and Antiquated

Peter MacKay: The urgent need to fix Canada’s military — and how to do it

Analysis: Irving gets $463 million more from taxpayers for troubled warship program (Editor – a flawed over simplification of the issues, but we should be aware it’s out there)

Canada invests in new patrol vessels for fisheries enforcement (Editor – Samson Enterprises)

FS Garonne and USCGC Forward

Use or lose your regimental associations, younger veterans warned (Editor – not a naval article but so pertinent!  Please forward it as you desire.)

A Pacific marine heat wave has arrived in B.C. waters. Here’s what it means for ocean life

Minister Blair Announces Changes to the Canadian Armed Forces Grievance and Harassment Process

Coroner to hold inquest into Royal Military College cadet’s suicide

The Canadian flag felt heavy as I carried a fellow soldier’s coffin. I still feel it 17 years later

Decades of service in Nuu-chah-nulth waters for what could be ‘the last wooden freighter on the coast’

Lieutenant Malcolm Seafield Grant, O-28760

Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, VC, DSC, O-29020 (Editor – the only RCN Victoria Cross recipient.  “Hammy” while serving in the RCNVR was an aviator of some reputation.  Only four Canadian naval recipients received the VC of the 99 Canadians that have been so honoured.  During WW2 Lt (RCNVR) Grey flew the American built Vought F4U Corsairs while serving with the RN aboard HMS Formidable, an Illustrious-class aircraft carrier.  The other three Canadian Victoria Cross recipients were all serving in the RN in India or during WW’s I and II.  Significantly, two of the four Canadian naval VC recipients (Hall and Gray) have DeWolf Class ships named after them.

No Stone Left Alone’s goal is to honour every Canadian veteran who has passed by placing a poppy on their headstone each November. (Editor – slick interactive map included)

10-million cruise ship passengers — and counting — for Victoria

NAC Naval Affairs Programme Briefing Note #21 Maritime Aviation: Current Capabilities (Editor – please share to anyone you think may benefit from the knowledge, after all, that’s what our naval affairs programme is all about – educating Canadians)

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USA & AMERICAS

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Aug. 14, 2023

VIDEO: VCNO Lisa Franchetti Takes Command of the Navy

U.S. Flight III Destroyer Multiyear Deal Grows to 10 Ships, 3 Hulls Awarded in FY 2023

US Navy decommissions USS Mobile Bay cruiser as ship count decreases

U.S. Navy Combs Through Destroyer Fleet for Life-Extension Candidates

USS Sioux City Decommissions After Less Than Five Years in Service

USS Zumwalt – Now in the Caribbean after Panama Canal Transit

GD NASSCO starts construction of ESB USNS Hector A. Cafferata Jr.

U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, scientists deploy ice stations

Navy eyeing new tech to help kill underwater drones and enemy divers

L3Harris has created the first ever ‘launch and recovery’ AUV solution

Inside US Crazy Logistics to Transport Billion $ Military Hardware By Sea (Editor – 15:04 min video)

Panama Canal Extends Transit Restrictions Caused by Drought

MARAD Launches 6,500 Mile Expansion of Marine Highway System in Alaska

USNI NEWS Video: USS Constitution is Getting a Mast Makeover

New Antarctic Research Vessel Delivers State-of-the-Art Capability

Interceptor 007 intercepting trash in Ballona Creek, LA County, USA #shorts (Editor – short video)

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INDO-PACIFIC

Japan must not interfere with Russian, Chinese patrols in region — China’s top brass

China’s Economy Is Slowing. Here’s Why that Matters (Editor – not a naval article but it speaks to a destabilizing China, hence a global issue.) and Crossing the Strait – China’s Military Prepares for War with Taiwan (Editor – lengthy but a noteworthy paper to read)

Why Taiwan’s Strategy to Repel a Chinese Invasion May be Outdated | WSJ (Editor- 7:03 min video)

China appears to be building an airstrip on a disputed South China Sea island

USS America, Embarked 31st MEU Elements in Papua New Guinea for Humanitarian Efforts

Russian, Chinese Warships in East China Sea After Sailing Near Alaska (Editor – strange bedfellows)

‘Quad’ Alliance Joins Together for Exercise Malabar 2023 in Australia

Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility Welcomes First Contingent of AUKUS Personnel

China Claims ‘Huge Breakthrough’ in Laser Weapon Development

Beijing Investing in Network of Global Chinese Naval Bases, Researchers Find

USS Carl M. Levin Joins Fleet at Pearl Harbor

Philippines says refurbishing grounded ship an option to strengthen hold on disputed shoal (Editor – what a strange way to do business)

Austal Australia hands over 16th Guardian-Class patrol boat (Editor – well done Australia)

Indonesian Navy Commissions Two New Fani-Class MCM Vessels

Korean Shipbuilders Retake Top Spot Overtaking China with LNG Orders

Three Bulk Carriers Robbed In Singapore Strait

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EUROPE

Ukraine:

Ukraine Navy successfully disables 5 Russian landing ships since start of war

Ukrainian intelligence services reveal details on use of their USVs and a short video How #Ukraine is challenging #Russia in the Black Sea with #drone boats #shorts

Russian Warship Fires Warning Shots At Cargo Ship and Video Shows Russians Boarding Neutral Freighter in the Black Sea

Ukraine Starts Registering Ships For Black Sea Corridor and Containership Departs Odessa Testing Ukraine’s Humanitarian Corridor

British Commandos train hundreds of Ukrainian Marines in UK programme

Battle Damaged Tanker Sig to be Repaired

Ukraine fires military conscription officials for taking bribes

General:

Vladimir Putin announces more navy ships to enter combat this year (Editor – short video)

Putin Hands State Shipbuilder Over to Russia’s Second-Largest Bank

Northern Fleet kicks off major Barents Sea command and staff exercise

New production platform arrives in Utrenneye. It is part of Russia’s big push into Arctic LNG (Editor – 640,000 tons! Now in Utrenneye)

Russia to equip new nuclear submarines with hypersonic missiles

Russian Navy to receive refurbished aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov in 2024

Army 2023: Russian firm Gidropribor displays new torpedo (Editor – interesting idea)

USS Ford Demonstrates Strengths in NATO Mediterranean Training Exercise

The King and Princess of Wales take on new Naval appointments

Turkey to arm 11 naval platforms with Atmaca missiles

French Navy takes delivery of 2nd nuclear-powered attack submarine

MoD awards £886k contract for frigate torpedo defence kits

Defense Receives Offers for New Submarines

NVL Group Lays Keel of First Type 707 Oiler for German Navy

French Defence Procurement Agency receives 2nd Suffren class submarine Duguay Trouin

Romania Cancels 1.2 Billion Euro Warships Deal With France’s Naval Group

Record 8 Tons of Cocaine Seized at Port of Rotterdam

Fremantle Highway 🔥 Fire | EVs or Not EVs, That is the Question? (Editor – interesting explanation 6:09 min video)

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MIDDLE EAST

More than 1 million barrels of oil removed from decaying tanker near Yemen, UN says

U.S.-Led Naval Group Warns Ships To Avoid Iranian Waters

100 Marines, Sailors Ready to Ride Commercial Ships in Zone Defense Against Iran

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GLOBAL INTERESTS

Our oceans are the warmest in recorded history. This is why it’s so concerning

Elizabeth Rush on her epic journey to Earth’s ‘doomsday glacier’

More than 60 migrants feared dead on perilous sea route to Spain’s Canary Islands

DP World Targets 100M TEU Capacity as It Adds 3M More TEUs This Year

China Edges Ahead of Greece as Largest Shipowner by Gross Tonnage

Brazilian Navy Ship Leaves for Gulf of Guinea Operation

SAN platforms in line for maintenance, repairs

Another major milestone for Africa’s only submarine museum

200 Years After Darwin, Tall Ship Recreates HMS Beagle’s Famed Voyage

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SCUTTLEBUTT

War Factories | Episode 7: US Ships | Free Documentary History (Editor – worthwhile 43:28 min documentary.  Hard to do in this day and age.)

War Factories | Season 3, Episode 2: Enterprise – Rise of the Aircraft Carrier | FD History (Editor – a 43:58 min documentary video) and What’s In a Name? American Vessels Called Enterprise, the 9th USS Enterprise (CNN-80) is scheduled to be operational in 2028 and replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.  It is this lineage that caused Gene Roddenberry to choose the name for the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek – “live long and prosper”)

How a Naval Gun Reload Works – Bofors 57 mm Mk3/Mk110 (Editor – animated look at similar gun as Halifax Class)

Sextant Tutorial: The Principle of the Sextant (Editor – 7:15 mi video)

Sextant Tutorial: Errors and Corrections (Editor – 7:50 min video)

Sextant Tutorial: Taking Sights With A Sextant (Editor – 5:43 min video)

How a World War Two Submarine Works (Editor – amazing detail in a 30:51 min animated video)

Understanding CNC Machining with JLCPCB! (Editor – 5:46 min video)

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THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY

19 August 1914  Canada officially went to war against Germany and Austria-Hungary.  In 1914, Canada was a self-governing dominion of the British Empire, but it did not control its own foreign affairs.  As during the South African War (1899-1902), the Canadian government would decide the nature and extent of Canada’s war effort, but legally Canada the was at war the instant Britain declared one.  In 1914, most, but by no means all, Canadians would have agreed with the 1910 statement of Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier that “when Britain is at war, Canada is at war.  There is no distinction.”  They nevertheless debated vigorously the size and nature of Canada’s war effort and, increasingly, its relationship with Britain.

20 August 1942  HMC Ships Prince Robert, Prince Henry, Prince David, Dawson and Vancouver leave Esquimalt, British Columbia, to commence operations in the Bering Sea.

20 August 1944  HMC Ships Ottawa commanded by CDR James D. Prentice, DSO, RCN, HMCS Kootenay commanded by A/LCDR William H. Wilson, RCN, and HMCS Chaudière commanded by A/LCdr C. Patrick Nixon, RCN sank the German submarine U-984 while on patrol in the English Channel – their second combined victory in three days.

21 August 1872  Chebucto Head Lighthouse starts operations, Halifax, Nova Scotia

21 August 1940  The Permanent Joint Board of Defence is established to co-ordinate Canadian and American activities relating to the defence of North America.

21 August 1944  HMCS Alberni is torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-480 in the English Channel.  59 of her ship’s company are lost.

22 August 1711  The RN expedition against Quebec is wrecked on reefs north of Anticosti island.

22 August 1944  HMS Nabob, a British aircraft carrier but with a RCN crew, is torpedoed off Norway and severely damaged.  21 ship’s company are lost.  Returns to harbour under tow.

23 August 1953  HMCS Caribou is commissioned as a Naval Reserve Division in Cornerbrook, Newfoundland.

24 August 1949  North Atlantic Treaty goes into effect, with the parties agreeing that an armed attack against one country would be considered ‘an attack against them all.’  NATO created by Canada, the US, and 10 European countries.

24 August 1957  US Wind class icebreaker HMCS Labrador under RCN Capt O.C.S. “Long Robbie” Robertson the first deep draught vessel to navigate Bellot Strait; will become the first ship to circumnavigate North America in a single voyage; transferred to the Department of Transport on 22 November 1957, and re-designated the Canadian Government Ship (CGS) Labrador; later CCGS Labrador.

24 August 1969  US oil tanker Manhattan leaves Chester on trial voyage through Northwest Passage; helped by Canadian Coast Guard ice-breaker CCGS John A. Macdonald, the Manhattan will reach Sachs Harbour, NWT, on September 15.

24 August 1990  HMC Ships Athabaskan, Protecteur, and Terra Nova with 934 personnel sail from Halifax to participate in the United Nations to participate in the blockade of Iraq over its invasion of Kuwait three weeks earlier, Operation Friction.

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)

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