NAC News – Edition 599 (Coverdale)

Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of January 10th, 2025
Edition: 599 HMC NRS Coverdale Quotes: “the Red Sea Crisis serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities facing global trade and the shortcomings of current strategies aimed at ensuring safe passage in vital waterways. Having assumed for too long that the maritime environment is inherently stable, free and open countries need to rethink urgently the way navies work together with commercial shipping. This will need to happen within a wider effort to restore European naval power, where navies are allocated sufficient resources to deliver the measures necessary to safeguard trade. Allowing the situation to persist undermines efforts to deter future attempts at disrupting freedom of navigation. Ultimately, it is up to navies to guarantee safe passage of trade.” Protecting trade in contested waters, The Memorandum No. 26.2024, Britain’s World, William Freer & Charlotte Kleberg, 23 Dec 2024.
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@navalassoc.ca if you wish someone to be added to the NAC News email distribution. (Influencer, or good candidates to become an NAC member – note the first year’s NAC/Branch membership dues are waived)
NOTICES
NEW and Short Notice for those in the Kingston area: 16 January 2025 at 7pm. Night One: Battle of the Atlantic: Gauntlet to Victory with author Ted Barris. Location: Great Lakes Museum, 55 Ontario Street, Kingston
NEW 29 January 2025 1-3 PM Halifax time RUSI-NS extends an invitation to members of the NAC to a presentation by Robert Taylor, Principal Engineer Shipyard Solutions, Bardex Corporation, on drydocks and vertical shiplifts. The presentation will be conducted simultaneously in-person and online (via Zoom). The in-person part will be at the Royal Artillery Park Officers’ Mess, CFB Halifax. Registration is required, so email RUSI Nova Scotia rusinovascotia@gmail.com with a subject line: RUSI(NS) Distinguished Speaker 29 January 2025 Registration. Please indicate whether you plan to attend in-person or online. Also indicate your unit, association, or company. Zoom instructions will be emailed to registrants by Monday, 27 January.
25 February 2025 ShipTech Forum 2025 Super Early Bird registration is open! The National Arts Centre, Ottawa ON. Not able to attend in person – all speaker sessions will be live streamed.
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THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES
Trump’s ‘5 percent down’ plan for Europe (Editor – from the article, “Europe failed that same kind of choice in the 1930s, and World War II ensued. Today, Putin has made his position clear. Last Friday [20 Dec 24], he bluntly announced that that the world has declared war on Russia, and that in response, “Russian world has declared war.”
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CANADA
HMCS Ottawa has close encounter with a Chinese navy ship (Editor – 2:38 min video) and of course Expert slams Canadian media ‘turning black into white’ by hyping PLA shadowing Canadian warship in E. China Sea
River Class Destroyer Land-Based Testing Facility
CGAI paper by NAC member Kate Todd: Redesigning the Royal Canadian Navy for a More Dangerous World and another one by NAC member Peter Hayden Canadian Naval Future: IRPP Working Paper
DND warns Canada’s commitment to peacekeeping missions drops to new low
Canadian Forces considering bonuses to keep soldiers from leaving: document
Cargo ship stuck in St. Lawrence River for two weeks refloated on Tuesday
Minister Duclos says it should be ‘relatively easy’ to sell Trump on icebreaker pact
Canada’s Victoria-Class Submarine Nightmare Has Just ‘Docked’ and Canada’s Navy Is Slowly Rotting Away and Canada’s Air Force Is Slowly Rotting Away and Canada’s Army Is Slowly Rotting Away (Editor – all posted in rapid succession by “1945” in the US)
Canadian Armed Forces – Naval Combat Systems Engineering Officer – English (Editor – RCN recruiting 4:53 min video)
$150M class-action payout approved in Canadian military racism lawsuit
National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials (Editor – I found it easiest to go in through the interactive map)
B.C. ship recycler penalized $46,105 for leaking toxic effluent into ocean
Un navire de la marine canadienne attire l’attention pendant sa tournée des Grands Lacs
Un navire de la Marine royale canadienne à Toronto
Un navire de la Marine royale canadienne en visite d’amitié à Hô Chi Minh-Ville
Port of Prince Rupert introduces bunkering service for deep-sea shipping
Before he was president, Jimmy Carter saved nuclear reactor after meltdown (Editor – This article was passed to me by NAC member Bill Dziadyk upon seeing the President’s obit in last week’s NAC News. I don’t see a Canadian medal in his long list of awards, but Canada certainly owed him a debt of gratitude!) a more detailed CBC account How a future U.S. president helped avert nuclear disaster near Canada’s capital and finally Chalk River – The First Nuclear Reactor Accident in History (Editor – the commentator is painful, but the 20:04 min video is remarkable)
NAC Naval Affairs MV Asterix (Editor – NAC Naval Affairs Papers, Briefing Notes, Niobe Papers, and much more. Please share with anyone you think may benefit from the knowledge, after all, that’s what our naval affairs programme is all about – enlightening Canadians)
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USA & AMERICA
USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Jan. 6, 2025
Red Sea Attacks Are Testing Combat Information Centers Aboard U.S. Navy Warships Like Never Before (Editor – a must read article. This operational experience is worth its weight in gold. The operational analysis and issues raised will be fed backing into the USN system to make the USN better and better)
Navy Plan to Buy 85 New Ships Will Cost $1 Trillion, CBO Says
SECNAV Del Toro Names Destroyer After Carrier Intrepid
Navy Names Third Expeditionary Medical Ship USNS Portsmouth (EMS 3) details The Navy is naming its newest hospital ship after Portsmouth Naval Hospital
AUKUS May Sink or Strengthen U.S. Submarine Industrial Base
Icebreaker ‘Storis’ Officially Joins U.S. Coast Guard Fleet
Longshoremen reach tentative agreement with ports, shippers, averting a potential strike
Biden to Ban New Oil Drilling Over Vast Stretch of US Atlantic, Pacific Waters
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INDO-PACIFIC
Japan Facing Most Complex Security Environment Since World War II, Warn Military Leaders
Taiwan investigating Chinese vessel over damage to undersea cable of course China-linked Shipowner Denies Taiwan Accusation of Damaging Undersea Cable
China Suddenly Building Fleet Of Special Barges Suitable For Taiwan Landings
CIMSEC: Sea Control 558 – The Proliferation of Drones in Naval Warfare with Tuneer Mukherjee (Editor – 33:13 min podcast)
French Navy aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle arrives in Goa and Once inducted Rafale-Ms to significantly enhance Indian Navy’s strike capabilities eventually Poised set to finalise 26 Rafale-M jets & 3 Scorpene subs during PM Modi’s visit to Paris in Feb also French Naval ships FS Forbin, FS Alsace arrive in Kochi to strengthen India-France naval collaboration
USNI: Crisis in the Taiwan Strait (Editor – 36:12 min historical podcast for perspective)
Bharat Dynamics Limited To Co-Produce Ultra Maritime Sonobuoys
En mer du Japon, la Marine française tente de tenir son rang dans la zone indo-pacifique
La Marine nationale a réalisé l’une de ses plus importantes saisies de drogue en Polynésie française
Indian Navy submarines to be equipped with new torpedoes under US$102m deal
Vaghsheer Submarine: Latest Addition to India’s Scorpene-Class Fleet
Damen Hands Fourth Yarmook Patrol Ship to Pakistan Navy
North Korea’s New Warship Appears To Be Designed For Vertical Launch System, Phased Array Radar
China Sends Largest Cutter on “Law Enforcement” Patrol Off Luzon correspondingly Philippines’ Maritime, Air assets to watch China’s ‘monster ship’
Australian Border Force Captures 12 Illegal Fishing Boats in a Month
China and COSCO Lash Out Over U.S. Listing of Military-Related Companies
Shandong Port Group Bans ‘US-designated’ Vessels (Editor – this is getting interesting and confusing at the same time!) with China Not Aware of Shandong Port Ban on US-Sanctioned Ships
Shipbuilding: Container Ship Order Book Soars to New Heights
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EUROPE
Ukraine:
Black Sea Power Struggle: Why Neither Russia Nor Ukraine Holds Naval Supremacy
Black Widow 2: Ukraine’s Latest Weapon in River Operations Against Russia
Russia Ceases Naval Ship Repair in Crimea Following Ukrainian Attacks
General:
European Security Threatened by Escalating Hybrid Warfare beyond cable GPS Spoofing Attacks Are Dangerously Misleading Airliners
UK-led reaction system activated to track threats to undersea infrastructure, monitor Russian shadow fleet strangely Sanctioned shadow fleet gas carrier zigzags between Norwegian oil platforms
Dutch frigate Tromp to lead NATO fleet
Russian-linked ships are suspected of sabotage in the Baltic Sea. Some say it may be just the beginning details of the latest: Finnish Court Upholds Seizure of Russian Oil Tanker Amid Cable Probe then Finland Begins Port State Inspection On Detained Tanker Eagle S and Swedish Navy Helps Finland Investigate Latest Seabed Warfare Incident then Anchor Suspected of Causing Estlink2 Cable Damage Recovered from Baltic Sea it just keeps coming Finnish Authorities Find Alarming Safety Deficiencies on Russian Tanker Suspected Cable Damage
Russian Navy: New Ships Milestones In December 2024
Upgraded nuclear missile sub conducts tests in icy waters
Programme EUSTON – floating dry docks for Royal Navy submarines
Leonardo unveils design of Proteus Uncrewed Rotorcraft Technology Demonstrator
Northern Fleet gives priority to faraway voyages
Portuguese Navy on Alert as Russian Warships Pass Near National Waters
No progress on UK Type 32 Frigate project as review pending
French Navy’s New Tanker Conducts First Replenishment At Sea With U.S. Commercial Oiler
Turkey Begins Construction of Three Indigenous Warships
Mediterranean claimed more than 2,200 migrant lives in 2024. Here’s why it could be worse this year big issue Record number of migrants, refugees reached Canary Islands by sea in 2024
China’s Biggest Shipping Line Added to US Military Blacklist
Royal Fleet Auxiliary Officers Accept Historic Pay Deal
Russia’s Crude Shipments Tumble to the Lowest in 16 Months
Russia Declares Emergency After Black Sea Oil Spill
Battle of the Atlantic U-Boat museum work to start
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MIDDLE EAST
Red Sea:
U.S. Central Command Launches First 2025 Strikes Against Houthis
Video: U.S. Navy Launches Tomahawk Missile Strike Against Houthi Targets
Houthis Claim to Stop U.S. Attack by Targeting USS Harry S. Truman
The Wartime Risk Insurers Making Fortunes Keeping Trade Moving
General:
Russia withdraws all submarines from the Mediterranean Sea but Russian Evacuation from Tartus Naval Base Appears Stalled
Saudi Arabia seeks MK 54 torpedoes in $78.5m US FMS sale
Iran’s Oil Exports Soar to 587M Barrels, Led by China’s Thirst
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GLOBAL INTERESTS
Ghana Commissions New Naval Base, Receives Vessel from Japan
From Syria to Libya: Russians plan to move some military equipment to Africa
Chilean president makes historic trip to South Pole
Damen delivers FCS 3307 patrol vessel to Nigeria’s Homeland
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SCUTTLEBUTT
Why Canada Paid For America’s Most Important Canal | MEGA Infrastructure
The US Sub that Punished Japan 36 Years Late (Editor – 14:12min video)
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THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
11 January 1957 HMCS Magnificent arrives in Port Said with the main body of the Canadian contribution in troops and materiel to the United Nations Emergency Force controlling the Israeli-Egyptian border.
12 January 1942 HMCS Red Deer rescues 93 survivors from the British SS Cyclops, torpedoed by U-123, 125 miles southeast of Cape Sable, killing 88 merchant sailors. Cyclops is the first victim of Operation DRUMBEAT, the un-restricted U-boat campaign off the coast of Canada and the US.
13 January 1943 RCN corvette HMCS Ville de Québec commanded by LCdr A.R.E. Coleman, RCNR sank the German submarine U-224 west of Oran Algeria.
14 January 1952 HMCS Uganda is renamed Quebec. Given Uganda’s history at the end of WW2 the renaming was inevitable.
15 January 1991 The UN security Council deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait passes and the Persian Gulf War begins.
17 January 1957 HMCS Bonaventure is commissioned at Belfast, Northern Ireland. She is the first aircraft carrier to be owned outright by Canada and incorporates several post-war technical developments: an angled deck, mirror landing aid, and steam catapults.
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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