NAC News – Edition 613 (Shelburne)
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of April 18th, 2025
Edition: 613 HMCS Shelburne/RCN Barracks Shelburne Quotes: “Sec. 18. Ensure the Security and Leadership of Arctic Waterways. Within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Commandant of the Coast Guard shall develop a strategy that identifies the vision, goals, and objectives necessary to secure arctic waterways and enable American prosperity in the face of evolving arctic security challenges and associated risks, and deliver it to the APNSA for inclusion in the MAP.” US President Executive Order Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance 9 April 2025
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 a NAC member – note, the first year’s NAC/Branch membership dues are waived)
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NOTICES
NEW 24 April 2025 The Institute for Peace and Diplomacy – Charting Canada’s Submarine Future: The Path to a Modern Naval Fleet 16:00-17:30 Ottawa Time A Zoom Webinar to Register.
15-18 May 2025 CNMT has graciously extended the invitation to all NAC members who may not be CNMT trustees to join them for the 80th Anniversary of VE Day & Battle of the Atlantic Commemoration at Londonderry. There are events and activities planned for each day. If you plan to attend, please reach out to Gary Reddy at co@cnmt.ca. He will point you in the right direction for further details. The City Hotel Derry is offering special rates for attendees: Double/Twin B&B: £159 per night or Single B&B: £149 per night. To book your room, please call the hotel.
19-22 June 2025 Halifax Fleet Week. Naval vessels from Canada and Allied nations will gather for public tours and demonstrations. The event features educational programmes, community activities, and a showcase of modern naval technologies, celebrating maritime heritage and international cooperation in Halifax Harbour.
26-27 September 2025 The Canadian Maritime Security Network (CMSN) will host a conference on the future Canadian Seapower 2025. Venue – University of Calgary. Today, Canada faces a more complex and dangerous security landscape than at any time since the Second World War. The country is at an inflection point, facing two great power competitors, a complicated ecosystem of malign non-state actors, persistent pressures eroding the rules based international order, and an uncertain partnership with the U.S. Registration opens 1 May 2025.
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THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES
Russia unveils $100.88bn naval expansion plan
Finland keeps border with Russia closed “until further notice”
CDAI: Our community is calling on 10,000 Canadians to sign our petition calling for a special leaders’ debate on Canada’s national security and foreign policy. (Editor – if this petition fails in its primary debate objective, it will still signal our collective apprehension to the government, so sign the petition!)
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CANADA
CDAI: Expert Series – Depoliticizing Defence and Rebuilding the CAF Peter MacKay
10 April 2025 (Editor – 44:37 min podcast)
Progress of the Joint Support Ship Project: Building HMCS Protecteur and HMCS Preserver
Ex-captain says mouldy Canadian navy warship made him sick, but class-action lawsuit was denied
Canada, Finland tout different paths of ‘icebreaker diplomacy’ with US
B.C. Ferries’ four new major vessels will not be made in Canada
Comment: As trade wars rage, Canada must end thermal coal exports
Canadian Company Seeking Trump’s Approval To Mine Seabed Condemned By Regulators
Cénotaphe virtuel des marins citoyens
Ceremony this week honours HMCS Esquimalt, last Canadian warship to sink during Second World War
100-year-old WWII veteran who hoped for 100 cards for his birthday receives over 1,700
Souvenir of survival: Life-jackets a reminder of two ship sinkings, a year apart
Editor – Royal Canadian Legion’s Medals Advisor Major (Retired) W.E. (Gary) Campbell, works with Veterans and their families though his assistance to obtain replacement medals, or advice on recovering, identifying, or returning medals. For assistance contact Gary at veteransservices@legion.ca with “For Medals Adviser” in the subject line.
NAC Naval Affairs (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: April 14, 2025
Gen. Dan Caine Sworn in as Chairman of Joint Chiefs
U.S. Military General Reveals Why Canada Is Crucial For U.S. National Security! (Editor – 5:52 min video. One hopes we won’t throw out the baby out with the bath water)
Trump to cancel projects 15% behind schedule and over budget (Editor – a huge oversimplification of a complex problem all countries fielding advanced systems face)
Trump signs shipbuilding order as Navy leaders call for 381-ship fleet
USTR Targets China’s Maritime Dominance With New Fee Structure and U.S.-Build Incentives
Hyundai Heavy Industries Offers to Build Aegis Warships for US Navy
UNITAS 2025 Mid Planning Conference Concludes
USS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams Back in U.S. After Almost 5 Years
U.S. Coast Guard Seizes $510M in Drugs During Massive Eastern Pacific Operation
GD Electric Boat Draftsmen Union Could Strike Over Contract Dispute
Commander of US base in Greenland fired for email critical of Vance visit (Editor – so much for an a-political military)
Navy Sends Destroyer USS Stockdale to the Southern Border
U.S. Coast Guard Seeks Options for another Small Icebreaker
Russia’s oceanographic vessel Admiral Vladimirsky pays visit to Venezuela
Mothball Nuclear Submarines (Editor – impressive 5:42 min video)
Port of Long Beach Claims Top Spot as U.S. Ports Brace for Trade War Hit while Port of Los Angeles Braces for Cargo Decline as Trade War Intensifies
MSC Cruises launches LNG-powered MSC World America in Miami
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INDO-PACIFIC
CDAI: The South China Sea: A Crisis We Are Ignoring at Our Peril
CCG attends the 25th North Pacific Coast Guard meeting in China
Taiwan Charges Captain of Chinese Cable Cutter
China’s secret base hiding 6 nuclear submarines found through Google Earth images
PLA Navy to open Type 075 amphibious assault ship, others to public at founding anniversary
Japanese Warships Preparing for Pacific Deployment Later This Month
India’s Maritime Pivot: From SAGAR to MAHASAGAR with Africa in Sight
Japan starts production of a new fleet of OPV
Italian ‘Black Shark’ emerges as top contender for Indian Navy Torpedo Requirement
Philippines Says Chinese Sea Gliders Were Used for Covert Mapping
Breaking News: Italy’s Fincantieri and Germany’s TKMS Sign Strategic Agreement to Equip Philippine Navy with Submarines and Philippine SSKs will be a “game-changer,” say naval suppliers
From precision strike to nuclear war, how 26 Rafales can be a game-changer for the Navy
Russian Incursions Drive Increase in Japanese Fighter Scrambles, Officials Say
CSG 25 might see HMS Prince of Wales sailing through significant historic waters and Final preparations as RFA Tidespring crew gears up for Carrier Strike Group 25 deployment
Three Russian Warships dock at Chittagong following Bangladesh Army Chief’s Moscow trip
PLA Navy’s second Type 054B frigate seen in official poster and China’s Jiangkai III–Class Frigate Takes The Stage (Editor – 3:49 min video)
Piracy Reporting Centre: Singapore Straits Emerge as Piracy Hotspot
A critical eye over the Royal Singapore Navy
Japan’s ‘biggest’ cruise ship, LNG-powered Asuka III, officially handed over to NYK (Editor – The ‘first’ passenger ship in 30 years to be constructed under the supervision of the Japanese flag and ‘the largest’ Japanese-flagged cruise ship ever made)
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EUROPE
Ukraine:
North Korea is Shipping Billions of Dollars’ Worth of Arms to Russia
‘Coalition of willing’ gone mad, strike on Sumy: Russian MFA spokewoman holds briefing (Editor – TASS article…must be Klingon home world citizens)
General:
WW2 pilot, 103, recalls sinking of German U-boat
UK carrier strike – full operating capability on final approach
UK’s frigate returns home following six operations tracking Russian warships
Souveraineté maritime: le Maroc reprend la main sur la cartographie de ses eaux territoriales
Un grand meeting aérien avec la Patrouille de France pour les 100 ans de la base aéronavale d’Hyères
Increased Presence of Russian Spy Ships Around Europe: Viktor Leonov Vessel enters the Mediterranean
VESSEL REVIEW | Ivan Papanin – Russian Navy patrol ship with icebreaking capability (Editor – follow on with more details about this impressive warship)
Italian Navy takes delivery of 9th FREMM frigate from Fincantieri’s OSN
UK Transfers Retired Duke Frigate to Turkey
Dette de la France : le gouvernement annonce 5 milliards d’euros de dépense en moins
Épisode 29/29 : Les sous-marins de Cherbourg : l’industrie navale prend du galon
La France va-t-elle coopérer avec l’Italie pour se procurer au moins deux croiseurs lourds DDX ?
Estonian Navy Detains Russia-Bound Oil Tanker in Baltic Sea
Ambassador does not deny Russian attempts to track UK subs
BAE Systems shows Bofors 40 Mk4 Naval Gun at Sea-Air-Space (Editor – 1:13 min video)
Russian Oil Shipments Shift To Western Tankers As Prices Slump
Swedish Probe Finds No Conclusive Evidence of Deliberate Cable Damage by Chinese Ship
Fire Erupts on Car Carrier with Electric Vehicles in Belgian Port of Zeebrugge
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MIDDLE EAST
Red Sea:
Iran Withdraws From the Red Sea
U.S. in Talks With Yemeni Forces on Land Offensive Against Houthis
General:
Iran seeks ‘fair agreement’ in nuclear talks with US
In the Red Sea, the US is Sending a Message – But is it Loud Enough with Why are American bombers appearing on a remote island? (Editor – Diego Garcia)
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GLOBAL INTERESTS
Rudderless and Adrift: States’ Unwarranted Timidity Respecting Stateless Vessels
Maritime Labor Reforms Set to Transform Seafarer Rights by 2027 with Seafarers Officially Designated as Key Workers in Maritime Labour Convention Update and Under New Agreement, Global Seafarer Minimum Wage Set to Rise to $690 Per Month by 2026
Somaliland Seeks U.S. Recognition in Exchange for Strategic Military Deal
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SCUTTLEBUTT
“The Spirit of the Navy” by Rudyard Kipling
Johnston Atoll, Island of the Cold War (Editor – 16:32 min video)
HMS Victoria (1859) – Guide 435 (Editor – amazing time of rapid transition in a 5:55 min video)
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THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
20 April 1942 In late 1941, the SS Vineland was pressed into wartime service to transport bauxite from St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands to Portland, Maine. (Bauxite would then be transported by rail to aluminum smelters, including to the Alcan smelter in Arvida, Quebec.) On 20 April, at about 2 pm local time, while steaming at 11 knots on a southeasterly course towards St Thomas, the unescorted Vineland was hit aft by a G7e torpedo from U-154. One minute later, a G7a surface runner torpedo missed the ship. A third torpedo then slammed into the engine room causing the stern section to break off. The forward section remained afloat and sank after being hit by a few rounds from the deck gun. The location of the sinking 77 nautical miles north of the Turks and Caicos Islands and 515 nautical miles northwest of St. Thomas. The master and 33 survivors abandoned ship in two lifeboats. They reached Turks Island after four days and they were towed in by a fishing boat. The lone casualty was 19 year-old engine room Oiler James Lawrence Hanson who had joined the Merchant Marine (and the SS Vineland) just 12 days earlier.
21 April 1943 The 133-foot auxiliary powered Nova Scotia fishing schooner, SV Flora Alberta (built 1941) departed Lunenburg and was bound for the Grand Banks. The schooner had been traveling through the dense fog at about nine knots and blowing her fog whistle at regular intervals. On a converging course a convoy of 8 ships in 3 columns was also steaming through the same dense fog to join a larger convoy (HX-235, from New York City, with one Royal Navy and five Royal Canadian Navy escorts). At about 05:22, the Flora Alberta was sliced in two by the SS Fanad Head which was the lead ship in the port column. The fore and aft sections quickly sank with most of the crew, of which many had been asleep in their bunks. Of the crew of 28, only Captain Guy Tanner and six crew members were successfully rescued.
22 April 1943 – The cargo liner MV Amerika (eastbound convoy HX-234) was sunk at 01:54 on 22 April 1943 by U-306, about 145 nautical miles south of Greenland. Fifty-three Royal Canadian Air Force personnel were the only passengers embarked during this eastbound crossing of the North Atlantic. Thirty-seven of the RCAF passengers were killed. Forty-two crew members and seven DEMS gunners were also lost. The master, twenty-nine crew members, eight gunners and the 16 RCAF survivors were rescued by HMS Asphodel and landed at Greenock, Scotland.
22 April 1944 HMCS Swansea commanded by A/Cdr Clarence A. King, D.S.O., D.S.C. & Bar, M.I.D., RCNR with HMCS Matane commanded by A/Cdr A. Frank C. Layard, DSO, RN using depth charges sink U-311 south of Iceland. Cdr Kings third submarine in 7 weeks.
23 April 1947 HMCS Malahat re-commissioned as Victoria’s Naval Reserve Division; originally commissioned as naval recruiting centre January 15, 1944. They grew from the No.1 Half Company of the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR) that was established 18 May 1914. HMCS Scotian was commissioned as Halifax’s Naval Reserve Division. The first reserve unit was the Halifax Half-Company, which operated from 1925 to 1935. From 1935 to 1939, the unit’s name was changed to Halifax Division. The two were the 14th and 15th of the 24 divisions commissioned. The remainder of the 24 Naval Reserve Divisions would be subsequently commissioned, with the last being HMCS Queen Charlotte (Charlottetown) in 1994.
25 April 1945 Canada, one of 50 nations attending the founding United Nations Conference on International Organization, opening in San Francisco, California; eventually the United Nations Charter was approved on June 26.
25 April 1967 Commons passes Bill C-243, “The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act,” unifying the RCN, Canadian Army, and RCAF into one service, the Canadian Armed Forces, with common uniform and rank designations; the act came into effect 1 February 1968.
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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