NAC News – Edition 621 (Stadacona II/HMC Signal School)
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of June 13, 2025
Edition: 621 HMCS Stadacona II/HMC Signal School Quote: “For 65 years, an international treaty forged at the height of the Cold War has governed Antarctica. But with rising geopolitical tensions, consensus is increasingly hard to find. “Up until just a few years ago, we talked about the Antarctic Treaty as a framework for peace and stability in the Antarctic region, and the Arctic as a place of relative stability,” said David Hik, chief scientist at Polar Knowledge Canada, an agency focused on strengthening polar science and technology in Canada. “Now, both of those assumptions are being challenged.” Fifty-eight countries, including Canada, are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, which preserves the continent for scientific exploration and peace, and bans military and mining activity. But only half the signatories can vote on treaty business. Canada wants to secure voting rights as a so-called consultative party, and will make its case again at the Antarctic Treaty meeting in Milan, Italy, later this month. But there have been barriers to this. “Canada’s claim to be a consultative party has been blocked, first and foremost, by Russia,” said Klaus Dodds, a political biographer and Antarctic expert at Royal Holloway, University of London. “And the reason is, Russia wants its ally Belarus to be made a consultative party alongside Canada.”” Susan Ormiston & Jill English · CBC News · Posted: Jun 07, 2025 1:00 AM PDT | Last Updated: June 7
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
Editor – 14 June 2025 Happy 100th Birthday long-time NAC-VI member Irvine Hare. Irvine is RCN Chaplin (P) (Retd) and now lives in Surrey BC. Well-wishers may email him at dmlee999@yahoo.ca
Summer Job Opportunities Aboard HMCS Sackville! If you or someone you know, such as grandchildren, students, or recent graduates, is seeking meaningful summer employment in a distinctive and rewarding environment, they would be delighted to connect with them. Send a resume to: office@cnmt.ca or give them a call at: 902-492-1424.
21 June 2025 Noon Ottawa time. NAC AGM is the 2025 AGM webpage (Editor – Most of the linked documents have been populated. Any missing ones will be added as soon as available).
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.
NEW 21–22 October 2025 ABCMI’s Business Opportunities Conference & Trade Show at the Vancouver Convention Centre, this flagship event brings together leading companies from across Canada in the marine and defence sectors. Tickets are selling quickly; exhibit spaces are sold out, and the discounted hotel room block is almost full.
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THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES
Canada pledges to meet Nato’s 2% defence spending target within a year and CDAI: Statement on Prime Minister Carney’s Pledge for Canada to Meet 2% Defence Spending in 2025-26 (Editor – nobody seems sure what “integration of the Canadian Coast Guard with Canada’s defence capabilities” will mean)
Canadian military personnel to get 20 per cent pay hike, defence minister says
US reviewing Aukus submarine pact as part of ‘America First’ agenda
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CANADA
One-on-one with Canada’s top soldier to break down PM Carney’s defence spending pledge (Editor – CTV News 13:45 min video)
La Marine royale canadienne mettra en service le Navire canadien de Sa Majesté Frédérick Rolette & Royal Canadian Navy to commission His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Frédérick Rolette
Exercice naval multinational au large des côtes de la Nouvelle-Écosse & Multi-national naval exercise to take place off the coast of Nova Scotia
Seaspan: HMCS Calgary returns to Canadian Navy after major overhaul & One of the Halifax class frigates HMCS Calgary returns to Royal Canadian Navy after major overhaul (Editor – a 2:02 min video)
La Garde côtière canadienne accueille de nouveaux officiers de la Flotte à l’occasion de la cérémonie de remise des diplômes du Collège & Canadian Coast Guard Welcomes New Fleet Officers at College Graduation Ceremony
Tour the future HMCS Protecteur! Canada’s First New Joint Support Ship for the Royal Canadian Navy! (Editor – 16:02 min video)
Le ministre Lightbound visite le Chantier Davie dans le cadre du 200e anniversaire du chantier naval & Minister Lightbound visits Chantier Davie as part of the shipyard’s 200th anniversary celebration
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES: “Immediate” Overhaul!…Coming Soon? (Editor – Esprit de Corps magazine 4:58 min video)
The Submarine Captivated Canada’s Defense Market (Editor – 2:07 min marketing video)
Spain’s Navantia Offers S-80 Submarines as Canada Seeks 12 New Conventional Subs not to be outdone The Insane Engineering Behind Spain’s Deadly S-80 Submarine (Editor – 10:09 min video)
F-35 program facing skyrocketing costs, pilot shortage and infrastructure deficit: AG report
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES: Missing the Boat…Again! (Editor – Esprit de Corps magazine 4:41 min video)
Minister flags concern over B.C. Ferries’ deal with Chinese state-owned shipyard but Contract with Chinese shipyard includes protections: B.C. Ferries CEO
Salvage Teams Making Progress Removing Boxes and Fuel from MSC Baltic III
New LNG bunkering at Port of Vancouver sparks debate on cruise ship emissions
NAC Naval Affairs Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations (Editor – given the Baltic situation a hot topic of interest) (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: June 9, 2025
Davie to Acquire Texas Shipyards, Seeking to Supercharge U.S. Icebreaker Production
‘All of Our Programs Are a Mess,’ SECNAV Said of Shipbuilding
Submarines “As-a-Service” Will Get More Players on the Field Today
US Navy to Develop New Ground Replay System to Enhance Anti-Submarine Warfare Capabilities
Destroyer USS Cole Headed to Southern Border, Replacing USS Gravely
French Navy LHD and Frigate sail in Arctic waters off Greenland
Dutch Navy Seizes Over 3,000 Kilos of Drugs in Caribbean Operation
Coast Guard offloads more than $138 million in illicit drug interdictions in Caribbean Sea
US military returns to Panama amid Canal control controversy (Editor – 3:26 min video)
Why Two Million Tourists Are Boarding Cruise Ships on a Texas Island
Coast Guard Overflight Footage Reveals Fire Spreading on Morning Midas Car Carrier Off Alaska Coast
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INDO-PACIFIC
Chinese Aircraft Carrier Operating Near Iwo Jima for First Time
China Reinforces Naval Combat Superiority with New Type 052D Destroyer Equipped with AESA Radar
Carrier Strike Group meets up with the Indian Navy in the western Arabian Sea
Russia Reinforces Pacific Naval Power with Deployment of New Kilo-Class Submarine Yakutsk
CIMSEC: Choking the Artery: The Naval Dimension of a Future India–Pakistan Conflict
Operation Sindoor exposes operational weakness in Pakistan’s submarine capabilities
Vietnam ramping up expansion of South China Sea outposts: Chinese think tank (Editor – “pop pot this is kettle kettle, over”) and more of the same elsewhere Japanese aircraft intruded into Chinese fleet’s training zone; China’s handling professional, law-abiding: Chinese Embassy in Japan
LIG Nex1 K-SAAM II, K-SAAM and CIWS II at MADEX 2025 (Editor – 2:39 min video)
China’s AI Torpedo Tech Claims to See Through Submarine Decoys
Navy to induct first anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft ‘Arnala’ at Vizag on Jun 18
North Korea’s Warship Launched After Botched First Attempt, KCNA Says
South Korea’s Supercavitating Torpedo at MADEX 2025 (Editor – 5:07 min video)
Scrap Chagos Islands deal and agree new one, UN panel urges UK
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EUROPE
Ukraine:
Video: Russia Claims Attack on Ukrainian Base on Black Sea Jackup Rig
Baltic:
CIMSEC: Sea Control 575: Baltic Conundrums with Sebastian Bruns (Editor – 26 min podcast)
Poland and Baltic states expand submarine and attack boat fleets to deter Russia in Baltic Sea
Nato to demonstrate uncrewed vessels in Baltic Sea and NATO’s Baltic Sea Uncrewed Vessel Trials Signal Shift Toward Networked Naval Warfare.
Northern Fleet frigate exercises in Baltic Sea
General:
UK and France mark D-Day anniversary with joint amphibious exercise
PROTEUS – the Royal Navy’s uncrewed ASW helicopter nearing first flight
Putin Finalizes Long-Term Plan to Revamp Russian Navy
Warships and submarines staged show in Barents Sea for General Staff
Formidable Shield 25: Italian Navy participation with the first Full PPA a success
Quelque 3 000 militaires attendus pour un exercice de grande ampleur dans le Morbihan
Dans les pas du 47e Royal Marine commando, soldats anglais et marcheurs font une halte à Commes
Launching of the first multi-purpose corvette (Editor – Finnish 3:52 min video)
Russia’s Newest Icebreaking Tanker Reaches Arctic Mega Project ‘Vostok Oil’ For First Time
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MIDDLE EAST
Red Sea:
Israeli defense chief threatens air, naval blockade against Houthi rebels with Israel Tells Citizens to Evacuate Houthi-Controlled Ports in Yemen
General:
Global watchdog finds Iran failing to meet nuclear obligations
New OFAC Sanctions Target Iranian Shadow Banking and Tanker Network
Spanish Navy’s New Logistic Ship Deployed for First Time to Boost NATO Logistics in Conflict Zones
RFA Tidespring refuels New Zealand frigate during Carrier Strike Group deployment
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GLOBAL INTERESTS
Antarctic treaty under stress as member countries gather in Italy
Ocean damage unspeakably awful, Attenborough tells prince
CudaJet: The World’s First Underwater Jetpack! (Editor – wow 1:57 min video)
The Unexpected Genius of Dimpled Propellers (Editor – 12:09 min video)
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SCUTTLEBUTT
Captain Cook’s Long-Lost Ship Confirmed in Newport Harbor
USS Vestal – Guide 356 (Editor – a ship with an amazing history 7:16 min video)
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THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
14 June 1941 Warships of the Newfoundland Escort Force begin convoy escort operations in the North Atlantic Ocean.
14 June 1957 HMCS Magnificent, Canada’s second aircraft carrier (after Warrior, and if you don’t count Nabob and Puncher), was decommissioned and returned to the RN in Plymouth UK.
15 June 1920 The demobilization of the wartime RCN is completed with the disbandment of the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR).
15 June 1938 – HMCS Ottawa (II) is commissioned at Chatham, England.
15 June 1940 SS Erik Boye is sunk by submarine U38 in passage off Land’s End thereby becoming the first Canadian flagged merchant ship to be sunk as a casualty of the Battle of the Atlantic.
16 June 1921 The Royal Naval College of Canada is closed.
16 June 1943 HMCS Waskesiu is commissioned into the RCN, becoming the first of sixty RCN River Class frigates built in Canada.
17 June 1913 The Canadian Arctic Expedition ship HMCS/DGS/CGS Karluk (Alutiiq for “fish”), originally a tender for the Alaskan salmon fishery industry sailed from Esquimalt harbour after undergoing repairs and refitting at the dockyard. The Karluk eventually became trapped in the artic sea ice north of Alaska and after drifting around she was eventually crushed on 11 January 1914. After months of heroic efforts, the crew was eventually rescued by a rescue expedition of two ships and returned to Nome Alaska 13 Sept 1914. Of the 25 crew that safely evacuated Karluk before she went down, 11 died and 14 survived.
17 June 1932 The Cymbeline, an oil tanker at the Canadian Vickers Co. dry dock in Montreal’s east end, exploded around 4 a.m. Thirty people died, including Montreal’s fire chief and three firefighters, in one of the worst workplace tragedies in the city’s history. The explosion is thought to have been sparked by a rivet puncturing an oil tank on the ship. The dead included workers who were repairing the ship’s deck and hull. Dozens of others suffered burns and other injuries.
17 June 1991 The Government of Canada announces the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal for Korea and the Gulf and Kuwait medal.
18 June 1940 French cruiser Emile Bertin arrives in Halifax with $305 million in gold from the Bank of France; gold released after the war.
19 June 1812 The United States formally declares war against Great Britain.
19 June 1951 HMCS Cayuga begins the second of three tours to Korea.
20 June 1923 HMCS Brunswicker, a current day Naval Reserve Division, was raised as an RCN Volunteer Reserve half-company in Saint John, NB.
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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