NAC News – Edition 627 HMCS Magnificent
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of July 25, 2025
Edition: 627 HMCS Magnificent Quote: “Kingston-class vessels have provided the Royal Canadian Navy with a significant, impactful, and flexible capability throughout their many years of service. They have provided a training ground for many of our sailors, where key skills and roles have been learned. These ships have contributed important mine countermeasure roles on international operations and have regularly participated in exercises with partner navies abroad, and with the Royal Canadian Navy fleet along our Canadian coastlines. As we move towards the future of the Royal Canadian Navy, I want to recognize the service of these ships and extend my tremendous gratitude to all who have sailed within them.” Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander RCN, News Release 24 July 2025 (Editor – see article in Significant Articles section)
Rod Hughes: Editor NAC News rhughes@shaw.ca (Comments welcome to help improve this service.) The content of this bulletin includes articles from entities not subject to the Official Languages Act (OLA). Consequently, these articles may be provided by the institution in only one official language, including the links, as we do not have the copyright to modify or translate them. Links to keep in touch with the NAC and RCN can be found at the bottom of this email. Contact 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
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. To register.
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. See the website for our draft Programme and list of Exhibitors. Tickets are selling quickly; exhibit spaces are sold out.
4 November 2025 7.30 – 18.30 Ottawa time Deep Blue Forum 6th Annual Conference. Theme: The Future of the Submarine Enterprise – People Harnessing Technology, in a System of Systems. The National Arts Centre, 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa Super Early Bird Registration is Open!
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THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES
Royal Canadian Navy to Pay Off Kingston-class vessels & La Marine royale canadienne mettra hors service les navires de la classe Kingston
Europe can’t ‘live off dividends of peace’, Macron says in speech calling for major rearmament (Editor – 4:04 France24 news video)
UK and Australia deepen AUKUS submarine pact with 50-year treaty
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CANADA
HMCS Charlottetown and Vancouver receive battle HONOURS! (Editor – 4:49 min video) & Les NCSM Charlottetown et Vancouver reçoivent les honneurs de la bataille !
Captain (RCN) Rolfe Monteith CVSM, CD (Ret’d) passed 22 July 2025 at the age of 102. Rolfe was a great supporter of all things Canadian naval historical, a naval engineer by profession, a WWII veteran, and the 2020 recipient of The Admirals’ Medal. A life well lived.
Through, To, and In – Part 1: Threats through the Arctic & Through, To, and In – Part 2: Threats to the Arctic
Un lieutenant de vaisseau de la MRC participe à une expédition en Antarctique à bord du navire L’Astrolabe & RCN’s Lt(N) Moors embarks on Antarctic voyage aboard L’Astrolabe
Les Chroniques du Corner Brook : Au travers des défis et de l’inconnu — m 2 Louis-Alexandre Néron & Corner Brook Chronicles: Through Challenges and Unknowns — PO2 Louis-Alexandre Néron
Canada’s newest search and rescue plane completes 1st nighttime rescue in Northern B.C. (Editor – not a maritime rescue but a look at impressive capability 2:13 min video)
Special Forces Operator – The mission starts with you (Editor – CAF 3:05 min video)
A Chinese research vessel returns to Arctic waters — and it appears Canada is watching and Chinese Icebreaker ‘Xue Long 2’ Operating North of Alaska, Two More En Route to Arctic
Half of Canadians say they would go to war for their country; youth, not so much
Coast Guard is salvaging a historic, sunken boat with ties to the Royal Canadian Navy (Editor – for the Woodpecker squadron alumni a 2:33 mi video – HMCS Chaleur’s ignominious departure, and another 2:05 min news video) Vintage ship sinking, leaking oil into San Joaquin Delta to be removed
NAC Naval Affairs Where’s the Crew? Integrating Autonomous Capabilities in the Royal Canadian Navy by Lieutenant-Commander Trevor Robinson
(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: July 21, 2025
Navy destroyer at southern border intercepts 3,439 pounds of cocaine
USNI: Shipbuilding Lessons: How China & Allies Builds their ships (Editor – 36:36 min video)
U.S. Navy to Upgrade More Tomahawks with Anti-Ship Capability
Boeing’s redesigned Harpoon soars during test mission
L3Harris unveils ‘wolf pack’ munitions with eyes on Marine Corps program
AI-Powered Radar Brings Instant Threat Detection to the Sea
Navy Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) Program: Background and Issues for Congress
Navy Refines Rearming at Sea in East Coast Experiment
CMA CGM Phoenix Becomes Largest Containership Ever to Fly U.S. Flag
Hanwha Philly Shipyard Lands First U.S. LNG Carrier Order in Decades From Hanwha with Japan Commits $550 Billion to U.S. Industries Including Strategic Shipbuilding Investment (Editor – serious coin!)
Copper-Laden Ships Race to Reach US Ahead of Trump’s 50% Tariffs
Falling Container Imports Hint at Tariff-Driven Slowdown for U.S. Economy
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INDO-PACIFIC
Chinese military releases multilingual promotional video marking 80th anniversary of WWII victory (Editor – couldn’t resist – a 3:06 min video)
HMS Prince of Wales Meets USS George Washington – Epic PHOTEX (Editor – and VDQ! in a 2:54 min video)
His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Ville de Québec Completes Rearmament in Australia while participating in Exercise TALISMAN SABRE 25 & Le Navire canadien de Sa Majesté Ville de Québec achève son réarmement en Australie dans le cadre de l’exercice TALISMAN SABRE 25
Aircraft Carriers USS George Washington, HMS Prince of Wales Team Up off Australia
Japan’s NEW aircraft carrier met the US NAVY and then THIS happened… (Editor – 12:25 min video)
Subic Bay Carrier Support Potential Praised by French Navy
AUKUS dampens S Korean SNN hopes
The Taiwan scenarios 4: The catastrophe
Indian Navy essential instrument of national power projection: V Adm Deshmukh (Editor – great words here!)
China’s fifth-gen J-35: rare close-up images suggest stealth jets ready for Fujian carrier
Royal Navy’s XLUUV Excalibur to demonstrate remote control from Australia
Royal New Zealand Navy Deploys Bluebottle USVs to Fiji
Australia’s submarine ambitions shaped by US pressure while France remains poised
Australia’s landing craft shortfall is apparent in Talisman Sabre drills
Italy and France compete to supply heavy-weight torpedoes to Indian Navy
GRSE launches last of 8 Anti-Submarine Warfare ships for Indian Navy
Japan Offers Upgraded Mogami Frigate to Strengthen Australian Fleet Interoperability and Firepower
Japanese Shipping Giants to Donate Large Training Ship to Japan’s Maritime Education Agency
Marines, Aussies Provide New Details on Army SM-6 Anti-Ship Missile Test
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EUROPE
Ukraine:
EU’s New Russia Sanctions Aim for More Effective Oil Price Cap
U.K. Sanctions 135 Tankers in Sweeping Crackdown on Russia’s Shadow Fleet
Russia touts strike drones made in factory on TV, where teens appear to be working on them
Baltic:
Editor – Nothing significant this week, but the risk to undersea cables is covered by two items in the “Global Interests” section.
General:
Putin hails Russia’s submarine production pace as ‘very good’
Putin attends ceremony of raising naval flag aboard latest strategic nuclear-powered sub
USS Gerald R. Ford Now Operating in the Mediterranean
Italian and U.S. Combined Naval Force Integrates in Mediterranean Sea
Nuclear battlecruiser Admiral Nakhimov could soon rejoin Russian Navy — official
Turkish Shipyard Lays Keel for Two KCR-70M Fast Attack Craft for Indonesia
Romania Plans to Buy Turkish Warship to Protect Black Sea Gas Project
UK decommissions last Trafalgar class nuclear submarine
UK nuclear submarine fires drone torpedo to sniff out hidden enemies at sea
Thales and Schiebel to sharpen Peregrine’s talons with Martlet missile integration
RFA Stirling Castle formally becomes UK Royal Navy warship
EU Shipyards Continue to Service Vessels Carrying Russian LNG while Russia Pumps Less Gas as China Fails to Offset Lost Europe Flows
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MIDDLE EAST
Red Sea:
Israel Can Deliver Active Suppression of Houthi Attack Boats
Crew of Oiler USNS Arctic Praised for Difficult Red Sea Deployment
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Key Houthi Petroleum Network in Yemen and UAE
Shots Fired at Livestock Carrier in Red Sea Near Yemen
Greece to Send Salvage Ship to Red Sea After Latest Houthi Attacks
General:
Iran, Russia to launch joint naval search and rescue drill in Caspian Sea (Editor – just for comparison, Caspian Sea 371,000 Km2 vs total Great Lakes 240,106 Km2)
Iran Says it Warned Away US destroyer but US Dismisses Account
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GLOBAL INTERESTS
Risk of undersea cable attacks backed by Russia and China likely to rise, report warns and another perspective How America is pushing China out of the internet (Editor – 24:10 min video)
Somalia Demands Release of Arms Cargo Ship Seized by Puntland
Interpol Cancels “Red Notice” Seeking Capt. Paul Watson’s Arrest
India Cracks Down on Fraudulent Seafarer Certificates Amid Global Safety Concerns
Two organizations shake hands to work on nuclear-powered shipping and TNPP
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SCUTTLEBUTT
The Mariner’s Mirror: Seapower Past & Present 6: Black Sea (Editor – 1:06:00 hr podcast)
Second battle of Narvik (Editor – 11:17 min video)
The WW2 Photo that Changed Everything in the Pacific (Editor – 30:30 min video)
Sverdlov – Guide 448 (Editor – 7:38 min video)
Why Does the Navy Love 5in Guns So Much? (Editor – 10:09 min video)
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THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
27 July 1953 The Korean Armistice is signed, ending three years of war. The war is technically still ongoing today. The first Canadian military response was made by the RCN less than two weeks after the outbreak of hostilities when three destroyers, HMC Ships Cayuga, Athabaskan, and Sioux set sail for the Far East. They arrived in the theatre of operations later that summer, ready to take part in the battle for the Pusan bridgehead in Korea. Five other tribal class destroyers, HMCS Crusader, Huron, Iroquois, Nootka, and Haida, served with the “Canadian Destroyer Division, Far East” as part of the United Nations (UN) fleet halfway around the world in the waters off Korea during the war. Overall, some 26,000 Canadians served, 516 died and more than 1,200 were wounded. On 8 June 2010, the Senate of Canada unanimously adopted a motion to acknowledge and endorse July 27 in each and every year as National Korean War Veterans Day.
29 July 1948 HMCS Royal Roads is transformed into a Canadian Service College, Royal Roads and begins training flight cadets, as well as naval cadets.
29 July 1972 HMCS Iroquois, the first of the DDH 280 class destroyers, is commissioned.
31 July 1940 HMCS Prince Robert, after conversion from a merchant vessel, is commissioned as an armed merchant cruiser.
31 July 1942 HMCS Skeena commanded by A/LCdr Kenneth L. Dyer, RCN with HMCS Wetaskiwin commanded by LCdr Guy S. Windeyer, RCN sank U-588 in the North Atlantic.
31 July 1942 A RCAF Hudson while on patrol 113 Squadron sank U-754 off Nova Scotia.
31 July 1942 The Women’s Royal Canadian Naval Service (WRCNS, and popularly referred to as “Wrens” after their WRNS colleagues) is authorized, achieving a WW2 peak of 5,893 and while the service existed 6,783 women in total serving in the WRCNS. 1000 served overseas and 11 died on active service from sickness or accidents. “Wrens” served in 39 trades, including administrative and clerical work, signalling, coding, and wireless telegraphy. HMCS Conestoga, formerly Bytown II, was established for the basic training establishment for the WRCNS. This was a volunteer service composed of women and was separate from the Volunteer Reserve. HMCS Conestoga was in the former Grandview School for Girls, a detention centre for ‘wayward’ girls in Galt, ON. That past quickly became a running joke, but the facility, with existing residences, teaching space, an administration building, and cafeteria, was perfectly suited to its new purpose, and the Wrens quickly made it their home. Basic training at Conestoga lasted three weeks, after which the women would move on to specialist training at other facilities.
1 August 1959 The RCN was presented with Queens Colours by Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II in Halifax.
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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