NAC News – Edition 630 HMCS Cabot
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of August 15, 2025
NAC News Edition 630 HMCS Cabot Quote: “These increases in paying incentives will help us to revitalize and transform recruitment and retention to bolster force readiness, and to ensure that members in uniform have the confidence and certainty that they need,”…”It’s a generational shift. And we’re proud of it.” Prime Minister Mark Carney, CBC News, Posted 8 Aug 2025.
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. 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! Contact The ticket discount code for NAC members is DB25_NAC
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THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES
Announcement of a pay increase to CAF members(Editor – 1:46 min video) with Liberals spending $2B to boost military pay and benefits this year officially Améliorations au régime de rémunération et d’avantages sociaux des membres des Forces armées canadiennes & Improvements to Compensation and Benefits for the Canadian Armed Forces
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CANADA
Irving Shipbuilding names Canadian Navy’s sixth and final AOPS and Royal Canadian Navy names new Arctic patrol ship in honour of Robert Hampton Gray (Editor – 1:02 min video)
2,300 Days at Sea& 2 300 jours en mer
Government of Canada celebrates National Shipbuilding Strategy’s continued economic benefits at Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyard & Le gouvernement du Canada souligne les retombées économiques durables de la Stratégie nationale de construction navale au chantier naval Vancouver Shipyards de Seaspan
Canadian shipyard slams B.C. Ferries’ contract with Chinese shipbuilder and Canada’s oldest shipyard criticizes B.C. Ferries’ contract with Chinese shipbuilder Editor – CBC 2:06 min video)
Les Forces armées canadiennes prennent part à de multiples opérations dans l’Arctique au cours de la saison& Canadian Armed Forces deploy on multiple Arctic operations this season
CDAI: Can Canada Realistically Diversify Its Defence Partnerships Beyond the U.S.? (Editor – 45:12 min video)
CDAI: The Canadian Armed Forces new compensation and benefits package: Time to think outside the box
European company bidding to build a dozen navy submarines seeking partners in B.C.
Can an Arctic Shipbuilding Alliance Break the Ice on Long-Term Strategic Collaboration?
Hateful conduct reports in Canadian military rising after years of decline (Editor – 2:08 min video)
Manitoba considers building 2nd port on Hudson Bay, sidelining Port of Churchill (Editor – 2:13 min video)
Inside the race to remove the heavy oil from a container ship that ran aground in N.L.
Bulker Grounds in St. Lawrence River Raising Water Level Questions
The Government of Canada Honours Lieutenant-General (Retd) Larry Ashley as a Hometown Hero& Le gouvernement du Canada rend hommage au lieutenant-général (à la retraite) Larry Ashley à titre d’héros de chez nous
Canada intends to lower price cap for Russian oil & Le Canada compte abaisser le prix plafond du pétrole russe
Monique Keiran: Unlocking the potential of the Northwest Passage
Lookout: 11 August 2025 Volume 70 Number 16 (English) (Française)
Trident: 11 August 2025, Volume 59 Issue 16 (Bilingue)
(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: August 11, 2025
U.S. Defense Primer: Naval Forces
Brazil expands maritime surveillance capabilities with launch of second Tamandare class frigate
Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group Leaves Norfolk After Long Gap in U.S. ARG Deployments
U.S. Coast Guard Monitors Unprecedented Chinese Icebreaker Flotilla Near Alaska
Coast Guard Commissions First New Icebreaker Since the 1990s
U.S. Navy’s New Missile Adds Punch & Sustainability (Editor – 1 min video)
Our Best Look At DARPA’s Defiant Uncrewed Surface Ship
US Navy signs off on large SM-2 Block IIICU missile deal
U.S. Navy Sea Fighter FSF-1 Boosts High Speed Littoral Warfare and Rapid Response
West Coast Ports Smash Records as Shippers Rush Ahead of Trump Tariffs
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INDO-PACIFIC
Four carriers form one of the most powerful fleets at sea
New Philippine-Japanese Defense Pact to go into Effect Next Month
South China Sea Showdown: Chinese Warship COLLIDES WITH Ally vessel While Chasing Philippine Ship! (Editor – 1:07 min video, so much for PLAN ship handling. They are lucky it wasn’t much worse) and from China Exclusive: Video clips expose Philippine ship’s dangerous maneuvers during August 11 Huangyan Dao intrusion
China’s military says it ‘drove away’ U.S. destroyer near Scarborough Shoal and of course Navy Denies China Chased off U.S. Warship from Scarborough Shoal
Indian Navy to Commission Two P-17A Frigates
Taiwan’s New Naval Drones Could Strike Any Chinese Invasion
Thailand Plans Naval Upgrade After Ceasefire with Cambodia
India’s move in the South China Sea challenge China’s maritime claims
Russia nuclear submarine base damaged after earthquake – report
U.S. Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces conduct a joint mine warfare exercise
Japan’s Mogami Frigate – Why Australia Chose It.(Editor – good explanation in a 10:57 min video)
Australia to Boost Maritime Surveillance With Outpost Acoustic System
Australia Extends Collins Class Support To Maintain Submarine Capability Until AUKUS Fleet Arrival
North Koreans tell BBC they are being sent to work ‘like slaves’ in Russia
India Pauses Plans to Buy U.S. Arms After Trump’s Tariffs (Editor – P8 one of the products)
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EUROPE
Black Sea:
Romania Pushes NATO to Step Up Black Sea Mine Task Force
Defence Team News | Clearing explosive mine threats in the Black Sea& Nouvelles de l’Équipe de la Défense | Éliminer les menaces de mines explosives dans la mer Noire (Editor – RCN 1 :43 min video)
Three swimmers killed by sea mines in Odesa, Ukrainian media report
In maps: The war-ravaged Ukrainian territories at the heart of the Trump-Putin summit
All that is Left of Russia’s Armor Are OLD, Rusty SOVIET Tanks (Editor – not a maritime 19:07 mi video but pertinent given the talks underway)
Baltic:
Editor – quiet, at least media wise
General:
NATO warships conduct training in Arctic
Is the Royal Navy at breaking point or a turning point? and ‘Behind shop window, we’ve got next to nothing’: CSG25 exposes diminished Navy at home
Greyshark AUV Plugs Into Rheinmetall’s AI Battlesuite for Smarter Undersea Ops
U.S. and Italian Naval Forces team up in the Mediterranean
New Russian Navy boat sinks at shipyard and more details Russian Navy’s Newest Tug Capsizes! Captain Ushakov Sinks (Editor – 2:48 min video)
South Korea Courts Greece with Submarine, Drone, and Vehicle Deals
Thyssenkrupp Spins Off Submarine Builder TKMS
Amid Norway’s celebration of Svalbard Treaty comes another verbal attack from Moscow
Finland Charges ‘Eagle S’ Tanker Captain, Officers Over Cable Cuts (Editor – convoluted mix of nationalities/authorities involved)
Fourth Restricted Gas Ship Seen Near Sanctioned Arctic LNG Plant and Sanctioned Suezmax Oil Tanker Navigates Russian Arctic Without Permit, Unknown Insurance, and Overdue for Inspection
Dozens of migrants killed after boats capsize off Italian coast
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MIDDLE EAST
Red Sea:
Over 140 Migrants Feared Dead as Migrant Boat Sinks Off Yemen
Iranian Arms Shipment Routes to Houthis Revealed by Large Seizure
Houthi Forces Are Importing Drone Parts and Supplies From China
General:
USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group arrives in Bahrain
Iraq Detains Oil Tanker as Part of Smuggling Crackdown
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GLOBAL INTERESTS
Trump Administration Threatens Retaliation Against Countries Backing Shipping’s Net Zero Emissions Plan(Editor – beyond comprehension)
The Mariner’s Mirror: Who Should We Rescue? The Morals of Maritime Emergency (Editor – 47 min podcast)
Almost half of accidents at sea due to ship defects — Maritime Board
UN Security Council Sounds Alarm on Rising Threats to Maritime Security
South Korea to Launch Arctic Shipping Trials in 2026, Minister Says
Giant iceberg collapse (Editor – amazing 1:44 min video)
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SCUTTLEBUTT
Operation Apollo, 2001-2003(Editor – RCN 24:31 min video)
The International Fleet Reviews of the Canadian Naval Centennial (Editor – RCN 22:45 min video)
USNI: From Midway to Watchtower: How Admiral King Seized the Initiative in the Pacific (Editor – 41:04 min podcast)
Kriegsmarine Wunderwaffe – Hydrofoil U-Boats and more! (Editor – 31:22 min video)
How did the Grumman S-2 Tracker COMPLETELY change the face of anti-submarine warfare? (Editor – 30:34 min video. Great Canadian pics included)
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THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
16 August 1956 HMCS Assiniboine is commissioned into the RCN as the second of the new St. Laurent class of destroyer escorts. She was the first to be converted to a DDH reaching the fleet in 1963.
16 Aug 1977 HMCS Venture, the Naval Officer Training Centre (NOTC), was established and transferred the “MARS” and “MARE” officer training duties from the Officers Training Division (OTD) of Canadian Forces Fleet School Esquimalt in Naden and welcomed its first students on 16 August 1977 into the old site of HMCS Givenchy building in the dockyard. In October of 1994, Venture moved to Work Point Barracks, in CFB Esquimalt, formerly the home of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
16 August 2011 Government announces that the name “Air Command” is being changed to the air force’s original historic name: Royal Canadian Air Force, and the name of Maritime Command to RCN to better reflect Canada’s military heritage and align Canada with other key Commonwealth countries whose military units use the royal designation.
17 August 1809 Construction of Admiral Horatio Nelson’s Monument begins at the top of Jacques Cartier Square, Montréal, Québec.
17 August 1940 Mackenzie King meets Franklin D. Roosevelt for two-day conference at Ogdensburg to discuss North American Defence; will sign Ogdensburg Agreement 18 August and the parties will discuss modifying cash and carry principle for delivery of arms from US factories to Canadian forces; on August 18, the parties will agree to set up a Canadian-American Permanent Joint Board of Defence (PJBD), composed of senior officials from both countries.
17 August 1943 The first Quebec Conference (codenamed “Quadrant”) – Mackenzie King hosts Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and the Combined Chiefs of Staff at the sixth Anglo-American War Conference, held at the Citadelle and in the Chateau Frontenac hotel; ends August 24, 1943; plans developed for Overlord, the 1944 landings in France; Churchill and Roosevelt also secretly signed the Quebec Agreement to share nuclear technology.
18 August 1833 Steamship Royal William leaves Pictou NS; will arrive in Gravesend England September 11; the first vessel to cross the Atlantic under steam power.
18 August 1944 HMC Ships Ottawa II commanded by Cdr James D. Prentice, DSO, RCN, HMCS Kootenay commanded by A/LCdr William H. Willson, DSC, RCN, and HMCS Chaudière commanded by A/LCdr C. Patrick Nixon, RCN sank the German submarine U-621 while on patrol in the Bay of Biscay.
18 August 2005 HMCS Fredericton (FFH 337) deployed to the Canadian Arctic to prohibit illegal fishing and to reassert sovereignty in the North.
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 under USN control around Aleutians. The Armed Merchant Cruisers were kept away from the battle area and tasked instead with the escort of convoys taking supplies and personnel between Kodiak and the American base at Dutch Harbour. For all ships their worst enemy was the weather which featured dense fog, high winds, and rough seas. The deployment ended on 30 October 1942.
20 August 1944 HMC Ships Ottawa commanded by CDR James D. Prentice, DSO, RCN, HMCS Kootenay commanded by A/LCDR William H. Willson, 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 1853 HMS Breadalbane was anchored to an ice floe half a mile south of Beechey Island in Lancaster Bay, some 500 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and was surrounded by slow-moving ice. Shortly after midnight, a slab of ice penetrated the starboard bow. The vessel sank in Barrow Strait within fifteen minutes and all 21 crew members were rescued. Joseph B. MacInnis found the ship in Aug 1980 using side-scan sonar towed by CCGS John A. Macdonald. She lays on the seafloor intact with two of her three masts still standing and her bow pointing east, in the cold Arctic water, at 330 feet. The Wreck of HMS Breadalbane was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 1983 because the vessel was involved in the search for the missing expedition of Captain John Franklin.
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. To this day the PJBD is the senior advisory body on continental military 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 were 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 largely RCN crew but a Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm as their aviation contingent, was torpedoed off Norway and severely damaged. HMCS Algonquin took off 203 of Nabob’s ships company however 21 ship’s company are lost, including 11 Canadians. She returned to Scapa Flow but was so badly damaged she was considered a constructive loss.
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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