NAC News – Edition 639 HMCS D’Iberville
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of October 17, 2025
Edition 639 HMCS D’Iberville Quote: “Chinese containership Istanbul Bridge is scheduled to arrive at the UK’s largest terminal Felixstowe during the afternoon of October 13. The Panamax vessel completed the 7,500 nautical mile voyage from China via the Arctic Northern Sea Route in just 20 days. A comparable voyage through the Suez Canal measures 11,000 nautical miles and routinely takes between 40-50 days.
Istanbul Bridge’s voyage is the first liner-type service via the polar region connecting Asia and Europe and calling at several Chinese and European ports. It is also the first time a container ship has traveled from China to the UK via the Arctic.” Chinese Containership ‘Istanbul Bridge’ Reaches UK via Arctic Route in Record 20 Days, gCaptain, Maltev Humbert, 12 October 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, and 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 naccoordinator@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)
NOTICES
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 Today is the last day that the Super Early Bird Registration is Open! Contact The ticket discount code for NAC members is DB25_NAC Keynote Speaker, Paula Folkes – Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Defence and Marine Procurement.
25 November 2025 CMSN: Northern Maritime Security – Threats In, To, and Through the Arctic and North Atlantic. Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa. Conference program coming soon
24 February 2026 ShipTech Forum 2026, The National Arts Centre. 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 5W1 (Editor – NAC helps sponsor this event) Super Early Bird Registration is Open!
NEW 13-15 May 2026 NIBC 2026 Conference – Maritime Arctic Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour hotel, Victoria BC. (Editor – NAC-VI helps sponsor this event)
15 May 2026 HMCS Sackville – Re-commissioning. Details to follow!
THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES
US carries out strike on boat allegedly carrying drugs off Venezuela coast — Trump while Coast Guard’s Pacific Cocaine Haul Highlights Split Approach in Trump’s War on Narco-Terror with Hegseth says Pentagon to create special unit to combat drug trafficking from Latin America
All eyes on London as maritime industry readies to adopt first global carbon pricing scheme while US Threatens Visa Restrictions, Sanctions Against UN Members That Back IMO Emissions Plan then ‘Outraged’ Trump Tells Nations to ‘Vote No’ on Shipping’s Carbon Tax at IMO
CANADA
HMCS William Hall in Arctic Operation Nanook: Canada’s Sovereignty Mission (Editor – 9:45 min video)
Canadian Coast Guard joins National Defence team (Editor – 1:56 min CTV News video)
Guarding the Coast & Beyond: The Legacy of the Kingston class & Protéger les côtes et bien plus encore : La tradition des navires de la classe KINGSTON
EXCLUSIVE: General says there is room for improvement in Canadian military (Editor – 10:41 CTV News 10:41 min video)
CDAI: Defence Procurement Reform: International Perspectives And Best Practices
Canadian Navy officer punished after execution threat
Navy worried about political fallout if media found out about ‘Officer X’
New View Royal apartment complex to help with military housing crunch officially Le ministère de la Défense nationale fait le point sur les initiatives en matière de logement à l’échelle du Canada (Éditeur – La BFC Esquimalt occupe une place importante) & The Department of National Defence Provides Updates on Canadian Armed Forces Housing Across Canada (Editor – CFB Esquimalt figures prominently)
Seaspan hires Elomatic to provide services for Canadian Coast Guard’s polar icebreaker
Fibreglass Solutions Inc. Joins Team Vigilance (Editor – What is team Vigilance)
Canada’s role in building American F-35 fighter jets (Editor – a (:27 min video – “be careful not to cut off your nose to spite your face”) with Industry minister pushing F-35 maker for economic benefits in Canada
Baltic Exchange Launches New Canadian Crude Tanker Routes as Geopolitics Reshape Energy Trade
Editor – Christmas is coming and here is a great new gift idea from NAC member Rich Gimblett who co-authored Guardians of the North: Canadian Warships and Maritime Aircraft, 1910–2025! I hear its extraordinarily well researched and a good read! Don’t forget to tell Santa.
Memoir: Veteran recalls a special relationship with HMCS Bonaventure, Canada’s last aircraft carrier
Germany first country to embark on Canada’s green shipping corridor initiative
Balkans 35th Commemoration January 2026 to November 2027. The Balkans 35th Commemoration is a volunteer Veteran led initiative. The aim is to acknowledge Balkans Veterans from all elements of the CAF, the RCMP, other Canadian Police forces, CBSA, and CIDA who deployed to the Balkans from 1992 to 2004. There were 11 ship deployments during this period and 3000 naval personnel. To Contribute your Story.
Clash of the Titans – Charity Hockey Game 2025 (Editor – 1:16 min video)
NAC Naval Affairs: Cold War RCN Activity (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.
USA & AMERICA
USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Oct. 14, 2025
U.S. Amasses Firepower Near Venezuela: Here’s What It Means for Trump and Maduro | WSJ and Top US Admiral Visits Caribbean Nations Amid Venezuela Tensions
NTSB Finds OceanGate’s Poor Design and Missed Damage Led to Titan Disaster
Hypersonic-Armed Destroyers and Submarines are Relocating to Hawaii
Pentagon reporters turn in their access badges rather than bend to new government rules (Editor – so much for the First Amendment, can’t make this stuff up!)
Shipyards Line Up for New USCG Arctic Security Cutter Construction
Boeing P-8 Poseidon: America’s Most Advanced Submarine Hunter (Editor – good look inside during a 8:31 min video)
Venezuelan Tank Landing Ship Runs Aground, Takes on Water
Largest naval base on earth isn’t China or Russia it’s in America (Editor – short video)
North American LNG Exporters Look to Double Capacity by 2029
INDO-PACIFIC
Chinese Cutters Ram Philippine Fishery Vessels in Spratly Islands
Japan becomes the world’s no.2 F-35 power — why couldn’t south Korea? (Editor – 21:10 min video)
Chinese Coast Guard expels Philippine vessel illegally entering waters near Tiexian Jiao and CCG expels Philippine vessels intruding into adjacent waters of China’s Tiexian Jiao in South China Sea: spokesperson (Editor – Chinese names for islands in the Spratley Islands)
UK carrier aircraft face off with Indian Airforce in exercise over the Arabian Sea
Mogami deal with Japan huge on several counts
Japan Contracts Mitsubishi to Mass Produce Sub-Launched Missile
How China boosted shipbuilding
South Korean defence giant hit by Chinese sanctions offers anti-ship missile to Manila
Russian Pacific Fleet naval group wraps up business call at Vietnam
China’s 83rd naval task force concludes visit to Cambodia then PLA Navy ship formation 83 begins 4-day visit in Thailand; ‘beneficial for mutual learning’: expert
Images of hull sections suggest progress on China’s fourth aircraft carrier
Japan Launches Sixth Taigei-Class Submarine for JMSDF
Pakistan’s Hangor Class Program Accelerates Ahead of India’s P-75I
Silent depths, loud debate: France or Germany for India’s Submarine Fleet?
South Korea’s Future Experimental Frigates (Editor – USNI 4:05 min video)
India Already Cutting Russian Oil Imports by 50% After US Talks, White House Official Says
UK Strikes at Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 Lifeline with Sanctions on China’s Beihai Terminal
Oil Tankers to China Face Cancellations After Beijing Targets U.S. Ships and China Hits Back at U.S. Ships With Additional Port Fees
EUROPE
Black Sea:
Ukraine’s War of Fact and Fiction
Baltic:
Joint statement: Shadow Fleet Task Force (Editor – note Canadian involvement) & Déclaration commune : Groupe de travail sur les flottes fantômes (Éditeur – note sur la participation canadienne) and NATO Sees Success in its Baltic Anti-Sabotage Mission
UK’s P2000 fast attack boats join Estonian Navy for Baltic training mission
Sweden Close Baltic Sea Cable Damage Investigation, Ruling Accident Not Sabotage
General:
Ireland drops Multi-Role Vessel plan in favour of a combat ship – Type 31 frigate an option?
Denmark to boost Arctic defence with new ships, jets and HQ and Denmark to Boost Arctic Defense by $4.26 billion, Buy 16 New F-35s
Royal Navy’s sixth Astute-class submarine HMS Agamemnon makes first dive
Sweden shadows Russian Kilo-class submarine in Baltic amid NATO reinforced naval vigilance while Nato chief jokes about ‘limping’ Russian submarine
Ten German naval ships engage in missile firing at Norwegian Arctic test range
Sweden’s A26 Submarine Programme Faces New Delays
Helsing expands into subsea defense with Blue Ocean acquisition and UK resilience factory
The evolution of towed array sonar and its growing role in anti-submarine warfare
Türkiye Test-fires SOM-J Anti-ship Cruise Missile
Türkiye demonstrates carrier-capable Bayraktar TB3 drone launches from TCG Anadolu
Chinese Containership ‘Istanbul Bridge’ Reaches UK via Arctic Route in Record 20 Days
New UK sanctions target Putin’s main funder of war with UK Targets Russian Oil Giants with Sweeping Sanctions Package more info Russia’s 44 Tanker Shadow Fleet Takes Hit as UK Imposes Sanctions
Russia Unveils Plans for First Domestically-Built LNG Carrier to Overcome Sanctions
Transport Costs Are Crushing Russia’s Coal Profits
MIDDLE EAST
Red Sea/Gulf of Aden:
Mariner Dies From Injuries Sustained in Late September Houthi Attack
General:
Trump Declares Gaza War Over as Final Hostages Freed in Landmark Ceasefire (Editor – a great deal of history would say otherwise)
NATO sees Russian naval presence wane in the Mediterranean while Topic of Russian military bases in Syria discussed during Russian-Syrian talks – Kremlin
Royal Marines’ bullseye shot stops £35m illegal drugs shipment in the Middle East
CTF 150 and Pakistan Navy Interdict Over $120 Million Worth of Illicit Drugs
Iran’s Tanker Fleet Mysteriously Resumes Transparent AIS Transmissions After Seven-Year Blackout
GLOBAL INTERESTS
Australian Icebreaker RSV Nuyina Makes Contact with Ocean Floor Near Remote Antarctic Island
USS Roosevelt Visits Algiers, Algeria, Highlighting Defense Cooperation and Partnership
The Complete Supply Chain…. Of Some Generic Consumer Junk (Editor – note shipping’s key participation in a 12:46 min video)
SCUTTLEBUTT
Titanium Submarines: The Soviet Secret Which Shocked The West (Really) (Editor – fascinating 24:14 min video) and the Alpha Class in detail Inside Project 705 The Most Advanced Cold War Soviet Submarine (Editor – 50:55 mi video)
Japan Thought America Was Lying About Building Destroyers in 4 Weeks — Until They Kept Arriving (Editor – significant and noteworthy 23:07 min video) yet this occurred The Trials and Tribulations of USN WW2 Torpedoes (Editor – it’s a fundamental requirement to trial weapons in as realistic a situation as possible)
The genius logic of the NATO phonetic alphabet (Editor – amusing 23:27 min video)
The only submarine to ever have sails (Editor – short video)
The Mariner’s Mirror: Lifeboats and Lessons: Memories of Safety at Sea (Editor – 56 min podcast)
The Strangest Ship of WW2 (Editor – 5:50 min video)
THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
18 October 1965 A fire broke out in the fuel-handling room of HMCS Nipigon, killing one and seriously injuring others. Two of the injured sailors died in a Royal Navy hospital in Plymouth, England over the next three days. Eight crew members were evacuated to HMCS Bonaventure. LS Doyle Clement White and Able Seaman Wendell Tolson Gray were awarded the British Empire Medal for Gallantry for their actions that day.
19 October 1940 Patrol vessel HMCS Bras d’Or foundered in the early morning while keeping the Romanian freighter Ingener N Vlassopol under surveillance in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Anticosti Island. The two ships traveled down the St. Lawrence River together but in the Gulf of St. Lawrence they ran into a storm and heavy seas on the night of 18/19 October and are eventually separated and the Bras d’Or disappeared with her 30 crewmen. Investigation determines that the Bras d’Or was not rammed as there is no damage to the freighter. A report from the mate on the Romanian freighter stated that the lights on the Bras d’Or were extinguished at 0350 hours local, 19 October. It has been suggested Brad d’Or foundered due to icing conditions that were prevalent at the time. A search was made later but nothing was ever found of the ship nor were any bodies (5 officers and 25 crew).
19 October 1943 British ore carrier Penolver and American freighter Delisle hit mines laid by U-220 off St. John’s Harbour.
20 October 1940 HMS Windflower, the first corvette built in Canada, is commissioned into the Royal Navy with a Canadian crew. She is turned over to the RCN in 1941.
21 October 1805 Battle of Trafalgar – The nationality of seamen in the Royal Navy aboard HMC Victoria was quite divers. Of the crew of 820, 720 came from the British Isles, and over 12% came from many other parts of the world with 1 “African”, 1 Brazilian, 2 Danish, 4 French, 2 Indian, 6 Maltese, 1 Portuguese, 2 Swiss, 22 American, 2 Canadian, 7 Dutch, 2 German, 1 Jamaican, 2 Norwegian, 4 Swedish, 4 West Indian, and 48 Unknown. The 100 foreigners would have had all manner of reasons for joining the Royal Navy – many of them not by choice. It’s clear that the RN and maybe even contemporary society was a lot more diverse than is often thought.
21 October 1910 HMCS Niobe arrives in Halifax, the first Canadian warship to arrive at her base in Canada. Now officially celebrated by the RCN as Niobe Day.
21 October 1927 The destroyers HMCS Patriot pays off into reserve. The Government of Canada decides to build two new destroyers to replace Patriot and Patrician and asks the Admiralty for interim replacements. The destroyers HMCS Champlain (ex-HMS Torbay) and HMCS Vancouver (ex-HMS Toreador) are named and lent to the RCN. There is already an HMS Vancouver in the RN, but the Admiralty agrees to change its name to HMS Vimy. These are the first two ships of the RCN, other than auxiliaries, which receive names associated with and suggested by Canada.
21 October 1942 HMCS Royal Roads becomes the Royal Canadian Naval College and commences training naval cadets.
21 October 1943 HMCS Chedabucto sank after a nighttime collision with the cable vessel Lord Kelvin, 30 miles from Rimouski, Quebec. One officer was lost.
21 October 1944 HMCS Uganda (later Quebec) is commissioned, becoming Canada’s first cruiser since Aurora was paid off in 1922.
22 October 1914 HMCS Niobe makes her first operational patrol off the Strait of Belle Isle.
22 October 1940 Canadian destroyer HMCS Margaree is lost in collision with merchantman SS Port Fairy as she escorts Liverpool-out convoy OL8 450 miles to the west of Ireland. Cut in half the forward half of the ship sank immediately, the after half remaining afloat eventually sank by gunfire from the Port Fairy. She sank with 142 casualties, but 31 crew survive. Compounding the tragedy, 86 of those lost are survivors of the Fraser disaster. Margaree is the second destroyer lost due to collision within four months.
23 October 1939 HMCS Saguenay (Destroyer) intercepted the German tanker Emmy Friederich which scuttled herself.
23 October 1969 A major explosion occurred aboard HMCS Kootenay. The blast and intense engine room fire would become known as one of the worst peacetime accidents in the history of the RCN, with nine of her crew killed. Three years later, six crew members received medals honouring their bravery during the incident. Chief Petty Officer V.O. Partanan and Petty Officer 2nd Class Lewis John Stringer were both posthumously awarded the Cross of Valour. They were the first recipients of the newly initiated Canadian Cross of Valour which is our highest decoration for bravery in non-combat circumstances. The Star of Courage was awarded to Sun-Lieutenant Clark Reiffenstein (posthumously) and Petty Officer Clement Bussiere. The Medal of Bravery was awarded to Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Robert George and Petty Officer 1st Class Gerald Gillingham. In 2020 the Nova Scotia Premier declares 23 October HMCS Kootenay Day. It remains the worst peacetime disaster suffered by the RCN, and likely will prove to be the last ever communal burial of Canadian military personnel.
24 October 1949 A programme for the construction in Canadian shipyards of anti-submarine destroyer escorts for the RCN was announced by the Minister of National Defence in Parliament.
Significant RCN Dates – If you notice any omissions or errors please inform me, and pointing out any more modern significant dates is encouraged. 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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