NAC News – Edition 642 HMCS Haligonian
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of November 7, 2025
Edition 642 HMCS Haligonian Quote: “With each passing year since the end of Second World War and signing of the Korean Armistice in 1953, recognition of the surviving veterans of those conflicts takes on greater significance, says Commodore (ret’d) Bruce Belliveau, president of Nova Scotia Branch of Naval Association of Canada (NSNAC). He urged residents to take time to recognize and thank the veterans of those wars, follow on conflicts and the Cold War era during remembrance events leading up to Remembrance Day Nov 11. “We need to honor all those who served–including those who made the ultimate sacrifice–defending the democratic way of life we enjoy today,” Belliveau, a 32 year RCN veteran and son of a naval veteran, explained. Given the current world situation that recalls events that lead up to Second World War, Remembrance Day ceremonies provide an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of Canadians and our Allies who eventually prevailed in the deadliest conflict in human history.” NAC Media Advisory, The advisory was drafted by Len Canfield and approved by Bruce Belliveau, 4 November 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
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!
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 ARTICLE
Is the world back to testing nuclear weapons? Here are the facts then Trump’s planned tests are ‘not nuclear explosions’, US energy secretary says
CANADA
Canada’s big defence spend | Adrienne Arsenault Reports (Editor – CBS News 22:44 min video)
DM/CDS Message regarding Budget 2025
Canadian Military leaders warn of future conflict, push for massive expansion
Keel laid on Canadian Coast Guard’s Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship, the CCGS Sermilik & Pose de la quille du NGCC Sermilik, navire de patrouille extracôtier et de l’Arctique de la Garde côtière canadienne
Minister of Veterans Affairs marks the beginning of Veterans’ Week & La ministre des Anciens Combattants souligne le début de la Semaine des vétérans
Veterans Affairs’ new minister and Remembrance Day & Veterans’ Week
CAF Introduces New Process for Regular Force Personnel to Opt Out of Promotion Consideration
Canada’s oldest navy ship is 104 years old — and still in use (Editor – surprising but great idea in a 1:46 min video)
More than fabric: every moral patch tells a story & Plus que du tissu : les écussons honorifiques racontent une histoire
Admiral Topshee shares what’s next for Canada’s decommissioned MCDV ships (Editor – 45 sec video)
ABB to power new Canadian polar icebreaker
Oil tanker moratorium on British Columbia’s north coast & Moratoire relatif aux pétroliers le long de la côte nord de la Colombie-Britannique (Editor – As inter-provincial debate rages, I suspect many people haven’t looked at it)
New Look at Davies 120 Corvette
Timelapse: Construction of new outfitting Pier at Vancouver Shipyards (Editor – 1:01 min video)
World’s largest cargo sailboat makes first transatlantic crossing | REUTERS (Editor – 2:47 min video)
Editor – Repeat: 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! The book has met with rave reviews. Comprehensive and extraordinarily well researched, and a good read! Don’t forget to tell Santa.
Editor – Repeat: along with Rich’s book above, the NAC still has some of its children’s and youth books in stock if you’re thinking of family Christmas presents. Any questions email Nora Kennedy naccoordinator@navalassoc.ca.
Lookout: 3 November 2025, Volume 70, Issue 22 (English) & (Française)
Trident: 3 November 2025 Volume 59, Issue 22 (Bilingue)
NAC Naval Affairs: Bibliography Fleet Design (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: Nov. 3, 2025
USS Gerald R. Ford Leaves Mediterranean Bound for U.S. Southern Command
Unacceptable or justifiable: Lingering questions about deadly U.S. boat strikes and then U.S. Forces Destroy 15th Suspected Smuggling Boat off South America followed by 2 Killed in Eastern Pacific Strike on Suspected Narco Boat
Russia Denounces US Military Force In Caribbean Sea
Terrifying Moment! U.S. Coast Guard Intercepts Drug-Smuggling Submarine in Caribbean Sea (Editor – two events in a 2:03 min video)
America’s Race to Build More Virginia-Class Nuclear Submarines (Editor – 5:08 min video) with US Navy christens 28th Virginia-class attack submarine
South Korea PM Says Philly Shipyard Not Ready for Nuclear Subs, Contradicting Trump
White House selects Seaspan design for six U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Security Cutters
How US Stores its Billion $ Fighter Jets on Aircraft Carriers (Editor – worthwhile 17:08 min video)
USCGC Healy Returns from 129-Day Arctic Patrol
Expeditionary Sea Base: The Game Changer in Modern Naval Warfare (Editor – 16:05 min video)
Spooking sailors at sea: US Navy’s first ‘Ghost Ship’ undergoes first trials at sea (Editor – includes1:20 min video)
INDO-PACIFIC
The Chinese Navy is finalizing preparations to commission the aircraft carrier Fujian into active service then China launches new aircraft carrier in naval race with the US
A Narrow Pacific Waterway is at the Heart of U.S. Plans to Choke China’s Vast Navy
U.S. Unveils Philippine Task Force to Deter Chinese Coercion
Canada bolsters Indo-Pacific presence with new defence pact with the Philippines
Contracts to sustain Navy’s Collins class submarines extended
U.K. Fleet Oiler Conducts Freedom of Navigation Passage in Spratly Islands
Pakistan Eyes 2026 Launch For First Chinese Submarine In $5 Billion Arms Deal
with Pakistan’s Hangor class fleet to challenge India’s Naval Edge from 2026
South Korea Positions KSS-III Attack Submarine for International Sale
‘It is Reasonable’ to Build RoK Navy Nuclear Sub in South Korean Shipyard, Local Officials Say
Ultra Maritime to provide torpedo defense systems for Australia’s Hunter-class frigates (Editor – same system as the future Fraser Class)
US-Sanctioned Tanker Conducts LNG Transfer in Malaysian Waters, Kpler and Vortexa Confirm
EUROPE
Black Sea:
Two Foreign Vessels Damaged In Ukrainian Drone Strike On Russian Port
Ukraine Hits Russian Black Sea Rig And Shows How Aerial And Sea Drones Carried Out The Strike
Ukrainian Drones STRIKE Russian Ship – Then THIS Happened… (Editor – I don’t believe this is real, but elements of the attack are insightful 16:13 min video)
Ukraine UNLEASHES Asymmetric WARFARE… Russia Can’t STOP What’s Coming (Editor – useful summary in a 18:52 min video)
Baltic:
Stena Line takes over world’s northernmost shipping company
Poland Will Invest $2.3B for Container Terminal in the West Near Germany
General:
Here comes Russia’s first serial submarine to carry nuclear-powered giga-torpedoes and Putin’s new tiny underwater nuclear drone
Expert explains why Russian submarines with Poseidons outperform entire NATO fleet
British carrier to join NATO drill to send message to Russia with 24 British F-35 jets now embarked on HMS Prince of Wales
Narco-sub carrying 1.7 tonnes of cocaine seized in Atlantic (Editor – horrific living condition in the short video)
Royal Navy and Norwegian Navy deepen ties during global deployment
UK’s Frigate Deal with Norway Could Be Turned Into Cost Savings
First mooring of M940 Oostende in Zeebruges — a pivotal moment for the Belgian Navy
European maritime and nuclear players ink strategic cooperation agreement
King to strip Andrew of his final military title, minister says
Rare access inside an Italian Navy Type 212A Submarine (Editor – 19:00 min video)
NHI take back NH90 helicopters and pay €350m to Norway
Uncrewed boats shadow warships in Royal Navy trials
Italian Navy’s New SDO-SuRS Vessel ‘Olterra’ launched by T. Mariotti
MIDDLE EAST
Red Sea/Gulf of Aden:
U.S. Awards Royal Navy Destroyer Unit Commendation for Actions in the Red Sea
Suez Canal Reports Biggest Recovery in Vessel Traffic Since Red Sea Crisis Began
General:
Saudi Arabia eyes German MEKO A-200 frigates from TKMS
Production of ten PV43-M vessels starts for Egyptian Navy
GLOBAL INTERESTS
Opinion: Between two oceans and a South African Navy in crisis
China Completes 43 Manned Arctic Dives in 2025, Demonstrates Dual Submersible Operations Under Ice
Western Sanctions Pushing Record Volumes into Floating Storage, Gunvor CEO Says
Security Forces Repel Pirate Boarding Attempt on Chemical Tanker Off Somalia then another Greek Tanker Reports Gunfire and RPGs in Boarding by Pirates off Somalia
Antarctic glacier’s rapid retreat sparks scientific ‘whodunnit’
Clean Arctic Alliance hails Nordic push for sustainable polar marine fuels
SCUTTLEBUTT
Sarah Paine — How Russia sabotaged China’s rise (Editor 1:32:23 hr video)
Why NO Bridge Between Great Britain and Ireland – Graveyard of Munitions (Editor – 345 sec video)
Why British Corvettes Cost 1/10th of a Destroyer — But Sank Just As Many U-Boats (Editor – 42:08 min video)
How a “SIMPLE” Canadian Invention Saved HUNDREDS of Millions in Ships from U-Boat “Super Torpedoes (Editor – CAT Gear in a 23:231 min video)
The Mariner’s Mirror: The Frozen Frontier: The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition, 1902-04 (Editor – 32:00 mi podcast)
THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
8 November 1942 British Fleet Air Arm pilots in North Africa conduct the first operational use of anti-gravity suits, developed at the University of Toronto.
8 November 1910 HMCS Rainbow arrives in Esquimalt for the first time.
8 November 1942 The first German agent is landed from a U-boat off New Carlisle, Quebec and is promptly arrested by the police.
9 November 1910 His Majesty’s Dockyard, Esquimalt, is transferred to Canadian ownership and forms the basis for Pacific Command.
9 November 1940 HMCS Collingwood, the first corvette built in Canada for the RCN, is commissioned.
9 November 1940 The Canadian Pacific Steamships Line passenger liner Empress of Japan (26,032 GRT) was heavily damaged in the North Atlantic, when she was bombed by Luftwaffe aircraft.
11 November 1918 Armistice Day for the “War to end all Wars” came to an end after more than four years of bloody fighting. 8,826 Canadians served in the RCN and RNCVR. 24 became casualties. Note the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR) was a naval reserve that was established in Canada in May 1914 and existed until 1923. The Canadian contribution was no small one: 628,462 men were enrolled of whom 424,589 went overseas. 24,095 into the British Air Services. In all 60,661 Canadians gave their lives for the Allied cause. For a country whose greatest military effort for over 150 years had not exceeded 10,000, and whose population had only reached eight million, this was truly a staggering effort.
12 November 2001 HMCS Vancouver departed San Diego as part of the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Battle Group joining the US-led coalition against terrorist forces in Afghanistan. The Battle Group arrived in Hong Kong on 29 Nov 2001, and in the Arabian Gulf on 19 Dec 2001. Vancouver returned home to Esquimalt on 28 May 2002.
13 November 1942 Captain (RN) Frederick Thornton Peters born in Charlottetown and raised in Vernon and Victoria was awarded the VC for his actions 13 Nov 1942. Captain Peters was in the suicide charge by two cutters at Oran, Algeria. HM Ships Walney and Hartland were two ex-American coastguard cutters which were lost in a gallant attempt to force the boom defences in the harbour of Oran during the landings on the North African coast. Captain Peters led his force through the boom in the face of point-blank fire from shore batteries, destroyer, and a cruiser – a feat which was described as one of the great episodes of naval history. The Walney reached the jetty disabled and ablaze, she went down with her colours flying. Blinded in one eye, Captain Peters was the only survivor of the seventeen men on the bridge of the Walney. He was taken prisoner but was later released when Oran was captured. On being liberated from captivity, he was carried through the streets where the citizens hailed him with flowers. Captain Peters was killed in an air crash three days after his release on 13 November 1942 when returning to Britain the Sunderland flying boat crash-landed in Plymouth Sound in thick fog. Captain Peters has no known grave and is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial Hampshire, England. The Captain is very unusual in that he was awarded his decorations while on active service during both WWI and WWII, earning: Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order, Distinguished Service Cross and Bar, the British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1939-45 Star, Africa Star with Bar (North Africa 1942-43) 1939-45 Medal, and the Distinguished Service Cross (USA). Captain Peters is one of only four Canadians serving in the RN or RCN to be awarded the Victoria Cross.
13 November 1944 HMCS Algonquin commanded by LCdr Desmond W. Piers, DSO, RCN sank German Minesweepers M-416 and M-427.
Significant RCN Dates – If you notice any omissions or errors please inform me. 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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