NAC News – Edition 645 HMCS Jolliet
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of November 28, 2025
Edition 645 HMCS Jolliet Quote: “When Russia in 2013 laid down the first of the new generation icebreakers, the Arktika, the decision was made to give all vessels geographical names from the northern regions. That policy changed with the full-scale war against Ukraine, and it was decided that the next two icebreakers to be built should carry the names of the Soviet Union’s two dictators and mass-murderers. The Kamchatka became Stalingrad, and the Sakhalin was renamed to Leningrad. Also, the two last icebreakers with Soviet hero city names are to be painted differently than the previous vessels. The Leningrad and Stalingrad will be painted in the colours of the Russian flag, and both will have a huge image of a Soviet-style World-War II statue from the relevant city painted on its front. Stalingrad was officially renamed Volgograd in 1961 as part of the Soviet Union’s “de-Stalinization” campaign to distance itself from the dictator Joseph Stalin.” Putin: “I am confident that the new icebreaker Stalingrad will bear this proud name with dignity”. Thomas Nilsen, The Barents Observer, 18 November 2025 (Editor – article in Black Sea sub-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. 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.
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NOTICES
UPDATED 24 February 2026 ShipTech Forum 2026, The National Arts Centre. 1 Elgin Street, Ottawa. Not able to attend in person – all speaker sessions will be live streamed, to facilitate virtual attendance. (Editor – NAC helps sponsor this event. Early Bird Registration is Open! Discount code for NAC members to use for their tickets is STF26_NAC)
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
Lessons of the Ukraine War│Dmytro Kuleba (Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine) (Editor – Wow. Insightful and sage advice in a 39:35 min video interview)
Navy Cuts Constellation-Class Frigate Program Short as Shipbuilding Delays Mount and Navy and Coast Guard Keep Building Ships Before the Blueprints Are Finished Resulting in Delays, Cancellations
CANADA
Defence Minister McGuinty announces the first project under BOREALIS & Le ministre de la Défense McGuinty annonce le premier projet dans le cadre de BOREALIS with
Ottawa to put $29 million toward developing a defence lab in Dartmouth, N.S. and Big defence announcement in Halifax (Editor – supporting CTV 1:43 min video)
Exercise WAKING GIANT 2025 (Editor – 1 min RCN video) l’exercice WAKING GIANT 2025
What does the ICE Pact with US, Finland mean for Canada’s icebreaker fleet? (Editor – 6:52 min Global News video)
Reframing the Government’s Marching Orders for Big Military Procurement
Ontario minister crosses the globe to chase defence industry investments and jobs
B.C. tech and shipbuilding firms eye boom from Ottawa’s defence push
Seaspan delivers fourth ship under National Shipbuilding Strategy, Coast Guard’s new research vessel (Editor – Seaspan 2:17 min video)
Trump’s warships in Canada’s Arctic, next?
Canada’s New Multi Mission Super Corvette: The Reasons Why RCN Needs this Warships (Editor – 8:01 min video)
F-35 beat Gripen fighter jet ‘by a mile’ in 2021 Defence Department competition
Editor – SOMNIA – Spotlight on Military News and International Affairs. This defence news summary website was run by the Canadian Forces College. This notice was just posted. “Service Discontinued. After 30 years, SOMNIA will no longer be active and will not be updated. The site will remain available in read-only mode for reference purposes.”
Ship-replica float a bright light in Saturday’s Santa Claus Parade
Colonel (Ret’d) Nishika Jardine reappointed as Veterans Ombud & La colonelle (à la retraite) Nishika Jardine reconduite dans ses fonctions d’ombud des vétérans
“I hope that I serve as a good role model for other women who want to join”. (Editor – 1:00 min video) & “J’espère servir de modèle pour d’autres femmes qui souhaitent s’enrôler.” (éditeur – Vidéo d’une minute)
60 Seconds with… Sailor First Class Kalvin Balasingam Cyber Operator (Editor – 1:00 min video) & Soixante secondes avec… le matelot de 1re classe Kalvin Balasingam, cyberopérateur
Barry Norrington, Royal Canadian Navy (Editor – 1:04:26 hr Korean War vet video interview)
Ottawa presses Nutrien to reconsider US Potash terminal
NAC Naval Affairs: Bibliography The RCN in the Korean War (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. 24, 2025
Family of missing Colombian seek answers after US strike on alleged drug boat while
Pentagon Threatens Unprecedented Recall After Sen. Kelly Questions Legality of Deadly Drug-Smuggler Strikes (Editor – not something you hear every day. Authorities rattled?) on top of that Democrats who told troops to disobey illegal orders push back on alleged FBI probe and for fun, you can’t make this stuff up Senator Mark Kelly on Trump Suggesting He Be Executed & Hegseth Opening an Investigation into Him (Editor – 10:10 min video)
US To Launch New Phase Of Venezuela Operations and possibly US plans to keep military contingent in Caribbean until November 2028 — portal
How This Tiny Island Became a Flashpoint in the Trump-Maduro Showdown | WSJ News (Editor – 3:50 min video)
Russian Tanker Makes a Run for It as U.S. Destroyer Blocks Path to Venezuela eventually After U.S. Navy Standoff, Russian Tanker Finally Reaches Venezuela and then Russian Arctic ‘Shadow Fleet’ Tanker Joins Sanctioned ‘Seahorse’ After U.S. Navy Standoff Near Venezuela
Cancer to Capricorn: A Maritime Showdown for the Global South
USS Abraham Lincoln Quietly Deploys from San Diego
US Navy Takes Delivery of 25th Virginia-Class Sub, Future USS Massachusetts
America’s Sole Heavy Icebreaker Heads South as Arctic Competition Intensifies
Coast Guard Launches Ambitious Bid for ‘Maritime Domain Dominance’ Tech
Coast Guard Cutter Tampa Returns Home After 67-Day Counterdrug Patrol
U.S. picks British Kraken for autonomous surface and subsurface drone fleet program and Building maritime drones in months—not years—could be key to creating the Navy’s hybrid fleet
CIMSEC: Warrior Spirit and the Time Tax: A Letter from a SWO Captain (Editor – I suspect the USN is not alone in this bureaucratic sea anchor)
GAO Repeats Criticism of the USCG Program to Build Offshore Patrol Cutters
BAE Systems wins $22M US Navy contract for Mk 41 VLS canisters
Four Days On, Crews Continue Response to Deep-Seated Cargo Fire Aboard Containership Off Los Angeles
INDO-PACIFIC
Canadian naval ship makes port call in JapanーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS (Editor – well done to the CO and crew for a 2:33 min news video)
CNO Caudle Tells Sailors in Guam to Be Ready for Conflict Now
Defence debate is not war-mongering (Editor – eerily familiar)
Minister Joly visiting the Republic of Korea and Japan to advance strategic industrial partnerships & La ministre Joly se rendra en République de Corée et au Japon pour promouvoir des partenariats industriels stratégiques and while there Canada’s Industry Minister Visits Hanwha Ocean for Submarine Program Review
Taiwan War Plans May Be Behind the Purge of Top Chinese Officers
CIMSEC: The Optimum Pathway for Building Nuclear Submarines with South Korea and Japan
New Zealand Navy Ship Made Rare Transit Through Taiwan Strait This Month
What is Japan’s intention to deploy missiles on islands near Taiwan? and PLA Daily: Never allow Japan to return to path of militarist aggression
Why China and Russia don’t fear the West (Editor – 2:00 min Economist video)
Race to recover sunken aircraft
Philippines Challenges Chinese Forces at Scarborough Shoal
USS George Washington Enters South China Sea
Indian Navy commissions INS Mahe anti-submarine warfare vessel
India’s indecision on naval submarine acquisition vs Pakistan’s swift military gains and China’s submarine boost to Pakistan raises Arabian Sea stakes: Is India ready? and leading into Impact of project 75i on India’s submarine force posture
SK Oceanplant Launches Third FFX Batch-III Frigate ROKS Jeonnam
Third Chinese Research vessel in the Indian Ocean heightens strategic concerns
Australian Hunter-class frigate program hits milestone on sonar suite (Editor – Sonar 2087)
Chief Officer of Livestock Carrier Among Four Charged in Massive Cocaine Bust Off Western Australia
EUROPE
Black Sea:
Ukraine May Have Hit Another Russian Navy Ship in Novorossiysk
Zelenskyy’s NEW response to Trump on the peace plan! U.S. did not expect SUCH a reaction (Editor – 5:46 min video)
Baltic:
Poland Picks Saab to Supply Three Submarines
Putin to End Hostilities? Think Again
General:
Windward Launches Remote Sensing Intelligence to Deliver Mission-Ready, End-to-End Intelligence Across All Maritime Operations and The Satellite Imagery Revolution Reshaping Maritime Surveillance and Global Shipping (Editor – game changer?)
UK Strikes at Heart of Russia’s Arctic Energy Empire
NATO expands its engagement on critical undersea infrastructure in the Mediterranean
Italian F-35B fighters join British carrier HMS Prince of Wales over Mediterranean
Putin: “I am confident that the new icebreaker Stalingrad will bear this proud name with dignity”
Royal Navy Shadows Russian Warships Through English Channel as Maritime Tensions Escalate and British forces step up patrols as Russian activity rises
One shot away: The hidden rules of armed conflict (Editor – 3:54 min video)
The Astute Gap: Why Britain’s Best Submarines Are Stuck in Port (Editor – 15:32 min video)
UK Fast-Tracks Naval Laser Weapon After Successful High-Speed Drone Trials
Dutch duo joins Naval Group’s Orka-class submarine team
Cold War warship that used to hunt subs now shoots down drones | War On Tape | Daily Mail (Editor – 20:15 min video)
Turkish Navy welcomes second Reis-class submarine
Saab Introduces ‘Worlds-First’ Fifth-Generation Battle Submarine and supporting Is Sweden’s A26 Really the World’s First ‘5th-Generation’ Submarine? (Editor – 8:02 min video)
MIDDLE EAST
Red Sea/Gulf of Aden:
U.S. Navy Destroyer Fields MH-60R Helicopters Armed with Hellfire Missiles Over Gulf of Aden (Editor – hunting FPB’s (now drones) with helicopters was always a sound tactic)
Maersk Eyes Suez Comeback as Red Sea Tensions Ease but state Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd Say No Timeline for Resuming Sailings Through the Red Sea
General:
Iranian Navy Loitering in Bandar Abbas Harbour
U.S., Qatar and allies enhance regional defense during Exercise Ferocious Falcon 6
Treasury Expands Iran Sanctions Targeting Shadow Fleet and Military Oil Network
Iranian Oil Held at Sea Hits Most Since ‘23 as China Demand Lags
GLOBAL INTERESTS
The deepest parts of the Arctic Ocean are warming now too
The Expanding Shadow Fleet Poses a Growing Threat to Maritime Safety
Finland’s Alexander Stubb Calls for Rules-Based Approach to Global Wars in First G20 Speech | AC1B (Editor – 3:55 min video)
SCUTTLEBUTT
Wellington’s Spymaster: The Genius Who Broke Napoleon’s Code (Editor – not maritime but a vital lesson explained in a 20:27 min video) and an example of The Failure of Japanese Intelligence in WWII (Editor – 20:54 min video)
The Schnellboot – Germany’s Glass Cannon at Sea (Editor – 6:13 min video) and the counter British MTBs and German E-Boats Fought in the Channel Every Night — At 40 Knots in Total Darkness (Editor – 21:09 min video)
The 500-lb Strike That Turned Germany’s Super-Ship Into Scrap (Editor – 26:20 min video)
IJN Akagi — Lost Japan’s Pearl Harbor Flagship Carrier Found after 81 years (Editor – 13:32 min video)
The Mariner’s Mirror: Island Fortress – Malta in World War 2: Maritime Malta 4 (Editor – 36:00 min podcast)
THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
29 November 1957 HMCS Kenora and Kentville, two paid off minesweepers, are transferred to the Turkish navy as Bandirma and Bartin.
30 November 1829 Two schooners pass from Port Dalhousie to Port Robinson in Upper Canada symbolically opening the Welland Canal and directly linking lakes Erie and Ontario.
1 December 1940 Destroyer HMCS St Laurent (ex HMS Cygnet), a Crusader or C-class destroyer known in the RCN as a River-class destroyer, was dispatched to escort convoy HX-90 in the Western Approaches, which was under heavy attack by seven U-boats. The attacking U-boats were commanded by some of the most successful aces of the war including Kretschmer, Prien, and Schepke. Between 1-3 Dec, they sank ten ships for a total of over 69,000 tons.
1 December 1948 HMCS Shearwater, RCN Air Station, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is commissioned. Named in recognition of the Condor-class sloop named HMCS Shearwater. Shearwater is the second-oldest military aerodrome in Canada.
2 December 1946 HMCS Middlesex a Algerine Class minesweeper while responding to an emergency call from the fishing vessel Ohio, ran aground on Half Island Point near Halifax and become a total loss and was broken up for scrap. The crew escaped unharmed.
2 December 1968 HMCS Rainbow a US Tench Class was commissioned; purchased from the United States, it was originally the USS Argonaut launched in 1944. She served in the RCN until paid off on 31 Dec 1974. She was returned to the USN in 1974 and broken up in 1977.
3 Dec 1980 The Standing NATO Force Atlantic (SNFL) Squadron departed Rotterdam with HMCS Fraser being the Canadian participant. The original plan had called for SNFL to disperse for the Christmas period, however, Soviet troop movements in the vicinity of the Polish border in response to the Solidarity Movement resulted in a period of increased tension in Europe. Consequently, the Squadron was ordered not to disperse but keep at an alert state with all ships remaining within 72 hours steaming of Skagerrak just in case people needed to be evacuated from Poland. The European SNFL ships returned to their respective home ports for maintenance while Fraser and USS Valdez proceeded in company with HMS Norfolk arriving in Portsmouth the afternoon of 5 December. Fraser remained in Portsmouth over Christmas and New Year and sailed 4 January 1981 fueling via St. Johns arriving Halifax 14 January. The lack of support for RCN ships in this situation helped spur the establishment of the RCN’s Military Family Support Centres (MFRC) that have over time expanded CAF wide.
4 December 1940 HMCS Prince Henry is commissioned as an Armed Merchant Cruiser.
4-6 Dec 1950 A United Nations task force under Captain J.V. Brock, RCN, in HMCS Cayuga, and consisting of HMC Ships Athabaskan and Sioux, HMA Ships Warramunga and Bataan, the USS Forest Royal, covered the seaborne withdrawal of civilians and elements of the 8th Army (US) threatened by enemy advances in the Chinnampo area, Korea.
5 December HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Cayuga bombard the port of Chinnampo, the port of Pyongyang, Korea. It was a hazardous undertaking. The channel was narrow and shallow, and the North Koreans had seeded it with mines. Two ships ran aground and were forced to turn back for repairs. The remaining four destroyers, under the lead of Cayuga, proceeded slowly and cautiously up the channel in a nerve-wracking journey. Lieutenant (Lt) Andrew Collier (RCN) was Cayuga’s navigation officer and was responsible for ensuring the safe passage of the ship. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his work that night. VAdm Collier went on to commanded Commander Maritime Command in 1977. The Collier building at HMCS Venture is named in his honour.
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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