NAC News – Edition 656 HMCS Tecumseh
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of February 13, 2026
Edition 656 HMCS Tecumseh Quote: “Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov used a February 4 interview with Russian state media outlet Russia Today (RT) to once again reject Western security guarantees for Ukraine. Lavrov referenced a recent report from the Financial Times (FT) outlining the reported multi-layered security guarantees agreement that the United States, Europe, and Ukraine have been discussing to respond to a possible Russian invasion of post-war Ukraine. Lavrov claimed that the reported security guarantees document is “practically an ultimatum” to Russia and that Ukraine would stage a false flag attack and blame Russia in order to receive a “carte blanche” from the West to renew fighting. Lavrov rejected a ceasefire that precedes a final peace resolution, claiming that the West will use such a ceasefire to supply Ukraine with weapons. Kremlin officials have repeated the same rhetoric about Western security guarantees in recent months, consistently calling such guarantees “unacceptable” for Russia and labelling foreign troop deployments to Ukraine as “legitimate” Russian targets.” ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, Christina Harward, Justin Young, Jessica Sobieski, Misha Simanovskyy, Samuel Shafiro, Diana Nasreddine, Anna Thacker, Kateryna Shymkiv, and Kateryna Stepanenko, 5 February 2026
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
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)
4-5 March 2026 CDAI 2026 Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence, Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel, Ottawa
30 April 2026 Maritime Defence and Security Symposium and Battle of the Atlantic (BOA) Gala, the Halifax Hotel, Halifax. The symposium will be co-hosted by NAC and the Canadian Maritime Security Network. The symposium theme “Canada in Alliance & Conflict: The Will of a Nation.” A reception will be held the evening of 29 April ahead of the symposium. The evening of 30 April NS NAC will host the National BOA Gala at the same venue. Details to follow in due course but mark your calendars and hold that date!
13-15 May 2026 NIBC 2026 Conference – Maritime Arctic Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour hotel, Victoria BC. (Editor – NAC-VI helps financially sponsor this event)
15 May 2026 11:00 am at Sackville Landing. The CNMT has indicated that to mark the 85th anniversary of the launch of HMCS Sackville (English) & (Française) that she will be ceremonially re-commissioning back into the RCN. For CNMT members you are invited to participate as members of the Re-Commissioning Crew with me J)
25-27 June 2026 RCN Historical Conference – CFB Esquimalt, venue possibly HMCS Venture. Details TBP.
13-16 July, 2026, Monday-Tuesday, Maritime & Arctic Security & Safety Conference (MASS) St. John’s Convention Centre, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Register early and receive 20% off conference passes. Offer available until April 1, 2026
THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLE
An era of ‘wrecking ball’ politics: What the Munich Security Report says about Canada’s moment of reckoning and The Carney Credo
Russia’s security post-New START, US’ global ambitions: Lavrov’s statements
CANADA
Rare! Inside the Operations Room of a Halifax-class Warship! (Editor – 16:45 min Go Bold Video)
Canada’s Race to Build New Warships
Vanguard: Submarine Capability: Building the Fleet Behind the Fleet
From Lab to Fleet: TKMS Launches a New Canadian Engine for Defence and Dual-Use Innovation with Ottawa bids for National Defence Bank: 3,500 jobs at stake
Is Canada Ready for a Massive Defence Surge? | The Rundown
TKMS and Magellan to Support Heavyweight Torpedo Production and In-Service Support for CPSP
CDAI: Wargaming in the Arctic (Editor – 41:17 min video) and In exclusive analysis, former Canadian defence chief says we can no longer afford to just claim the Arctic
Canadian Coast Guard’s new polar icebreaker program progresses as first steel arrives
CNR: Canadian Coast Guard: Special Edition of the Canadian Naval Review
CNR: Current Edition Volume 21, Number 3, 2026 with Why Does Canada Have a Navy? Reflecting on the Canadian Leadership at Sea Programme
In the Arctic, the major climate threat of black carbon is overshadowed by geopolitical tensions and Canada’s own regs Minister of Transport announces a domestic ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic & Le ministre des Transports annonce une interdiction nationale d’utiliser et de transporter du mazout lourd dans l’Arctique
Canada discreetly puts money down on 14 additional F-35s
DM/DMA Message: Increasing onsite presence in the public service & Message de la SM et la SMD : Présence sur place accrue dans la fonction publique
Canada’s military ombudsman flags decade-long failure to fix reservist compensation system from Marking time: A Decade of Stalled Progress for the Primary Reserve
& Marquer le pas : une décennie de progrès entravé pour la Première réserve
Military police ‘rushed to judgment’ before officer’s suicide, watchdog finds
Marine energy ‘key pillar’ in Canada’s clean energy transition, 2050 roadmap states
Canadian Passages Readings from the Archive (Editor – great initiative, a link to a website created by a volunteer at the CFB Esquimalt Naval & Military Museum, Kat Lowe Bader)
REPEAT Editor – I’d recommended before Christmas as a Santa gift Rich Gimblett & Karl Gagnon’s co-authored book Guardians of the North: Canadian Warships and Maritime Aircraft, 1910–2025. Well, my daughter not Santa gave me a copy, too big for a stocking stuffer. Well, the glowing reviews were spot on. If Santa didn’t favour you with one, I highly recommend you buy one on-line or go to a good bookstore! Rich has given me permission to use pertinent snippets from their book to augment the growing NAC News “This week in RCN/Maritime history” calendar, thanks.
RCN: Our Navy Today Volume 9 Issue 1
Lookout: 9 February 2026, Volume 71, Issue 3 (English) & (Française)
Trident: 9 February 2026 Volume 60, Issue 02 (Bilingue) (Editor – in keeping with the Change of Command ceremony (pg 7) Message from the Honourable David McGuinty on Black History Month & Message de l’honorable David McGuinty à l’occasion du Mois de l’histoire des Noirs
NAC Naval Affairs: Bibliography Naval Policy Documents (Editor – NAC Naval Affairs Papers, Briefing Notes, Niobe Papers, and much more. Please share with people you think may benefit from the knowledge, after all, that’s what your naval affairs programme is all about; enlightening Canadians about maritime affairs and the need for the RCN.
USA & AMERICAS
USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Feb. 9, 2026
PCU John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) Completes Builder’s Sea Trials
US Navy releases Hedge Strategy
In the Next Pacific War, America Will Be Imperial Japan
CNO Caudle on U.S. Navy rearmament, Red Sea, French Navy (Editor – 7:12 min video)
Improving Maintenance Timelines Key to On-Time Strike Group Deployments, CNO Says
Navy Says Columbia-class Sub Construction Schedule Improving
US Coast Guard orders five Arctic security cutters from Davie Defense
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer collides with supply ship during refueling
(Editor – people forget that day-to-day operations at sea can be dangerous) and COLLISION: USS Truxtun & USNS Supply Collide in the Caribbean, Feb 11, 2026 | Two Videos (Editor – 21:23 min analysis)
Marine Corps to Retire Last AV-8B Harrier IIs in June
Navy Public Affairs Renames, Realigns to Deliver More Capable Forces
USS Arleigh Burke sailors awarded Armed Forces Service Medal for ‘12-Day War’ operations
U.S. Southern Command Strikes Suspected Drug Boat, First Under New Commander with 2 Dead, 1 Survivor in US Strike on Suspected Narco Boat
An Inside Look at the Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM)
Navy leader wants to move faster, leaner instead of turning to carriers in crisis
Why Trump Is Relying on Coast Guard Special Forces for Key Missions | WSJ (Editor – 6:06 min video)
Funding Bill Moves Constellation Frigate Money for New FF(X) Program
SECNAV Phelan: FY 2027 Shipbuilding Budget Could be ‘More Than Double’ 2026 Ship Total
Lockheed Rolls Out Undersea Drone That Hitches to Vessels to Reach Contested Zones
Destroyer USS Truxtun Back Underway After Repair Delayed Deployment
RTX to Quadruple Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missile Production
NSWCDD delivers next-generation MK 38 defense system
Blue Water Autonomy Introduces Liberty Class, a 190-Foot Autonomous Ship for the U.S. Navy
Stowaway Smuggler Caught in San Juan Harbor With Nearly 800 Pounds of Cocaine
Panama President Says ‘Never Again’ to Exclusive Port Concessions After CK Hutchison Ruling
The Future of Sovereignty in the Deep Sea (Editor – 31:06 min USNI video)
Two Venezuela-Linked Tankers Detained in Dutch Caribbean Islands
Venezuela Ships First Crude Cargo to Israel as Oil Exports Reopen
Panama Canal Opens Floodgates as Gatun Lake Reservoir Hits Maximum Capacity the dichotomy The Panama Canal is forgotten: a new interoceanic corridor opens that will change global trade
U.S. Warns Peru is ‘Losing Sovereignty’ Over Chinese-Owned Chancay Port
INDO-PACIFIC
Pacific Ocean and adjoining seas:
Sanae Takaichi opens Pandora’s Box in East Asia (Editor – the rhetoric is ratcheting up. This form of propaganda dehumanizes the opposition and presents them as monstrous. Depicting the enemy as an evil, destructive aggressor can instigate hatred)
Japan says it seized Chinese vessel amid tensions with Beijing
China’s Xi Jinping makes rare reference to recent military purge
Making hay while Trump shines: China’s tactical step back
Chinese Carrier-based Fighter Seen Equipped with New Supersonic Anti-ship Missile
Will Taiwan meet submarine delivery deadline, unlock defence budget with Hai Kun tests?
U.S. Navy Deploys Two Nuclear Attack Submarines Near Guam as Indo-Pacific Tensions Rise
Indonesian Navy Wants Ex-Italian Aircraft Carrier to be Delivered Before October 5
Australia’s destroyer HMAS Hobart enters upgrade phase
HII’s REMUS 100 Logs 935 Missions in Australia
Taiwan to Construct 10 Light Frigates for Air Defense, Anti-submarine Missions
Philippine Government Fires 14 Officials Over Deadly Ferry Disaster
Oil Tankers Hauling Russian Oil Flood East Asia, Racing for Buyers
Indian Ocean and adjoining seas:
India Seizes Three Tankers in First Action Against Dark Fleet
Visakhapatnam set for historic naval trio: Fleet Review, Milan 2026 and ION symposium
U.S. Seizes Shadow Fleet Tanker Aquila II in Indian Ocean After 10,000-Mile Pursuit
India’s Coast Guard Busts International Oil Smuggling Ring as Enforcement Pressure Mounts
U.S. Navy Test Launches Interceptor Lightfish Drone from Seychelles Coast Guard Ship
EUROPE
Black and Caspian Seas:
Editor – Nothing to report.
Baltic Sea:
How tiny island in ‘Nato Sea’ could be Putin’s next target (Editor – 4:16 min Sun video)
Estonia warns of Russian drone warfare as Moscow rebuilds forces
Swedish FMV Admiral on future frigates, A26 submarine and LUUV (Editor – 6:37 min video)
Chinese Captain Pleads Not Guilty to Baltic Sea Cable Damage (Editor – we will see how this plays out in a Honk Kong court)
Mediterranean Sea:
At last 53 killed after migrant boat sinks off Libyan coast
Russian Military Cargo Ship Draws Attention Lingering for Days off Sardinia
General:
Canada urges NATO to make Arctic Sentry initiative permanent and NATO Launches Arctic Mission After Trump’s Greenland Threats
UK faces rising undersea threat, MPs warned in stark evidence session
Police: Russian crew members pose a significant espionage threat
EU Escalates its Crackdown on the Russian Shadow Fleet…But Increases its Import of Russian LNG (Editor – 14:32 min video)
Cold War Battlescruiser, Modern Price: Russia’s Costly Admiral Nakhimov Upgrade
Russia names three suspects in shooting of general (Editor – follow up on last week’s article)
New Standardized Vessels For The Royal Norwegian Navy? (Editor – 6:23 min video)
UK develops options for future ice patrol ship capability
Royal Navy outlines AI drive to speed targeting cycle
Investigation underway following incident with Belgian Navy’s new minehunter at Zeebrugge docks
Morocco Deploys FREMM Frigate in French Carrier Escort Operation as ORION 2026 Expands at Sea (Editor – “one of the most notable additions”)
How will the Type 26 frigates be shared between the Norwegian Navy and Royal Navy? and UK’s record Type 26 frigate export deal to keep Scottish shipyards busy until ‘at least 2040’
TKMS and SpearUAV partner to advance sub-to-air drone capabilities for underwater platforms
Spain puts all of its Aegis frigates to sea at once
French Navy’s new FDI frigate visits Sweden (Editor – 14:14 min video)
France Launches First of Seven New Offshore Patrol Vessels
Russia approves underwater survey of sunken dock obstructing Admiral Kuznetsov carrier repairs
Navy creates ‘ultimate repair shop’ to fix vital kit and save millions of pounds
Russia’s Northern Sea Route Cargo Volumes Fall for Second Straight Year
EU Escalates Crackdown on Russia’s Shadow Fleet With Full Maritime Services Ban however Greece and Malta Hesitate Over EU’s Russia Oil Services Ban
Western Seizures Drive Sanctioned Tankers Back to Russian Registry
Arctic tourist resort is becoming shadow tanker hub
MIDDLE EAST
General:
U.S. Air Force Deploys A-10C Warthogs to Protect Navy Mine Warfare Operations in Arabian Gulf
China lifts veil on secretive underwater combat vehicle at Saudi Arabia defence show
Saudi Arabia orders lightweight torpedoes from Fincantieri’s WASS
Why Trump Is Sending So Much Firepower Toward Iran (Editor – 2:44 min WSJ video)
ADSB Launches First Al-Dorra-class Patrol Vessel for Kuwait at Company’s 30th Anniversary
MARAD Warns Ships After Iranian Attempt to Board U.S. Tanker in Strait of Hormuz
Supertankers Speed Through Strait of Hormuz as Geopolitical Risk Mounts
U.S. Sanctions Iran’s Shadow Fleet as Nuclear Talks Resume
The Era of Quiet Tolerance May Be Ending for Iran’s Dark Fleet
Red Sea and Gulf of Aden:
French Navy dials up stress level in crew drills after Red Sea experience
GLOBAL INTERESTS
SA’s first locally built unmanned surface vessel successfully delivered
The shadowy world of abandoned oil tankers and The ghost ships in the English Channel and the question of what to do about them (Editor – comprehensive global summary)
CIMSEC: A Sustainable Approach to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery?
SCUTTLEBUTT
Why did the Allies scrape the paint off German U-boats? (Editor – 1:00 min video)
HMS Barham Explodes on Camera (Editor – 1:00 min video)
They Called It “Impossible” — Until His Weapon Sank 47 U-Boats (Editor – 41:45 min video)
THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
14 February 1945 Five Motor Torpedo Boats (459, 461, 462, 465, 466) of the Canadian 29th Flotilla accidently burned in Ostende harbour, only three other boats were saved. 26 RCN and 35 RN crew were killed. Most of their bodies, however, were burned beyond recognition, with the result that of the Canadians, only 5 have graves with a headstone in the nearby cemeteries, 3 in Oostende and 2 in Adegen, Belgium. The remainder are named on the Halifax Memorial. This disaster was a stunning blow to the men of the small craft everywhere; and only the 65th Canadian Flotilla now remained to carry on to the end of the war with what was perhaps the most colourful, the most closely knit and the most thoroughly “allied” of all forces in which men of British, Canadian, French and many other nationalities worked together.
14 February 1950 HMCS Cayuga was ordered to proceed with all dispatch to a search area off the Queen Charlotte Sound and Hecate Strait to search for USAF B36 2075 which had gone down in the early morning hours. This was a Broken Arrow (U.S. flag word for a missing nuclear weapon that does not create the risk of nuclear war). HMCS Cayuga remained on station as OTC coordinating the search on Princess Royal Island until 22 Feb 1950 when the search was called off. All but 5 of the crew were found. The crash site was not found until six years later, on the side of Mount Kologet, about 50 miles (80 km) east of the Alaskan border, roughly due east of the towns of Stewart, British Columbia, and Hyder, Alaska, on the east side of the isolated Nass Basin northwest of Hazelton, British Columbia. Since 1950, there have been 32 officially recognized Broken Arrow incidents. To date, six nuclear weapons remain lost and have never been recovered.
15 February 1965 The new maple leaf flag was made official by a proclamation from Queen Elizabeth II on January 28, 1965. On February 15 of that year, it was inaugurated in a public ceremony on Parliament Hill. The RCN commensurately lowered the white and blue ensigns for the last time on ships and shore establishments, replacing it with the new flag.
15 February 1982 the semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit “Ocean Ranger” sank in what was one of the worst offshore accidents in Canadian history. The Ocean Ranger was drilling and exploration well on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland for Mobil Oil of Canada, Ltd with 84 crew members on board when it sank in a storm. There were no survivors.
16 February 1945 HMCS Saint John commanded by Cdr (RN) AFC Layard (Temporarily in Command while A/LCdr William R. Stacey, DSC, RCNR was absent) sank the German submarine U-309 off the northeast coast of Scotland near Moray Firth.
17 February 1933 In the spring of 1934 RCAF Station Vancouver and its two detachments (Nos. 1 and 11) were re-organized into No. 4 (Flying Boat) Squadron, which had been authorized to form at Jericho Beach, Vancouver. The establishment of the squadron was precipitated by the Japanese aggression in China threatening war between it and the United States and drawing attention to the need to defend Canadian neutrality on the West Coast.
18 February 1944 Sixteen Canadian minesweepers, in four divisions of four ships, begin to leave St. John’s for British waters to take part in the invasion of Normandy.
19 February 1944 Motor Torpedo boats of the 29th and 65th (Canadian) Flotillas began to be commissioned (continues until 31 March).
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. Recently “Guardians of the North” written by NAC members Rich Gimblett & Karl Gagnon. 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) Last and far from least Gary Weir’s For Prosperity’s Sake RCN historical project site.
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE NAC
If you are receiving NAC News, consider friends joining NAC – Membership and Renewal plus NAC Naval Affairs Papers, Briefing Notes, Niobe Papers, and much more.
Link to Starshell Magazine Other Interesting Web Sites Archived weekly NAC News
Social Media: Facebook X Linkedin
Should you wish to donate or leave a memorial, consider donating to the NAC, its Branches (NAC member Login required) or the NAC Endowment Fund. Donations to the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Education Foundation should be made through its website.
NAC reference to assist veterans and/or seniors is located at Veteran’s Corner
KEEP IN TOUCH WITH THE RCN
Facebook – RoyalCanadianNavy | MarineRoyaleCanadienne;
Twitter – @RoyalCanNavy | @MarineRoyaleCan;
LinkedIn – RoyalCanadianNavy-MarineRoyaleCanadienne
Instagram – RoyalCanNavy | MarineRoyaleCan;
Flickr – RoyalCanadianNavy-MarineRoyaleCanadienne
YouTube – RoyalCanadianNavy | MarineRoyaleCanadienne
Vimeo – RoyalCanadianNavy-MarineRoyaleCanadienne
|
You are receiving this email because you are associated with NAC and have been receiving NAC News. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe by emailing the publisher: naccoordinator@navalassoc.ca
Copyright © 2026 Naval Association of Canada, all rights reserved.