NAC News – Edition 661 HMCS Antigonish
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of March 20, 2026
Edition 661 HMCS Antigonish (River/Prestonian Class Frigate) Quote: “We lack the mandate from the United Nations, the European Union or NATO required under the Basic Law,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin, adding that Washington and Israel had not consulted Germany before launching the war: “That is why the question of how Germany might become militarily involved here does not arise.”
Rod Hughes: Editor NAC News (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
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23 March 2026 Take the 2026–2027 Advocacy Survey The Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) looks toward the 2026–2027 period, their priority remains clear: to serve as a strong, unified voice that ensures members of the CAF have the resources, support, and capabilities they need to carry out the missions entrusted to them. To do this effectively, CDA (of which NAC is a member) needs to hear directly from you. The information gathered through this survey will be instrumental in developing our upcoming advocacy strategy. Your insights ensure that CDA’s efforts accurately reflect the needs and priorities of the entire defence community.
21-22 April 2026 ABCMI & COAST Defence and Security Innovation Forum, Vancouver Convention Centre. The Forum there will be significant involvement of the RCN and the CCG as we learn of their interest in innovation and the adaptation of technologies and their intent to establish new capacities and capabilities. The Forum will also feature a wide-ranging set of panels that will be relevant to all companies working in the marine and defence sectors on Canada’s west coast.
28 April 2026 Vanguard Simulation & Training Forum, National Arts Centre1 Elgin Street, Ottawa. Not able to attend in person – all speaker sessions will be live streamed to facilitate virtual participation. Super Early Bird open now.
29-30 April 2026 Naval Association of Canada Defence and Maritime Security Conference themed “Canada in Alliance: Maritime Security in a Changing World” & 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!
NEW CDAI: Graduate Student Conference 2026 – The Road to 5%: Next Generation Key Dates: 8 April 2026: Biography & 200 word statement of interest submission deadline. Successful applicants will be notified the following week. Key dates – 1 May 2026: Paper deadline, full paper submission, 3,000 words. 6 May 2026: Networking Reception 7 May 2026: Graduate Student Conference. The following awards: First place – $3,000, Second Place – $2,000, Third Place – $1,000, & Honourable Mentions (4) – $750 each. The highest-ranked papers will be considered for CDAI publication.
12-14 May 2026 Mari-Tech 2026 ABCMI Co-hosting with CIMaRE & SNAME Venue: Victoria Conference Centre, 720 Douglas Street’ Victoria, BC
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.)
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 1 April 2026
THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLE
Why are US allies increasingly anxious? (Editor – The author is a professor at the Institute of International Relations at China Foreign Affairs University)
Trump urges UK and other nations to send warships to Strait of Hormuz however Trump urges allies to defend the Strait of Hormuz, but no one’s fully signed on with U.S. allies wary of Trump’s pleas for help in Strait of Hormuz amid war in Middle East another The security of Hormuz doesn’t depend on the number of warships patrolling it (Editor – an about face as it was only 5 March when Trump accuses Starmer of seeking to ‘join wars after we’ve already won’ and says UK aircraft carriers not needed) and the U.S. Allies Rebuff Trump’s Request for Support in Strait of Hormuz
CANADA
Editor – the Admirals’ Medal Selection Committee chaired by Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Mark Norman has selected NAC member Dr. Rob Huebert of the University of Calgary as the recipient of the 2025 Admirals’ Medal award. This is a significant achievement and reflects on Rob’s outstanding contribution to maritime affairs. The medal recognizes his commitment to promoting the importance of security and defence in Canada’s Arctic, and the huge body of outstanding work he has undertaken in this area over his long career in academia. BZ Rob!
Carney announces $35B for defence, infrastructure in Canada’s North
As Trump pauses Russian shadow fleet sanctions, Carney says Canada holding firm
Rising fuel costs from Iran conflict drive up shipping and consumer prices
CGAI: Inside Canada’s Naval Command (Editor – David Perry sits down with Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Cdr RCN in a 47:11 min podcast)
NAC: 18 February Naval Affairs Guest Speaker interview with Captain(N) Rob Watt is now available online (Editor 1:19:48 min video) with the imminent 24 March 2026 Guest Speaker’s Evening with Cmdre Scott Robinson discussing his role in shaping the future as the RCN’s Director General Naval Force Development. His bio can be found here. Register at http://nac-o.wildapricot.org/event-6586882. You will be provided with login information for the event.
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES: Defending the Middle East? (Editor – Esprit de Corps %:12 min video)
CDR: TKMS Special Edition: Type 212CD (Editor – infographic on pages 16/17 is impressive)
Defence Investment Agency awards contract to replace current Canadian Armed Forces assault rifles & L’Agence de l’investissement pour la défense attribue un contrat pour remplacer les fusils d’assaut des Forces armées canadiennes
Canadian Coast Guard spring icebreaking operations underway & Le déglaçage printanier de la Garde côtière canadienne est en cours
Op-Ed: Ships Should Meet the Polar Code Before Entering Canadian Arctic (Editor – not sure what “an experienced Arctic practitioner” is.)
SEA Canada Awarded River-class Destroyers Implementation Phase Contract by LM Canada
B.C. Ferries’ final new Island Class ferry hits water for testing
Shocking Truth About the Northwest Passage (Editor – perspective in a 17:52 min video)
NAC Naval Affairs: Bibliography RCN and Peace Operations (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: March 16, 2026
The Navy’s Latest Is Not a Plan, Not a Strategy, and Not Fighting Instructions
Navy Extends USS Nimitz Service Life to 2027, in Line with Carrier John F. Kennedy’s Delivery
CIMSEC: Driving Toward Distributed Maritime Operations: Getting the Navy Out of Its VLS Hole (Editor – great summary, but they never include allies in the equation)
Pentagon’s Director, Operational Test & Evaluation 2025 Annual Report (Editor – the summary is manageable of a 394-page report. Pages 132 and 149 may be of particular interest)
U.S. Scales SM-3 Interceptor Support to $11.7B as Aegis Missile Defense Expands Through 2029
U.S. Navy Awards $15.4B Columbia-Class Submarine Contract to Secure Nuclear Deterrence Through 2035
Brazil receives first Tamandaré-class frigate to protect Amazonia Azul maritime zone
Textron Systems hands over LCAC 115 to US Navy
US Navy picks Anduril for XL-AUV program
Damen to build three next-gen patrol vessels for Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard
Video: OOCL Boxship Docks in California with Collapsed Container Stack
INDO-PACIFIC
CDAI: Forging Strategic Partnerships: Canada and the Indo-Pacific (Editor – 53:50 min video)
Pacific Ocean and adjoining seas:
China Not Committed to 2027 Taiwan Invasion, U.S. Intel Report Says
Thousands of Chinese boats mass at sea, raising questions (Editor – strange indeed)
PLA repels Philippine aircraft’s illegal intrusion over China’s Huangyan Dao: source
North Korea Fires 10 Missiles Over Sea of Japan in Latest Multiple Rocket Launcher System Test
Lockheed Martin delivers new AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar equipment to Japan (Editor – similar radar as Canada’s Fraser Class)
CIMSEC: Operation Highmast: UK eastern deployment for a “two-carrier navy”
Inside the 10,000-Ton “Submarine Killer” Australia Bet Everything On (Editor – 15:04 min video)
Japan launches third and fourth Sakura-class OPVs for JMSDF
Taiwan Navy Takes Delivery of the First Tuo Chiang-class Batch 2 Catamaran Corvette
US Navy rotates last cruiser homeported in Japan to San Diego
What’s important about Antelope Reef in the South China Sea’s Paracel Islands?
VESSEL REVIEW | Matilda 1 – New stern landing vessel boasts long-distance navigation capability
Supply Boat Caught Smuggling Drugs Now Issued a Distress Call off Australia
Indian Ocean and adjoining seas:
Overcoming Diego Garcia misinformation
3-Ship Tripoli ARG, 31st MEU Transit Malacca Strait En Route to the Middle East
Indian Navy’s IOS SAGAR 2.0 Bolsters Regional Maritime Ties With 16 IONS Nations
Will India Soon Have a “Modi Doctrine”?
The Iran War Is Now Impacting AUKUS
Indian Naval Escorts Shield Critical Energy Imports as Hormuz Blockade Disrupts Global Trade Routes
India’s MIGM: Homegrown Naval Mine to Neutralise Stealth Naval Menace
Indian Navy Looks to Match America’s MQ-4C Triton With Jet-Powered Drone
EUROPE
Black and Caspian Seas:
Israel Strikes Iranian Naval Vessels on the Caspian Sea (Editor – a new wrinkle)
Ukraine to Deploy New Long-Range Naval Drones for Open-Sea Operations with UK Support
Russia exploiting Iran war, Zelensky says after fresh bombardment
Caspian Sea Explained. (Editor – 2:27 min video)
Baltic Sea:
Sweden Boards Sanctioned Tanker Suspected of Sailing Under False Flag and then Sweden detains captain of Russian shadow fleet ship
Latvia to acquire naval strike missile coastal defense system from Kongsberg
You won’t hear It… You won’t see It – The ghost submarine set to haunt the enemy in seabed warfare (Editor – 3:42 min video)
Mediterranean Sea:
The Royal Navy’s radar in the sky (Editor – 1:42 min video) then Merlin Crowsnest takes flight over Cyprus on lookout for enemy missiles and drones
Armed Forces to be supplied with more missiles to counter Iranian drone threat
USS Gerald R. Ford Headed to Souda Bay for Repairs After Fire
Italy Weighs Options as Damaged Russian LNG Tanker Drifts in the Mediterranean
British warship enters Mediterranean Sea
General:
Former NATO chief says he doesn’t think allies will be pulled further into Middle East conflict
Russian strategic missile subs fully combat-ready — Navy Commander with Russia deploys two-thirds of its nuclear submarine force in Arctic forcing US to rethink deterrence
USNI: Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks (Editor – given the on-going challenges with Russia a fascinating 41:11 min video)
HMS Mersey tracks successive Russian warship transits through the Channel
Will Canada Outpace the UK in Surface Fleet Numbers? (Editor – mix of points and pics in a 19:06 min video)
German MoD plans to purchase four MEKO A-200 class frigates
German F126: Rheinmetall plans to deliver the prototype ship for final outfitting in 2028
France Dedicates First Super Carrier to WWII Resistance Forces and France Confirms 3 Electromagnetic Catapults for PA-NG Next-Generation Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
Russia’s Newest Arc7 LNG Carrier ‘Konstantin Posyet’ Leaves Zvezda Yard For Possible Sea Trials
Italy looks to acquire a containerized naval mine laying system
UK and Norway plan 30 new vessels for coastal ops
Soviet flag flies as first Murmansk passenger voyage reaches Svalbard
MIDDLE EAST
General:
Why the US Navy Rushed USS Tripoli to the Strait of Hormuz (Editor – 17:33 min video. I spotted RCN ships twice)
Saudi Arabia Loses Patience as Red Sea Terminal and Refinery are Targeted
Iran is Making Unimpeded Use of the Strait of Hormuz
Report to Congress on the Iran Conflict and Strait of Hormuz and US intelligence chief says Iran’s regime ‘intact’ but ‘degraded’
ISW: Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, March 18, 2026 (Editor – “Zelensky stated on March 17 that there are 201 Ukrainian military experts deployed to the Middle East and that Ukraine is “ready” to send another 34 experts to the region.”
Over 100 Iranian warships destroyed, US claims and List of Vessels Attacked Since Start of War in Iran
The Iran Naval & Economic War – Hormuz, Energy Exports & The End of the Iranian Navy? (Editor – explanatory 59:26 min video)
Is Iran waging war with mines in the Strait of Hormuz? | About That (Editor – CBC News 2:58 min video) with Forty years of Royal Navy mine warfare in the Gulf
The US has several options to counter Iranian mines. These are some key assets
Indian Warships Escort Indian LPG Tankers in Gulf of Oman & India, Pakistan Escort Nationally-owned Tankers in Gulf of Oman
Several countries negotiate with Iran on passage through Strait of Hormuz — report
Iran vows retaliation for U.S. attack on Kharg Island oil hub as war enters 3rd week with Trump Warns Iran’s Oil Lifeline at Risk After Major U.S. Strike on Kharg Island and Watch: Why Kharg Island is a lifeline for Iran (Editor – 1:06 min video) significantly U.S. orders 2,500 marines, amphibious assault ship to Mideast after almost 2 weeks of war
U.S. Navy Shot at an Iranian Vessel That Got Too Close to a Supercarrier & Iran tried Attacking the USS Lincoln – Big Mistake (Editor – 2:30 min video)
Why the US Navy Is Letting Iran’s Hormuz Blockade Destroy Itself (Editor – interesting perspective in a 16:45 min video)
Advanced Indian Warships Heighten Vigil Amid Persian Gulf Tensions (Editor – I presume they join one of the Combine Maritime Forces CTF 153?)
Iranians Commence Mining in the Strait of Hormuz with As Iran Lays Mines, Two Gulf-Based Minesweepers Moved to Malaysia
Ship Tracking Suggests Iran May Be Verifying Ships Before Allowing Hormuz Exit
UAE Is Wiping the Strait of Hormuz Off the Map and Building Its Own Secret Bypass (Editor – noteworthy ramification s explained 21:37 min video)
Probe reveals US Navy oiler ran aground in Arabian Sea following last-minute course change
Red Sea and Gulf of Aden:
USS Ford’s Laundry Room Fire Left 600 Crewmembers Without Berthing
Supertankers Build Up in Red Sea as Saudi Arabia Races to Bypass Hormuz
Red Sea Crisis Reinforced Need to be Ready at Sea, say Western Navy Chiefs
GLOBAL INTERESTS
Italian Military Exports Are Exploding. Here’s Why. (Editor – 8:15 min video)
Shadow fleets of sanctions-skirting ships facing global crackdown: analysis
US moves to scrap IMO net-zero shipping framework (Editor – absurd)
SCUTTLEBUTT
Adrift in the Bay of Biscay (Editor – HMCS Guysborough)
Mothballed Nuclear Submarines (Editor – 111:00 min video)
THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
22 March 1944 SS Watuka (Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Company, New Glasgow, NS) with a cargo of 1998 tons of coal, was one of five ships transiting from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Halifax in an unescorted convoy SH-125. The five ships departed Sydney on 21 March. The ships were approaching Halifax when U-802 fired a spread of three torpedoes at the overlapping ships and an acoustic torpedo was fired at one of the ships. Three detonations were heard but only Watuka was hit, and she sank 15 nautical miles SE of Halifax. Two crew members were killed. However, the master, 22 crew members and two gunners were picked up by the trawler HMCS Anticosti.
23 March 1965 Fifteen RCAF aviators and a Scientific Advisor were killed when their CP-170 Argus patrol plane went down in a nighttime ASW training exercise off Puerto Rico. See note for 27 March 1957.
24 March 1941 The Rush-Bagot Agreement of 1817, which restricted the number of naval vessels allowed on the Great Lakes, is modified to allow both American and Canadian naval vessels to operate on the Great Lakes in greater numbers.
26 March 1941 HMCS Otter was a civilian, steel-hulled yacht named Conseco that was converted for naval service and commissioned in Oct 1940. The ship was used as a training vessel and for anti-submarine patrols as part of the Halifax Local Defence Force. Otter was tasked to escort HMS Talisman into port and was await the submarine’s arrival near the Sambro Light Vessel when a fire broke out. While fighting the fire, the engines and electric pumps failed, and the Captain gave the order to abandon ship after the code books had been destroyed and the magazines had been flooded. The crew faced heavy seas and one lifeboat capsized while awaiting rescue. Two officers and seventeen ratings died in the incident, all were RCNVR/RCNR, and six crew earned Mentions in Despatches, three posthumously.
27 March 1957 The first flight of the Canadair CP-107 Argus maritime patrol aircraft flew. Derived from the Britannia airliner frame including the first large scale use of titanium in its structure. The 33 aircraft acquired for the RCAF were one of the most effective anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft of its day, the Argus was a mainstay for the RCAF. A flight crew of 15 consisting of three pilots, three navigators (Observer Long range), two flight engineers and six radio officers. An Argus flown by 407 Maritime Patrol Squadron on 1-2 October 1959 held the Canadian military record of slightly over 31 hours for the longest flight by an unrefuelled aircraft, while covering 4,570 mi (7,350 km) from New Zealand to Hawaii. The Argus flew its last service mission on 24 July 1981 and was replaced by the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora.
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.
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