NAC News – Edition 666 HMCS Hallowell
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of April 24, 2026
Edition 666 HMCS Hallowell (River Class Frigate with a diverse post-war history. Surprised they used “666” given the biblical connotation. Could have had a spectacular ship’s badge)
Quote: “Leningrad Oblast Governor Alexander Drozdenko told the Leningrad Oblast regional assembly on April 15 that Leningrad Oblast has become a “frontline oblast,” explicitly noting recent Ukrainian strikes against “economic and port” facilities in the oblast. Drozdenko later published a post on his Telegram channel on April 17 stating that Russian authorities will bolster air defenses in Leningrad Oblast, including by providing additional material and tactical assistance to the Russian 6th Air Force and Air Defense Army (Russian Aerospace Forces [VKS] and the Leningrad Military District [LMD]). Drozdenko stated that authorities will also begin recruiting reservists to form mobile fire groups to be stationed near industrial facilities and critical infrastructure. Drozdenko stated that reservists will sign military service contracts for up to three years through the Leningrad Oblast Military Registration and Enlistment Office and specifically called for veterans of the war in Ukraine or others with combat experience to volunteer.” ISW, Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, researchers: Kateryna Shymkiv, Jessica Sobieski, Nikolai Sundstrom, Jennie Olmsted, Christina Harward, Grace Mappes, and Kateryna Stepanenko, 17 April 2026
Editor NAC News: Rod Hughes (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
Editor – The Association of British Columbia Marine Industries (ABCMI) of which NAC is a member, has approved a move to expand the mandate and scope of ABCMI in the representation of industry in B.C. to include defence; in name and in what we do and support. The name of the association will be changing from the Association of British Columbia Marine Industries (ABCMI) to the Association of British Columbia Defence and Marine Industries (ABCDMI). By including the representation of the defence industry in B.C. they are including all defence capability areas including land, sea, air, space, cyber, and joint. Their primary focus remains the marine sector and defence will be added in their representation as an additional subsector complementing the six marine subsectors that they represent.
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 commissioning into the RCN)
27 – 28 May 2026 CANSEC – Canada’s leading defence, security & emerging technology event. EY Centre, Ottawa, ON
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.
THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLE
Canada’s top general tries to reassure Ukraine as NATO tensions flare
US considers suspending Spain from NATO, reported internal email suggests then Nato says ‘no provision’ to expel members after report US could seek to suspend Spain
CANADA
Delivery of Canada’s U.S.-built P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft has slipped again, pushing all 14 (Editor – 1:15 min video)
Cellula’s Envoy AUV Exceeds 2,000 km Submerged on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power
Les Forces armées canadiennes atteignent le plus haut taux de recrutement depuis 30 ans & Canadian Armed Forces reach highest recruitment in 30 years
Why Canada’s military is nowhere near meeting its decade-old female recruitment target
Electric ferries are breaking records — and quietly joining Canada’s fleet
Lookout: 20 April 2026, Volume 71, Issue 8 & Volume 71, numéro 8, 20 avril, 2026
Trident: Lundi 20 avril 2026 Volume 60, édition 08 (éditeur – page 7 Le dîner de gala de la bataille de l’Atlantique, temps fort des activités navales à Halifax) & Monday 06 April 2026 Volume 60, Issue 07 (Editor – note page 7 Battle of the Atlantic Gala Dinner Anchors Halifax Naval Events)
NAC Naval Affairs: Bibliography RCN and WW2 (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: April, 20 2026
US Navy Secretary John C. Phelan steps down, ‘effective immediately’ with Pentagon chief in fact fired Navy secretary over disagreements — Axios (Editor – I chuckle that I found this article on TASS {never changed the name from Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union or in Russian: Telegrafnoye Agentsvo Sovyetskovo Soyuza}) further Trump Says Shipbuilding Clashes Led to Navy Secretary Phelan’s Firing
US Navy submits record $377.5bn funding request for fiscal 2027
U.S. Strikes Third Suspected Narco Boat in Three Days, Three Killed
Congress Confronts U.S. Shipbuilding Crisis as Maritime Buildout Meets Reality Check
American supercarrier downs drones with new laser weapon and US Navy fires laser weapon from aircraft carrier, destroys drones in ‘historic’ test
Navy Tests Long-Range Munition Capable of Maritime Strike, Mining Missions
Report: The Race is On to Bring Unmanned Combatants to Life
Navy Reviewing Ford-class Carrier Design Ahead of Future Contract Awards
On Time Columbia-class Delivery is ‘Life or Death Imperative,’ Sub Czar Gaucher Says
Navy Wants to Buy $17B Trump-class Battleship in FY 2028
Bird-Johnson to supply propellers for US Navy’s 100th DDG-51 destroyer (Editor – impressive as the 100th ship of the class!)
Ultra Maritime Takes on Torpedo Threats With ‘All-in-One’ Defense Concept
Lockheed to Integrate PAC-3 MSE Missile Into US Navy Aegis System (Editor – PAC-3 MSE Overview)
Navy ‘going to study’ possibility of building ships outside US, Phelan says
U.S. Coast Guard to Homeport First Two Arctic Security Cutters in Alaska
US Navy wants helicopter sonar that can detect subs – and mines
Brazil’s New Frigate Changes the South Atlantic Balance (Editor – 8:04 min video)
Panama Canal Traffic Climbs as Officials Downplay Congestion Fears
INDO-PACIFIC
Pacific Ocean and adjoining seas:
Australia, Canada, and U.S. conduct multilateral operations in South China Sea (Editor – misidentified Cyclone Helo)
China-Japan tensions escalate after Taiwan Strait passage
PLA Navy celebrates 77th anniversary with ships open to public; enhanced naval capabilities add fresh footnote to mission of peace: expert and China’s navy a solid force for maritime security and peace
Australia signs contract for three upgraded Mogami-class frigates while Japan loosens arms export rules in break from post-WW2 pacifism
U.S. Gerald R. Ford vs China’s Type 003 Fujian Aircraft Carrier: Who Leads Future Naval Air Power? with PLAN Carrier Fujian Expected to Achieve Full Readiness This Year, Chinese State Media Says
Japan’s JS Izumo shows off its new bow for the first time
Can NATO’s ‘Asia-Pacificization’ sustain its survival？
Japan’s MHI awarded contract to build three Upgraded Mogami-class Frigates
Australia readies itself for high-risk submarine life extension for Collins-class
HD Hyundai Finalizes Its First International Contract for an Icebreaker
Indian Ocean and adjoining seas:
US Intercepts Three Iranian Tankers in Asian Waters
India’s naval diplomacy expands training and partnerships across the Indian Ocean
US Navy’s USS Miguel Keith transits Malacca strait amid heightened regional tensions (Editor – the Spec Ops Swiss army knife heads towards ?)
India eyes advanced Scorpene submarines with Brahmos-NG to boost undersea deterrence
India Commits $1.4 Billion to the Creation of a Domestic P&I Club
KRI Canopus – _Indonesian Navy places large survey ship into service
EUROPE
Black and Caspian Seas:
EU approves huge new loan for Ukraine, just days after objector Orban’s defeat in Hungary
General David Petraeus – Ukraine Just Unleashed Something So TERRIFYING… Putin Knows It’s OVER! (Editor – the later drone tech portion is noteworthy – 9:00 min video)
Ukraine Hits Two Russian Landing Ships at Port of Sevastopol
Baltic Sea:
Nothing to report
Mediterranean Sea and its 15 marginal seas:
Nothing to report
General:
MLI: Gatekeepers: Russia’s Coast Guard and the control of Arctic sea lanes
Navantia, thyssenkrupp Team Up on Global Submarine Shipbuilding
Royal Navy nuclear submarine completes longest patrol on record
Royal Navy Type 45 fleet in 2026 where all six destroyers stand right now. (Editor – 16:19 min video) with envisioned Britain’s Type 83 Destroyer: Three Radical Designs, One Big Decision (Editor – 16:24 min video)
Chantiers de l’Atlantique Launches 3rd BRF Supply Ship for the French Navy
Rheinmetall Kraken launches production of USVs in Hamburg
Royal Navy hydrography – mapping the oceans in the age of autonomy
MIDDLE EAST
Why Iran’s 3 Submarines Disappeared in 12 Hours — The Underwater Hunt Nobody Saw (Editor – theatre ASW on display – 23:11 min video)
Carrier USS George H.W. Bush Now in U.S. Central Command After Traveling Around Africa (Editor – now 3 US carriers in the middle east)
UN’s Maritime Agency Prepares Hormuz Evacuation Plan for Hundreds of Ships
USNI: Clarity in Conflict: H.R. McMaster on the Iran War (Editor – 35:29 min video)
US intercepts and seizes Iranian-flagged cargo ship, Trump says with details US Opens Fire, Disables & Seizes an Iranian Ship Attempting to Break the Blockade | 19 April 2026 (Editor – 14:58 min video) and another explanation How US Marines Seized a 900-Foot Iranian Container Ship (Editor – 11:47n min video)
Iran Fires on Containership, Tanker and Cruise Ship Saying Hormuz is Closed with India flags ‘deep concerns’ over attack on two Indian ships in Strait of Hormuz
Trump orders U.S. military to ‘shoot and kill’ Iranian small boats choking Strait of Hormuz
U.S. Navy Intercepts and Redirects 30 Vessels from Iranian Ports in Gulf Blockade
Iran says it has seized two cargo ships in Strait of Hormuz after three vessels attacked
EU to Widen Iran Sanctions to Those Who Block Hormuz
Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is easier said than done. Here’s why
What people in power think the impact of the Iran war will be
UK and France to lead defensive mission in Strait of Hormuz
US Navy: Extent of mine threat in Strait of Hormuz remains unclear however Report: Removing Mines From Strait of Hormuz Could Take Six Months (Editor – truth is never 100% sure)
India, Pakistan navies operate in rare close proximity near Strait of Hormuz
France Opposes U.S. Involvement in Post-War Hormuz Security Mission
U.S. Expands Search for Contraband as Iranian Blockade Continues
US Navy Sends “Old” Avenger-Class Minesweepers to Strait of Hormuz (Editor – 10:20 min video)
GLOBAL INTERESTS
Shipping Industry Closes Ranks Behind IMO Ahead of High-Stakes Climate Talks
SCUTTLEBUTT
HMCS Labrador: An Operational History
The Atlantic Wall Had 3 Engineering Flaws. Germany Paid $160 Billion to Discover All Three | WW2 (Editor – 12:43 min video)
Type XXI U-boat’s Conning Tower: Nazi Germany’s Leap into Modern Submarine Warfare (’44 – ’45)
Faster Than A Torpedo (Editor – Alpha Class in a 13:38 min video)
Why Britain Destroyed The Last Ship To Survive Trafalgar (Editor – 3:14 min video)
Why is the Yamato Battleship Still There (Editor – 11:07 min video)
What REALLY Happened to America’s PT Boats After WW2 (Editor – 12:21cmin video)
Russia’s Unexpected Attack Against Britain’s Insanely Advanced Warship (Editor 26:12 min video)
THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
25 April 1945 Canada, one of 50 nations attending the founding United Nations Conference on International Organization, opening in San Francisco, California; eventually the United Nations Charter was approved on June 26. The UN replaced the League of Nations which was created by the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
25 April 1967 Commons passes Bill C-243, “The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act,” unifying the RCN, Canadian Army, and RCAF into one service, the Canadian Armed Forces, with common uniform and rank designations; the act came into effect 1 February 1968.
26 April 1778 Captain James Cook sails from Nootka Sound, tracing the coast of British Columbia.
26 April 1944 HMCS Huron commanded by LCdr Herbert S. Rayner, DSC, RCN, with HMCS Haida commanded by Cdr Harry G. DeWolf, DSO, RCN, and HMCS Athabaskan commanded by A/LCdr John H. Stubbs, DSO, RCN fought two German destroyers off Ile de Bas, France, and drove a flaming German warship T-29 aground. The modern HMCS Harry DeWolf is named in VAdm DeWolf’s honour.
28 April 1818 U.S. Senate ratifies the Rush-Bagot Convention, signed April 28 and 29, 1817 in Washington, making it a lawful treaty of the United States; limits naval forces on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain.
28 April 1941 The Hyde Park Declaration of 1941 detailed an agreement between the United States and Canada to allow American-produced war materials made in Canada, for Britain, to be included in the Lend-Lease agreement. The United States, still neutral at the time, had passed legislation allowing production of war materials for the Allied countries, with payment to be made later. The King government feared this would divert British orders in Canada to the United States, so Roosevelt and King devised the Hyde Park Declaration to alleviate this concern.
29 April 1941 Lt A.G.S. Griffin appointed A/C.O. of HMCS Pictou, K146 a Flower Class Corvette, while she was undergoing repairs of collision damage. He became the first RCNVR CO of an operational escort warship. After HMCS Pictou completing repairs and recommissioning Lt Griffin was confirmed as C.O. 5 Sept 1941.
29 April 1944 German torpedo boat T-24 sinks HMCS Athabaskan commanded by A/LCdr John H. Stubbs, DSO, RCN who was killed in action; 128 lost their lives and 86 were captured. Of the 128 men killed, 88 bodies were recovered by rescue teams or when they washed ashore; 60 of them are buried in the communal cemetery of the closest nearby village of Plouescat, France.
29 April 2020 An RCAF CH-148 Cyclone helicopter flying from HMCS Fredericton as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 under Operation REASSURANCE crashed into the Ionian Sea, killing four members of the RCAF and two members of the RCN: Master Corporal Matthew Cousins, Sub-Lieutenant Abbigail Cowbrough, Captain Kevin Hagen, Captain Brenden MacDonald, Captain Maxime Miron-Morin, and Sub-Lieutenant Matthew Pyke. A software fault in the fly-by-wire flight control system was determined to be the cause of the accident.
30 April 1884 Victoria coal baron Robert Dunsmuir starts building the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E&N) Railway, later known as the Vancouver Island Railway, to support the coal and lumber industry, and the Royal Navy Base at Esquimalt Harbour; on 13 August 1886 John A. Macdonald will drive home the last railway spike at Cliffside near Shawnigan Lake.
30 April 1941 The passenger/cargo ship SS Nerissa was pressed into service as a troopship. Her home port became Halifax. Her accommodation was increased from 229 to 250 passengers, and she was fitted with guns. In her 6 eastbound crossings to the UK, many of the passengers were Canadian and Newfoundland armed forces plus civilians, refugees, and Merchant Navy seamen. Convoy escort protection had been provided for 7 of her 12 transits through the most dangerous Western Approaches. On her 13th wartime crossing originated in Halifax, she was eastbound for Liverpool via St John’s Newfoundland. Embarked were: 105 (British, Newfoundland and Canadian) crew members, 152 armed forces, 14 American volunteer Air Transport Auxiliary pilots and 20 civilians. Her cargo was: 1,872 Tons of general items, 574 Tons of Aluminum, 352 Tons of ammunition shells, and 251 Tons of trucks (Canadian Army ambulances). Nerissa was sailing independently and was sunk by U-552, about 80 nautical miles northwest of Ireland and about a half-day from Liverpool. Of the ship’s eight lifeboats, only one was successfully launched, one was upright but flooded, four were capsized and two were pulled down with the ship. The next morning on the 1st of May, only 84 survivors remained alive to be rescued by HMS Veteran. The sinking resulted in the third largest loss of life for a ship sunk by U-boats in the approaches to the British Isles. The 207 casualties were: 81 Merchant Navy; 10 RCN; 73 Canadian Army; 4 Royal Navy; 8 RAF; 3 Royal Norwegian Air Force; 11 American ATA pilots; 3 National Defence staff; and 14 civilians (including 3 children). Worthy of mention the sinking of the Nerissa is considered the Canadian Logisticians Darkest Day. Forty-four military logisticians: one Pay Commander, Francis R.W. Nixon, RCN (age 37); 33 Corps of Military Staff Clerks; three Royal Canadian Army Pay Corps; three Royal Canadian Army Service Corps; and one Royal Canadian Ordnance Corp…and three National Defence HQ civilian auditors were killed.
30 April 1943 The Flag Officer Atlantic Coast, Rear-Admiral Leonard Murray, RCN became the only Canadian to command a Theatre of War during WWII under the title of Commander-in-Chief Canadian North West Atlantic. In doing so he became Commander-in-Chief of the area from the Gulf of Maine to Baffin Island, ranging out to mid-Atlantic, and thereby took control of all shipping movements in the western North Atlantic. “Experience had taught me this: to find out what you’re capable of it is only necessary to get a chance to do it, and someone else must have enough confidence in you to provide that chance.” Rear-Admiral Leonard W. Murray, who penned these words, was given that chance.
1 May 1942 The four-masted schooner SV James E. Newsom (Zwicker Geldert Shipping Co Ltd, Halifax, NS) was sailing independently from Turks Island, via Barbados with a declared cargo of sugar cane molasses, bound for St. John’s Newfoundland. The sails of a schooner on a northwesterly course were first sighted by U-69 (the first of the 568 Type VIIC class U-boats commissioned during the war) and the boat maneuvered ahead of the ship and at 17:28, started shelling the schooner with high explosive and incendiary rounds from the 3.5 inch deck gun followed by rounds from the 20 mm AA gun until the ship sank at 18:03 about 370 nm NE of Bermuda. The Master and 8 crewmembers abandoned ship in a lifeboat and made it to Bermuda.
1 May 1945 HMCS Uganda, on service in the Pacific, bombards air bases on the Sakishima Islands and comes under kamikaze attack by two Japanese planes.
1 May 1961 415 Maritime Patrol Squadron is reformed at Summerside, Prince Edward Island, flying Argus maritime patrol aircraft.
1 May 2002 HMCS St. John’s joins the Canadian Naval Task Group, part of the multinational anti-terrorism campaign in the Persian Gulf.
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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