NAC News -Edition HMC MTB 469

Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of July 8th, 2022

Edition: HMC MTB 469 (WWII 72 feet British Power Boat built Motor Torpedo Boat. 21 Aug 1944, MTB 469 helped rescue the survivors (3 officers and 28 men) of the HMCS Alberni sinking)

Quote of the week: “Canadian shipyards were to build, and the navy was to man sixty-four corvettes, and in addition to the corvettes, ten Bangor class minesweepers. This programme large as it seemed, was to be hugely expanded in the future. It was perhaps the first of the great projects linking the services with industry in the total effort of the war. Canadians were going to build the shipyards, find the materials, train the workmen, master the innumerable skills necessary for building a fleet of warships. Far Distant Ships – An Official Account of Canadian Naval Operations in World War II, pg. 29, Joseph Schull, 1950

Rod Hughes – Editor NAC News rhughes@shaw.ca (Comments welcome to help improve this service.)

Links to keep in touch with the NAC and RCN can be found at the bottom of this email. Contact David Soule executivedirector-nac@outlook.com if you wish someone to be added to the NAC News email distribution. (Influencer or good candidates to become a NAC member, and note the first year’s NAC & Branch membership dues are waived)

NOTICES

Job Posting – Executive Director NAC

Naval Reserve 100th Anniversary 2023. Crow’s Nest Magazine Jan 1962 – Now it’s the RCNR. The UNTD Association of Canada has started a list. Please inform David Soule if you know of other events as they develop.

Time to Get Involved in Your National and Branch Organizations. If you have an interest in becoming more involved with your Branch or with National level programmes either as a potential member for the Board of Directors, part of our naval affairs team or can offer other talents such marketing our “products” and brand to increase our membership numbers please contact me or your branch president/representative. We need your talent and NAC always needs a fresh pool of willing volunteers. So why not step forward and get more involved in some very worthwhile endeavours. We need you!

14-16 November 2022 Registration for Maritime Security Challenges 2022 in Victoria BC is open! The past two years have seen an explosion of major events and trends that are shaking the world: a once-in-a-century-pandemic; a land war in Europe; international energy and food crises; the rise of authoritarian political movements and governments; more dramatic weather; and decades-high inflation. Many of these issues are playing out at sea, as shipping costs soar, navies modernize to protect their national maritime claims, and state rivalries flourish in the maritime domain.

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THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES

Finland, Sweden take huge step toward NATO membership and Canada is 1st country to ratify requests from Sweden and Finland to join NATO

China: MI5 and FBI heads warn of ‘immense’ threat

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CANADA

Dirk Lesko Appointed President of Irving Shipbuilding (Editor – impressive)

New shipbuilding delay leaves Canada reliant on allies, civilian ship to supply navy

Naval Security Team trains on Okanagan Lake in Kelowna, B.C.

60 Seconds with S1 Malabre

Purchase of robotic mine-hunting system for Canadian navy faces delays with focus on support for Ukraine

Former crew say goodbye to storied research ship Hudson, as replacement awaited

Canada and Latvia Sign Joint Declaration to Augment NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Latvia

Prominent Vancouver Island family collateral victims of Victoria bank robbery

Hair colouring, face tattoos permitted under new military dress rules (Editor – a rehash of the previuosly announced changes)

RCNBF Celebrates 80 Years (Editor – in case you missed this last week, the rejuvenated RCNBF lives on to do great work)

Lookout: Volume 67 Number 26 | July 4, 2022 (Editor – a great front cover pic!)

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USA & AMERICAS

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: July 7, 2022

George H. W. Bush CSG Certified to Deploy

Missile Sub Drills Show How Special Operators Would Get to the Front Line in a Fight Against China

Coast Guard Offloads $5.2 Million in Seized Cocaine in San Juan, Puerto Rico while Cutter Northland Returns Home after 76-day Eastern Pacific Counter-Narcotics Patrol

Austal USA Wins U.S. Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter Construction Contract Worth Up to $3.3 Billion

P-8 Poseidon: The Real Hunter Killer of Submarine and Welcome on board a US NAVY P8 ‘POSEIDON’ Patrol Aircraft (Editor – respectively 4:45 min and 2:21 min videos)

US Navy can’t keep up with demand for highly trained warfare tactics instructors

The Brazilian Navy has formed a squadron for the use of UAVs

Navy report: Multiple errors poisoned Pearl Harbor water

USACE Awards $1 Billion Contract for New Lock at the Soo Phase 3 and Photos: First Modern U.S.-Built Great Lakes Bulk Carrier Begins Trials

NASSCO to Build of Three Additional Navy Ships

U.S. Navy Comments On USS Connecticut Submarine

We Remember The US Merchant Marine’s Bravest Sailors This 4th Of July

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INDO-PACIFIC

Pilot of HMCS Vancouver and CH-148 Cyclone Canuck land on Chilean ship

Japan protests Chinese navy sailing near disputed islands

Chinese intelligence ship Tianlangxing spotted near Japanese Islands

Myanmar conducts naval exercise Sea Sheild-2022 off Raknine coast

Aircraft carrier Shandong wraps up maintenance, prepares for voyage

Kongsberg pens contract with Australia for Naval Strike Missile

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to visit Vietnam

CIMSEC: Sea Control 359 – maritime radiological and nuclear trafficking with Jay Benson (Editor – 30:32 min podcast)

Twelve Bodies Recovered From Waters Off Hong Kong After Typhoon Chaba Sinks Ship

KSOE bags $2.2 billion order for 10 LNG carriers

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EUROPE

Ukraine:

Ukraine Flag Raised On Reclaimed Snake Island so Opinion: Why Did Russia Give Up Snake Island?

Ukraine Is Turning The Tide Against Russian Navy In Black Sea

DoD: Ukraine Sinks Russian Supply Ship With Harpoon Missile

Russian landing craft sinks after hitting sea mine

Russia dredges up landing ship hit by Ukraine missile fire

Russian Missile Hits Tanker Drifting in Black Sea

CSIS: Assessing Russia’s War in Ukraine (Editor – not naval, but an interesting discussion in a 58:54 min podcast) and a lengthy strategic article of equal significance The Evolution of Russia’s Ukraine Strategy

The Black Sea blockade – can Ukraine resume exports by sea?

Ukraine Asks Turkey to Detain Russian-Flagged Ship Carrying Ukrainian Grain then

Turkey detains Russian-flagged grain ship from Ukraine (Editor – not sure what was said to Turkey, but they seem to have had an attitudinal shift) Turkey, NATO joined at the hip but of different minds

Report: Russian-Backed Forces Seize Two More Foreign Ships at Mariupol

Italy Refuses To Unfreeze Russian Yachts

War in Ukraine raises global shipping costs, stifles trade (Editor – UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) article)

Russia’s Crude Oil Shipments To Crucial Asian Markets Falter yet Shippers Still Willing to Touch Russian Crude Oil Are Cashing In and Russia Shuts CPC Oil Terminal, Tightening Screws on EU’s Energy Supply

Russian troops freed from Ukrainian captivity report brutality, torture, authorities say (Editor – TASS article, I’m not sure what to believe coming out of Russia, if anything)

Europe:

The Death of Gorshkov’s Navy: The Future of the Russian Surface Fleet

American nuclear armed submarine visits Scotland and Second American nuclear submarine arrives in Scotland

Roketsan Test-Fires New Coastal Variant Of Atmaca Missile

France to provide maintenance for the US Navy’s USS Kearsarge

Britain resurrects anti-ship missile project

Coastal Security: Eyes and Ears of the 11th Province

Current and future programs of the Royal Netherlands Navy (Editor – 7:46 min video)

NATO in talks to build naval base in Albania, prime minister says

Icelandic Coast Guard deploys Camcopter S-100 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Drug smuggling: Underwater drones seized by Spanish police (Editor – different)

Suspected people smugglers arrested across Europe

Norwegian transporters bring goods to Russian coal-miners

Seized Iranian Tanker Towed To Piraeus Port

Spanish Police Find Cocaine in the Hull and Aboard CMA CGM Boxship

France to get first high-powered hydrogen barge for electrification of ships at berth (Editor – here’s an idea Canadian ports could consider)

Norway calls off gas strikes that risked UK supply

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MIDDLE EAST

CIMSEC: Beyond the Gulf: U.S. maritime security operations in the MENA region

U.S. Navy Supports UK Seizure of Iranian Missiles and more details Royal Navy seized smuggled Iranian weapons including 358 surface-to-air missiles

Israel shoots down Hezbollah drones heading for gas rig

Fincantieri delivers second Musherib class OPV Sheraouh to Qatar

US NAVSUP WSS supports FFG 49 ship’s refurbishment

ROKS Dae Jo Yeong Performs Rescue in the Gulf of Aden

Indian Coast Guard Rescues Crew from Tanker Sinking in Arabian Sea

U.S. Navy Offers Up to $100,000 for Tips on Middle East Smuggling

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GLOBAL INTERESTS

Arctic warming four times faster than thought, says study

Illegal fishing thrives due to lack of knowledge, patrol capacity

World’s largest ocean carrier MSC signs UN Sustainable Ocean Principles

Why container ships probably won’t get bigger

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SCUTTLEBUTT

Video of Ships Being Sunk with Missiles, Torpedoes, and More – SINKEX Footage (exercises) (Editor – 9:54 min video)

German U-Boats Still in British River! (Editor – 6:19 min video)

The Mariner’s Mirror: Iconic Ships 16: SS United States (Editor – 27 min podcast)

Why Are Bows That Shape?

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THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY

9 July 1914 HMCS Rainbow begins preparations for the international seal patrol in the North Pacific Ocean.

10 July 1940 The Great Lakes freighter SS Waterloo (Canada Steamship Lines, Ltd, Montreal) was pressed into service in December 1939. Her only Atlantic crossing would be departing Halifax on 8 April 1940 and sailing independently (without escort) eastbound for Belfast via Larne, Northern Ireland. Upon her 29 April arrival in Larne, she was “transferred” to the UK Ministry of War Transport. She had become a collier and would be transporting vital coal to UK ports. Later on 6 July, the Waterloo had delivered coal to a port in the London estuary, and she was returning, in ballast, to the Tyne coal mining port (near Newcastle) for another load. On 10 July 1940 she was bombed by the Luftwaffe and was sunk (52°53’N 02°19’E) in the North Sea about 25 nm NE of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk and 185 nm SE from the port of Tyne. There were no casualties.

10 July 1943 Canadian landing craft drop soldiers of the 1st Canadian Division off on the coast of Sicily during the Allied invasion known as Operation HUSKY.

13 July 1941 – SS Collingdoc was a British cargo steamer of 1,780 tons built in 1925 by Furness Shipbuilding, England as the D. B. Hanna SS a British cargo steamer. In 1939 she was renamed Collingdoc SS for new owners Canadian N. M. Paterson & Sons. On the 13 July 1941 she was mined when 4 cables from London Southend Pier. The vessel was raised and scuttled in Scapa Flow in March 1942.

15 July 1920 RNCVR is disbanded.

15 July 1941 – When war broke out in September 1939, the ocean liner SS Lady Somers (Canadian National Steamships Ltd, Montreal) was mid-way (Nassau) in her scheduled (from Montreal in summer and Halifax in winter months) passenger and freight service to Bermuda and various Caribbean ports. On the return transits, she would have a cargo of sugar, bananas, and other fruits in her refrigerated holds. She had made thirteen additional regularly scheduled cruises to Bermuda and the Caribbean before the liner was requisitioned by the Admiralty in October 1940. On 29 November, the Lady Somers sailed from Halifax and about three days later, she was in the Bermuda naval dockyard awaiting conversion into an “ocean boarding vessel (OBV)” for enforcing wartime blockades. The conversion was completed in April 1941 and included two 6-inch/47 caliber Mark 16 guns and one 3-inch, 12 Pounder Anti-aircraft gun. She was commissioned as HMS Lady Somers into the Royal Navy before departing Bermuda. (The ship’s namesake was retained because of the historical connection of both Admiral Sir George Somers and his wife Lady Joan Somers to the founding of Bermuda.) On 18 June 1941, the Lady Somers arrived at and anchored in The Tail of the Bank anchorage near the naval dockyard at Greenock, Scotland. Less than a month later, on 15 July 1941, the Lady Somers was sunk by the Italian submarine Morosini (Athos Fraternale) in the North Atlantic about 550 nm west of Portugal (37°10’N 20°42’W). All crew and passengers were rescued by Spanish ships.

15 July 1958 The first review of the Royal Fleet ever held in Canadian waters takes place under the eyes of Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret off the coast of Vancouver Island at Royal Roads.

SIGNIFICANT RCN DATES – If you see any omissions or errors please inform me, and any more modern significant dates are also welcomed. 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, I thank 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)