NAC News – Edition K325 HMCS St Catherines (WW2 River Class, then Prestonian)

Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of October 4th, 2019
Rod Hughes- Editor NAC News rhughes@shaw.ca (comments welcome to help improve this service)
Contact David Soule executivedirector-nac@outlook.com if you wish someone (who may be a member or perhaps a good candidate to join) to be added to the NAC News email distribution.
★ Editor’s stars of the week
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NOTICES
- ★ NAC Special Members Meeting Saturday 5 October. Here are the GoToMeeting instructions to join the meeting. See Page 2
- Are you available for Memory Project speaking engagements around Remembrance Day 2019?
- ★ Vanguard Launches First-Ever Canadian Submarine Event (Editor – The next big challenge! The Deep Blue 2020 Forum, a one-day event, will take place on 29 October 2020, details to follow)
CANADA
- Cutlass Fury 2019 (Editor – 56 sec action video)
- HMCS Kingston completes Op NANOOK
- MV Asterix to participate during DEFSEC Atlantic 2019
- How to sail a Chilean tall ship and get three wedding invitations in 60 days
- Amid global unrest, Canada’s political parties say little about security, defence
- Comparing the U.S. and Canadian military Arctic strategies
- Matt Gurney: Remember when the Liberals said the navy was a priority? Did they mean the canoe?
- “Pirate of the Adriatic” wreaked havoc during Second World War (Editor – RCN Hero)
- Great Lake Deployment Cadets 2019
- HMCS Iroquois damaged in Korea (Editor – “HMCS Iroquois thus became the only Canadian Naval ship to suffer losses due to enemy action”)
- Morterm Limited – Port of Windsor’s full-service marine terminal
- ‘Spy’ cop could be linked to drug cartels, not China (Editor – the author of this article is speaking at next weeks NOABC Conference)
- JSK Collaborates with Kraken to Deliver Innovative Underwater Sonar Solution
- Caught in the watchdog crossfire: Elderly B.C. woman died with DND claim in limbo
- Charges dropped against Gosport Royal Navy sailor over alleged group sex attack in Canada
USA & AMERICAS
- USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Sept. 30, 2019
- Brazilian Navy has started sea trials of Riachuelo Scorpene-class submarine
- USS Gabrielle Giffords first LCS to perform integrated NSM firing
- Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Dragon Conducts Training with U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group
- VIDEO: Navy Fires New Littoral Combat Ship Missile in Pacific SINKEX
- U.S. 3rd Fleet Changes Hands; Alexander Retires
- Here’s every ship activated for TRANSCOM’s massive sealift surge, and what they do (Editor – amazing capabilities)
- Navy to Commission Littoral Combat Ship Cincinnati
- Teledyne Receives $41.4M U.S. Navy Contract for MK11 Shallow Water Combat Submersibles
- Report to Congress on U.S.-China Competition in the South, East China Seas
- The Myth of US Military Infallibility (Editor – although I don’t agree with all the points raised in this 11:45 min video, it does make some arguments to ponder)
- Report to Congress on U.S. Role in the World
- New research may shed light on combat concussion-dementia link
- Owners of Conception Dive Boat Suspend Operations Amid Fire Investigation
INDO-PACIFIC
- North Korea may have fired missile from submarine
- Russian Pacific Fleet’s combat ships leave Vladivostok to Asia-Pacific Region
- ★ Global China: Assessing China’s Growing Role in the World (Editor – given the NOABC Conference and its agenda, this 4:11 min video is a useful summary)
- ★ Chinese ambassador reminds Australia who pays its bills, but that goes two ways (Editor – more food for thought)
- First MILGEM Corvette under construction for Pakistan Navy
- Indian Navy has launched first stealth P-17A Nilgiri-class frigate INS Nilgiri
- Commissioning of INS Khanderi second Indian Navy SCORPENE class submarine made in India
- Russian Baltic Fleet’s warships embark on deployment to Indian Ocean
- China anniversary: Military parade brings out the big guns
- National parade showcases nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile JL-2
- RAAF welcomes latest P-8A Poseidon
- Thailand inducts second Krabi-class OPV
- Case for ship-building authority (Editor – a good Australian idea to consider)
- ASC polishes submarine design credentials in support of Swedish A26
- Why Indian Navy’s 1st aircraft carrier dry dock is comparable to Eiffel Tower
- ★ New Video Shows Stolt Tanker Explode in South Korea (Editor – not something you see every day!)
- Inside NYK’s World-First Autonomous Ship Trial
- Protecting maritime trade – a historical perspective (Editor – useful précis)
EUROPE
- Russian new Tu-22 M3M bomber aircraft carry hypersonic missiles X-32 (Editor – 1:42 min video)
- Russia MoD launches supersonic anti-ship “Oniks P-800” cruise missile
- Russia’s latest minesweeper enters shipbuilders’ sea trials
- Admiral: U.S. Needs More Ships in Europe to Counter Growing Russian Threats
- The Mediterranean: The Russian Navy’s New Playground? (NATO Worried?)
- French Navy fires first Aster 30 missile with Forbin destroyer
- Swedish navy returns to vast underground HQ amid Russia fears
- Latest diesel-electric sub for Russia’s Pacific Fleet to enter state trials — source
- Why Sweden (Yes, Sweden) Is a Submarine ‘Superpower’
- HMS Albion – The Punch Of The Royal Marines, Firmly Underlines Britain’s Leading Role In Europe (Editor – impressive educational 7:53 min video)
- U.S. Blacklists Five Ships for Delivering Jet Fuel to Syria
- Royal Navy Divers Retrieve One-Tonne WWII Mine from Shipwreck
- Historic Harland and Wolff Shipyard ‘Saved’
- EOLOS Gets Capital Injection
MIDDLE EAST
- Royal Navy guardians protect 7m tonnes of shipping in Gulf
- Saudi oil disruption could hit China hardest (Editor – included as resources have been a key factor, if not “the” factor, in many conflicts)
- Iran building oil pipeline to terminal outside Gulf
GLOBAL INTERESTS
- Algerian Navy fires Club-S type missiles from Kilo-class 636 submarines
- Naval News Monthly Report – Episode 8 – September 2019 (Editor – 4:51 video
- Narco-sub design evolves to evade detection
- Island reveals rising tide of plastic waste
- The Ocean Cleanup to Start Designing Its Next System
- Tanker Rates Soar as U.S. Sanctions Rattle Crude Trade
- In Pursuit of Safe and Secure Seas (Editor – interesting academic article)
- Bourbon Rhode Confirmed Sunk
- Gigantic Iceberg Breaks Off from Antarctica
- How to Park a Ship in Ice
SCUTTLEBUTT
- Hitler, Raeder, and the demise of the Kriegsmarine
- Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Trafalgar 1805 DOCUMENTARY
- Secret German Arctic Bases (Editor – unusual part of WW2 history)
- WorldwideTraffic (Editor – interactive map takes a bit to load)
SIGNIFICANT RCN DATES – OCTOBER
(Month by month building a comprehensive list of significant RCN/Maritime events – if you see any glaring omissions or errors please inform me, and any more modern significant dates are welcomed. The list draws primarily from the Directory of History and Heritage’s comprehensive “Significant Dates in Canadian Military History”, the “Canada Channel”, and “Legion Magazine”)
- 1 October 1910 Captain E.H. Martin, RCN, is appointed Captain-in-Charge, Halifax, thus establishing the Atlantic Command.
- 2 October 1952 HMCS Iroquois is hit in action by shore artillery batteries. Three men are killed, and ten wounded, becoming the only battle casualties suffered by the RCN during the Korean conflict.
- 4 October 1944 HMCS CHEBOGUE (frigate) is torpedoed by U -1227 800 miles west of the British Isles but is able to reach port.
- 8 October 1944 HMCS Mulgrave strikes a mine off Le Havre, is beached and becomes a total loss.
- 8 October 1992 The Governor-General, the Prime Minister and other dignitaries unveil the Peacekeeping Monument in Ottawa.
- 8 October 2001 Minister of Defence Art Eggleton announces the details of Canada’s contribution to the campaign against terrorism. Canada’s initial commitment involved 2000 personnel from the Canadian Forces and included the deployment of ships, aircraft and a small contingent of soldiers. It is the biggest mobilization of the armed forces since the Korean War.
- 13 October 1710 The defenders of Port Royal surrender to a British naval expedition.
- 13 October 1910 Her Majesty’s Dockyard, Halifax, is transferred to Canadian ownership by a British Order in Council.
- 14 October 1944 HMCS MAGOG (frigate) is torpedoed and badly damaged by U-Boat 1223 in the St. Lawrence River off Pointe des Montes.
- 16 October 1915 An Order-in-Council gives the Hospitals Commission authority to provide retraining and rehabilitation for disabled veterans.
- 16 October 1944 HMCS Annan sinks the German submarine U-1006 south of the Faeroes.
- 17 October 1944 HMCS Prince Henry and HMCS Prince David engage in landing liberation forces in Greece (17-18 Oct).
- 20 October 1940 HMS Windflower, the first corvette built in Canada, is commissioned into the Royal Navy with a Canadian crew. She is turned over to the RCN in 1941.
- 21 October 1910 HMCS Niobe arrives in Halifax, the first Canadian warship to arrive at her base in Canada.
- 21 October 1942 HMCS Royal Roads becomes the Royal Canadian Naval College and commences training cadets.
- 21 October 1943 HMCS CHEDABUCTO Sunk after night collision with the cable vessel LORD KELVIN, 30 miles from Rimouski, Quebec. She is later beached and becomes a total loss. One officer was lost.
- 21 October 1944 HMCS Uganda (later Quebec) is commissioned, becoming Canada’s first cruiser since Aurora was paid off in 1922.
- 22 October 1914 HMCS Niobe makes her first operational patrol off the Strait of Belle Isle.
- 22 October 1940 HMCS MARGAREE (Destroyer) lost in the North Atlantic, after collision with the freighter PORT FAIRY, while escorting the five-ship convoy OL.8. 142 of her ship’s company were lost, many of which were survivors of FRASER’s tragic sinking.
- 23 October 1939 HMCS SAGUENAY (Destroyer) intercepted the German tanker Emmy Friederich which scuttled herself.
- 23 October 1969 on board HMCS Kootenay: an explosion occurred. The blast and intense engine room fire would become known as one of the worst peacetime accidents in the history of the RCN, with nine of her crew killed. Three years later, six crew members received medals honouring their bravery during the incident. Chief Petty Officer V.O. Partanan was posthumously awarded the Cross of Valour.
- 25 October 1940 HMCS Bras D’Or an auxiliary minesweeper founders in the North Atlantic, she sank with all hands (5 officers and 25 crew).
- 25 October 1944 HMCS SKEENA Wrecked in a storm, and grounded near Reykjavik, Iceland. Fifteen lives were lost.
- 26 October 1952 HMCS CRUSADER destroys a North Korean supply train near Songjin: RCN gunners account for the destruction of eight enemy trains during the conflict.
- 28 October 1955 HMCS St. Laurent (second of name) is commissioned as the first warship of all-Canadian design and construction.
- 30 October 1918 HMCS Galiano was lost, with all her crew of 39 and one female passenger, in Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island. HMCS Galiano and her crew of Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reservists was the only Canadian Naval vessel lost during the First World War – only 12 days before the armistice to end the “war to end all wars”.