NAC News - Edition K486 - Naval Association of Canada

NAC News – Edition K486

Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of November 4th, 2022

Edition: K486 HMCS Forest Hill (WWII Flower Class corvette) and J486 HMCS Elm Lake (WWII Lake Class Minesweeper)

Quote – “The people and events of history may be rooted in the past, but how we talk about those things, what we write about them, and how we teach them (in other words, how we practise history as the record of human experience) tell us a lot about who we are and what we value right now.” The wrong side of history, Trilby Kent, The Globe and Mail Opinion, 22 October 2022

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

Remembrance Day is Friday 11 November and the RCL Poppy Campaign is in full swing. If you have some time over the coming week, check your local legion’s website or other RCL branch social media pages to see if you can assist, even for a “short shift” at one of the locales where your local legion branch accepts donations for poppies.

2022 NAC Endowment Fund Campaign -You will receive a letter in the coming weeks inviting you to donate to the EF. Please consider a donation to our Fund as it supports a wide range of maritime related activities. You can even donate using cryptocurrency (Yes – the NAC EF accepts cryptocurrency!!! – who knew). Check out the donation form at this webpage.

The 2023 Centennial of the Naval Reserves is fast approaching. You can find information on activities planned in all the NRDs on the UNTDA website along with the programme and on-line registration for a major conference and celebration organized by the UNTDA in Victoria 9-12 May 2023. You will find both at http://www.untd.org/

8-9 November 2022 Starts 8 Nov @9:00am finishes 9 Nov @4:00pm. Association of British Columbia Marine Industry’s (ABCMI) Business Opportunities Conference and Trade Show 2022 Impressive panellists in a packed programme. To register.

Update 14-16 November 2022 Registration for Maritime Security Challenges 2022 in Victoria BC Apart from all the other great sessions, Maritime Security Challenges announced the addition of a new panel to the 2022 conference! MSC will host a special session with the deputy heads of navy of the 5 Eyes intelligence alliance (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States) on November 16th, where they will share their perspectives on security issues in the Indo-Pacific and what their navies are doing to meet the maritime security challenges of today and tomorrow.

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THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLES

Silver Cross mother remembers her son, the last Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan

U.S.-Canada Defense Partnership in a Dangerous World (Editor – a frank and insightful CSIS interview of our CDS, General Wayne Eyre in a 44:45 min video)

Military attrition has hit its highest level in 15 years, warns briefing prepared for generals

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CANADA

Royal Canadian Legion launches new poppy campaign to modernize remembrance and Scan your Poppy with your smartphone to meet a Canadian with a story to remember

Defence Team News | 2 November 2022 (Editor – 3:05 min CAF interview of Cdr Kevin Whiteside, CO HMCS Vancouver)

22 October 2022 The Life Cycle Cost of the Canadian Surface Combatants and the doom and gloom speculation ensues Analysis | Ottawa and the uncontrollable spiral of military ships

New barges bring exciting capability to the RCN (Editor – great RCN 1:55 min video included)

Friday, 28 October 2022 USS Gerald R. Ford in Halifax

Canada commissions second arctic and offshore patrol ship HMCS Margaret Brooke and official release His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Margaret Brooke commissioned into service

LNG-Birth of a new industry in Canada

Heddle Shipyards Awarded $135.5M Contract

Historic Hector ship restoration project will use wood from trees felled by Fiona

Meet Your Neighbours – Peter Chance: Extraordinary at Every Age!

Trident: Volume 56, Issue 22, October 31, 2022

Ottawa has ‘failed’ veterans as calls grow for minister to resign: advocates

Gunroom Shots – UNTD Association of Canada

Subject Index for CNR Articles

UNTD: Our Citizen Sailors volunteered to fight for Canada. Now we need Volunteers to bring the Sailors’ stories to their home divisions.

Lookout: Volume 67, Issue 43, October 31, 2022

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USA & AMERICAS

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Oct. 31, 2022

What the US Navy Must Learn from Ukraine’s Bold Drone Attack on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (Editor – all navies need to counter this threat)

Report to Congress on Emerging Military Technologies

HII Awarded $2.4 Billion to Build Amphibious Assault Ship LHA 9

Navy Details Hypersonic Missile Plan for Zumwalt Destroyers, Virginia Submarines

Royal Navy ship sinks smuggler boat in Carribbean

New Torpedo Tube-launched Drones Will Turn U.S. Attack Sub Fleet into ‘UUV Motherships,’ Says Navy

USNS Comfort Commences Continuing Promise 2022 in Guatemala

Navy Could Extend Life of Five Ohio-class Ballistic Missile Boats to Hedge Against Columbia Program Delays

Two Former Coast Guard Employees Sentenced to Jail in Test-Fixing Case

“Toxic” Aircraft Carrier Held in Limbo off Brazilian Coast

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INDO-PACIFIC

New Pentagon National Defense Strategy Will be ‘Well Received’ by U.S. Allies in Pacific, Says Expert

Navy Expanding Attack Submarine Presence on Guam as a Hedge Against Growing Chinese Fleet

South hits back as North Korea fires most missiles in a day

Reagan Strike Group Operating with Japanese, Canadian Warships in Western Pacific

Why Taiwan matters to the United States (Editor – not naval article but a useful summary in a 12:53 min video)

Taiwan Will Halve the Size of New Frigates to Cut Costs on Shadowing Chinese Ships

PLA Navy’s aircraft carrier task forces constantly improves

ROK Navy Announces Major Reorganization

HMAS Arunta gears up for Operation Argos

INS Vikrant: Capability or Conundrum? Sino-Pak Media but ‘Almost There!’: Fighter Pilots practice landing Jets on INS Vikramaditya hence Why Indian Navy Pilots haven’t landed on an Aircraft Carrier in 2 Yrs and won’t anytime soon (Editor – carrier flight operations are an incredibly complex mix of technology and skill, not easy to sustain)

Australian government orders an additional Guardian-class patrol boat for Pacific Maritime Security Program

Experts given December deadline to fix frigate project

Philippine Navy conducts naval drills with destroyer JS Kirisame

HHI unveils lashing-free containership design

Chinese shipyards unleash a series of 24,000 TEU giants intended for MSC, Evergreen

COSCO Orders 12 Ultra-Large, Green Methanol Containerships for $2.9B

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EUROPE

Ukraine:

Russian Forces Unprepared to Protect Against Drones, Lack Adequate Command and Control, Panel Says

‘Massive’ drone attack on Black Sea Fleet – Russia and Analysis: Ukraine Strikes With Kamikaze USVs – Russian Bases Are Not Safe Anymore plus Video: Suicide “Drone Boats” Attack Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet (Editor – two videos included) with this outcome? Russia’s Black Sea flagship damaged in Crimea drone attack, video suggests

Ukraine’s New U.S. Supplied Combat Boats Already Patrolling Black Sea

U.N. says no ships in grain corridor when Russia says it was attacked

Ukraine war: Russia halts grain deal after ‘massive’ Black Sea Fleet attack and Russia says Crimea attack drones used grain corridor ‘safe zone’ but U.N., Turkey, Ukraine Press Ahead With Black Sea Grain Deal Despite Russian Pullout but then Ukraine Sets Record Exports Despite Russia Suspending Shipping Deal and finally Russian U-turn allows grain deal to resume

Russian Navy renovates base in Crimea to hide submarines from Ukrainian missiles

Russian Forces Strike Two Tugboats at Ochakiv, Leaving Two Dead

Inside a US military cyber team’s defence of Ukraine (Editor – cyber warfare can impact everyone)

General:

Carrier USS Ford Heads for Europe With Allied Escorts

Swedish Navy Salvage Vessel To Further Investigate Nord Stream Blast and “Technogenic Craters” Found at Damaged Nord Stream Pipeline Site (Editor – in other words manmade) and German Navy Helping Norway Protect Offshore Oil Rigs, Pipelines

NATO concludes successful Vigilance Activity Neptune Strike

Russian Claims UK Navy Blew Up Nord Stream, London Denies Involvement (Editor – so much disinformation being spread)

Sweden’s New SIGINT Ship “Artemis” Begins Sea Trials

USS Rhode Island (SSBN 740) arrives in Gibraltar

Mysterious Atlantic cable cuts linked to Russian fishing vessels

Kraken to Supply Sonars for Sub-Surface Drones of Two NATO Navies

The Kingfisher gun-launched anti-submarine munition

New images show Type 26 Frigate HMS Glasgow ahead of launch typical for first of class Royal Navy’s Type 26s delayed by a year at an extra cost of £233m

Russian Grachonok class anti-saboteur ship joins her home base

Royal Navy investigates after women come forward with abuse claims and Senior female officer to lead investigations into inappropriate behaviour allegations in Submarine Service

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MIDDLE EAST

Israel-Lebanon gas field deal staves off war threat

U.S. Navy Rescues Crew of Burning Drug Boat in Gulf of Oman

U.S. 5th Fleet Completes Vessel Boarding Exchange with Regional Partners

Royal Navy’s amphibious transport dock HMS Albion visits Egypt

Royal Saudi Navy receives FPB 2200 patrol boat

UN Security Council Condemns Drone Attack on Greek Tanker

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GLOBAL INTERESTS

42nd Chinese naval escort taskforce completes first escort mission

China gifts 46-meters patrol boats to Nigerian Navy

Illegal fishing spurs billions in losses for developing countries, study says and Report: The Corporate Owners Behind Illegal Fishing

Outlaw Ocean Podcast: How One Third of All Fish Caught Become Fishmeal

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SCUTTLEBUTT

87-year-old shares secrets of making UK military swords (Editor – file this one away…7:45 min video) and Pooley Swords

HMS Warrior (1860) – First Armoured Battleship of the Royal Navy (Editor – 1:23:40 hr video)

Canadian military to destroy Browning pistols, save some for museums (Editor – a recent article, but this older 57:37 min documentary video gives perspective American Gunmaker: The John M. Browning Story (1991) | Documentary | Fess Parker | Lee Groberg

The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich – The Models are Back! (Editor – go 2 min in for a 19:04 min video)

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THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY

5 November 1962 A fire heavily damages the prototype hydrofoil Bras d’Or under construction in Quebec.

6 November 1940 HMCS Ottawa (I) commanded by Cdr E. Rollo Mainguy, RCN with HMS Harvester sank the Italian Submarine Comandante Faà di Bruno after it attacked Convoy HX-84.

6 November 1990 CAF establishes a headquarters under Commodore Kenneth J. Summers in Manama, Bahrain, part of Canada’s contribution to the Persian Gulf War.

8 November 1942 British Fleet Air Arm pilots in North Africa conduct the first operational use of anti-gravity suits, developed at the University of Toronto.

8 November 1910 HMCS Rainbow arrives in Esquimalt for the first time.

8 November 1942 The first German agent is landed from a U-boat off New Carlisle, Quebec and is promptly arrested by the police.

9 November 1910 His Majesty’s Dockyard, Esquimalt, is transferred to Canadian ownership and forms the basis for Pacific Command.

9 November 1940 HMCS Collingwood, the first corvette built in Canada for the RCN, is commissioned.

9 November 1940 The Canadian Pacific Steamships Line passenger liner Empress of Japan (26,032 GRT) was heavily damaged in the North Atlantic in position 53.54N, 014.28W, when she was bombed by Luftwaffe aircraft.

11 November 1918 Armistice Day for the “War to end all Wars” came to an end after more than four years of bloody fighting. 8,826 Canadians served in the RCN and RNCVR. 24 became casualties. Note the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve (RNCVR) was a naval reserve that was established in Canada in May 1914 and existed until 1923. The Canadian contribution was no small one: 628,462 men were enrolled of whom 424,589 went overseas. 24,095 into the British Air Services. In all 60,661 Canadians gave their lives for the Allied Cause. For a country whose greatest military effort for over 150 years had not exceeded 10,000, and whose population had only reached eight million, this was truly a staggering effort.

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, 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)