NAC News – Edition K664 HMCS Carlplace
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of April 10, 2026
Edition K664 HMCS Carlplace (River/Prestonian Class Frigate with the distinction of being the last RCN frigate to enter wartime service)
Photo by unknown author – Naval Museum of Manitoba Ship Database, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31837693
Quote: “Ensuring the security of global commerce, from container traffic in the Pacific to energy shipments crossing the Atlantic—especially as Canada seeks to diversify its markets—will require collective action among democratic maritime nations. A capable Canadian navy is both a national asset and a contribution to collective security. It also underpins Canada’s Arctic sovereignty. Presence matters in the North. Warships, aircraft, and icebreakers demonstrate control in ways that diplomatic notes never can. Yet, expanding Canada’s maritime capacity will require more than new ships and submarines. It will require sailors. Like many Western militaries, the Royal Canadian Navy faces serious challenges in recruitment and retention: the current force of about 17,100 is short some 1,600 sailors. A larger fleet will demand more crews, more technicians, and more specialists in increasingly complex technologies. Ships can be built in shipyards. Sailors must be recruited, trained, and retained.”
Policy Magazine, https://www.policymagazine.ca/guardians-of-the-north-sailors-and-their-ships/ Colin Robertson. 17 March 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
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 Centre 1 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” (Editor – includes registration) & Battle of the Atlantic (BOA) Gala, the Halifax Hotel, Halifax. The symposium will be co-hosted by NAC and the Canadian Maritime Security Network. 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 and the details are now at the link.
CDAI: Graduate Student Conference 2026 – The Road to 5%: Next Generation Key Dates: April 8, 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 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. Register early and receive 20% off conference passes. Offer available until April 1, 2026
THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLE
Bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group Co-Chairs Respond to President Trump’s Comments on NATO & Trump rages, NATO endures: Why the alliance is harder to kill than it looks
Russia, China Block Hormuz Action at UN as Shipping Crisis Continues reasoning China’s rational role in the Strait of Hormuz crisis while War in Iran Drives Russian Oil Prices to a 13-Year High
CANADA
South Korean Submarine Completes First Leg of Indo-Pacific Voyage to Canada while
TKMS Partners With Canadian Lithium Leader for Next-Gen Submarine Project and Hanwha Ocean and PCL Construction Sign CPSP Teaming Agreement with Building the Backbone of Canada’s Submarine Future: Deepen Strategic Partnership (Editor – both great boats – one of these nations will be disappointed)
Royal Canadian Navy Strategic Review (Editor – here are articles worth a read)
New military drones will have ‘limited’ capabilities at first
Navires de patrouille extracôtiers et de l’Arctique : Garde côtière canadienne & Arctic and offshore patrol ships: Canadian Coast Guard
The latest STARSHELL (Winter 2026) is now available on the NAC National Website under Naval Affairs t https://www.navalassoc.ca/naval-affairs/starshell/
The latest Salty Dips Volume 12 is now available!
WW II’s HMCS Sackville to be formally recommissioned into the RCN (Editor – event is in the Notices section above)
Le gouvernement du Canada attribue un contrat de conception pour les navires multimissions semi-hauturiers de la Garde côtière canadienne & Government of Canada awards design contract for Canadian Coast Guard’s mid-shore multi-mission vessels
Cold front: Inside NATO’s race to secure the Arctic (Editor – incudes 3:53 min video with CBC interview with Cdr RCN and NAC member Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee)
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES: Helicopter Project in a Tailspin (Editor – Esprit de Corps 5:35 min video)
MetOcean Telematics Wins Search and Rescue Buoy Contract by US Coast Guard
Looking for an UNFORGETTABLE summer EXPERIENCE!? (Editor – 1:49 min video) & À la recherche d’une EXPÉRIENCE estivale INOUBLIABLE !?
Port expansion near Montreal kicks off as 1st ‘nation-building’ project
Esquimalt Nation lawsuit opposes transfer of Hatley Park to Songhees and RRU Land disposition
Trees felled for temporary 400-unit housing complex at CFB Esquimalt
Lookout: 7 April 2026, Volume 71, Issue 7 & Volume 71, numéro 7, 7 avril, 2026
(Editor – Last edition as the Lookout Navy News transitions to a predominantly digital publication from its past paper format. & Dernière édition, le Lookout Navy News passant d’un format papier à une publication principalement numérique.)
Trident: Lundi 06 avril 2026 Volume 60, édition 07 & Monday 06 April 2026 Volume 60, Issue 07
NAC Naval Affairs: Bibliography RCN Policy Documents (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 6, 2026
Trump seeks $1.5tn for defence alongside domestic spending cuts with Pentagon’s New $65.8B Shipbuilding Request is Highest Since 1962 & Trump seeks to double number of ship requests with 2027 defense budget and of course New Navy Budget Wants $3B for New Tomahawks, $4.3B for SM-6s
US plans to automatically register men for military draft eligibility (Editor – last week it was Germany, yet another sign of the times)
SOUTHCOM Doesn’t Need a Carrier for Maritime Interdiction, CNO Says
Coast Guard Cutter Waesche Seizes Over $65K in Unreported Pollock Roe in Dutch Harbor and Roe seized from factory trawler accused of fishing violations in Alaska’s Bering Sea
Great Lakes shipyards team up to bid for US Coast Guard icebreaker contract
Chile backs Argentina on Falklands in joint statement
Explosion at the Panama Canal | Shoreside Gas Tankers Explode & Threaten the Bridge of the Americas (Editor – 6:37 min video)
El Niño Watch Puts Panama Canal Back in Focus After Dramatic Drought Recovery
CK Hutchison Launches Arbitration Against Maersk Over Panama Canal Port Dispute
$350M settlement reached in Baltimore bridge collapse case
INDO-PACIFIC
Pacific Ocean and adjoining seas:
South Korea is pre-emptively addressing potential non-proliferation concerns stemming from its plans to build a nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) (Editor – included for the first article)
What does the war in Iran mean for Taiwan? | The Economist
Japan’s Ambition for Military Expansion Laid Bare (Editor – rhetoric is growing, Global Times article)
Hanwha Ocean completes major overhaul of ROK Navy’s KSS-II submarine
Japanese naval vessel pays courtesy visit to central Da Nang city
Russian warships visit Indonesia
Pentagon Adds to Pacific Refueling Capacity With New Philippine Depot
Indian Ocean and adjoining seas:
India Inducts Third SSBN, Fourth Nilgiri-class Frigate
A priority for India–Australia cooperation: underwater domain awareness
SAIL Powers INS Taragiri with Indigenous Special Steel, Strengthening India’s Nava; Self-Reliance
Pakistan Navy Inducts 2nd Babur-class Corvette, PNS Khaibar
India’s Takshak heavyweight torpedo set for trials on Kalvari‑class submarines by 2026
Indian Navy Explores Drone-Based Rearming of Warships at Sea
EUROPE
Black and Caspian Seas:
Ukraine Nails Russian Missile Frigate in Novorossiysk Strike, Hits Black Sea Rig
Ukrainian Drones Attacked Cargo Vessel That Sank, Killing One
Ukraine Introduces New Surface Drone Built to Operate Through Electronic Warfare
Russian corruption fuels massive casualties in Ukraine (Editor – shocking evidence is a PBS 8:47 min video)
Baltic Sea:
Sweden Detains Third Shadow Fleet Vessel in a Month then Sweden Seizes Sanctioned Oil Tanker Suspected of Being Source of Spill
Royal Navy team tests C-ROTV underwater survey system in Denmark
Mediterranean Sea and its 15 marginal seas:
USS Gerald R. Ford returns to sea after brief stop in Croatia
HMS Dragon docks after ‘minor technical issue’
Lone Russian Corvette Flies the St. Andrew’s Flag in the Med
General:
Defence secretary reveals month-long Russian submarine operation over cables and pipelines north of UK and UK Deploys Military to Deter Russian Submarine Attacks on Subsea Cables with Royal Navy demonstrates enduring skill deterring a Russian undersea operation
Russia’s Shadow Fleet Thumbs its Nose at the Royal Navy (Editor – interesting to see both sets of Rule of Engagement (ROE)) while Kremlin Says Russia Has Right to Defend Itself From ‘Piracy’ After Report of Warship Escort Near UK
Kiev regime plotting terror attacks on Russian ships in northern seas with Norway’s help (Editor – rhetoric is growing, TASS article)
France orders fifth FDI frigate Amiral Cabanier to maintain 15 first rank warships through 2032 and How Naval Group builds FDI Frigates so quickly (Editor – 16:15 min video)
German males under 45 may need military approval for long stays abroad (Editor – sign of the times)
The Royal Navy’s reputation takes a battering
Royal Navy receives second uncrewed mine hunting vessel
Italian Navy to fly TB3 drones from Cavour aircraft carrier
French Shipyard Launches Third Patrol Vessel for Belgian Navy
Portuguese Navy’s future drone carrier hits the water
Novatek Sets Up Arctic-focused Shipbuilding Unit as Russia Grapples With Ice-Class Fleet Shortage
Royal Fleet Auxiliary seafarers walk out over pay
Naval Group Offers Blacksword Barracuda Submarine to Greece
MIDDLE EAST
General:
IMO Warns Hormuz Toll Would Set ‘Dangerous Precedent’ while Iran Publishes Redrawn Traffic Scheme for Strait of Hormuz (Editor – what an extraordinary situation. The real authority to establish lanes is the IMO Ships’ routeing)
CIMSEC: A Temporary Corridor Strategy for Hormuz
Iran’s Nuclear Program and UN Sanctions Reimposition
Iran ceasefire deal gives Trump a way out of war – but at a high cost
US says Iran’s submarine fleet eliminated; 16 warship classes destroyed in strikes
Safeen Prestige Reportedly Sank in the Strait of Hormuz
Shipping Industry Uncertain As Hormuz Crisis Carries On while Tanker Loaded With Iraqi Crude Passes Through Hormuz yet World’s Shipowners Are Eyeing the Exit, But They’re Not Rushing For It Just Yet however Iran clamping down in Strait of Hormuz in tenuous ceasefire
Saudi Arabia’s Oil Pipeline Bypassing Hormuz Damaged in Iranian Attack, Source Says while Qatar Begins Work to Resume LNG Production After Ceasefire
Container Vessel Hit by Projectile South of Iran’s Kish Island, Crew Safe, UKMTO Says
U.S. Doubles Hormuz Insurance Backstop to $40B in Hopes of Luring Ships Back
UAE Says the Use of Hormuz Must be Guaranteed in Any US-Iran Deal
Exclusive: US intelligence warns Iran unlikely to ease Hormuz Strait chokehold soon, sources say
2 U.S. aircraft go down; 1 crew member missing as war in Iran takes dramatic turn then U.S. carries out daring rescue of service members whose jet was shot down in summary
The Tiny, Folding Helicopter Key to Rescuing the U.S. Aviator in Iran (Editor – 2:10 min video)
Kharg Island: Trump’s calculated option?
Is the US running out of Tomahawk missiles? Here’s what the experts say
French and Japanese-Owned Ships Make First Hormuz Crossings
Iran Strikes Gulf Energy Sites as Trump Warns of Further Attacks
Statement from the International Chamber of Shipping
Red Sea and Gulf of Aden:
48th Chinese Naval Escort Taskforce trains in the Gulf of Aden (Editor – cool pics)
“With the Shield, or On It?”: Aspides and the EU Aspirations for Sea Control
Are Naval Forces Ready to Keep the Bab el Mandeb Open?
Pirates Abandon Hijacked Iranian Dhow After EU Naval Pressure Off Somalia
GLOBAL INTERESTS
What does China’s host bid mean for the High Seas Treaty?
Navy steps up Africa outreach under MAHASAGAR; INS Trikand docks in Tanzania’s Dar-es-Salaam
The Economics of Owning A Ship (Editor – 8:09 min video)
Why the Cruise Ship Business Is So Smart (Editor – 8:21 min video)
Secrets Of The National Maritime Museum: The Dark Truth Behind Britain’s Navy (Editor – 43:21 min video)
SCUTTLEBUTT
Ultimate Deterrence – How Admiral Fisher stopped a World War in 1905 (Editor – 33:42 min video)
How US Engineers Saved an $800 Million Icebreaker From Scrap With a Simple Idea (Editor – a number of interesting subjects in a Fluctus 15:16 min video)
The ‘Broken’ British Submarine That Hunted and Sank an Argentine Cruiser Anyway (Editor – 35:25 min video)
Why Japan Lost So Many Submarines in WWII (Editor – 18:05 min video)
Europe’s Mega Port: The Giant Logistics Hub of Rotterdam | FD Engineering (Editor – 46:41 min video)
What’s at the bottom of the Halifax harbour? (Land & Sea) (Editor – 21:35 min video)
THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
11 April 1940 Burrard shipyards in Vancouver began building corvettes and minesweepers for action in the Battle of the Atlantic. Together with the neighbouring North Van Ship Repair yard, and the Yarrows Ltd. yard in Esquimalt, which were eventually absorbed, Burrard built over 450 ships, including many warships built and refitted for the RN and RCN in the First and Second World Wars.
11 April 1962 The Government of Canada announces plans to build eight frigates and buy three submarines. The General-Purpose Frigate (GPF) was intended as a replacement for the Second World War-era destroyers in service at the time, the frigate design was developed for the Progressive Conservative Diefenbaker government in the late 1950s as part of the general fleet renewal programme. The GPF programme was cancelled under the Liberal Pearson government as part of their plan to reshape the Canadian Armed Forces. Following the cancellation, a modified version of the design was used for the future Iroquois-class destroyers.
14 April 1828 The 18-gun sloop HMS Acorn missing, presumed foundered off Halifax with the loss of 115 men.
14 April 1943 HDC 15 (Harbour Defence Patrol Craft), off Saint John, NB, was lost in bad weather with all 6 of her crew lost.
14 April 1944 HMCS Swansea commanded by A/Cdr Clarence A. King, D.S.O., D.S.C. & Bar, M.I.D. RCNR with HMS Pelican combined to sink the German submarine U-448 in the North Atlantic. Swansea’s second kill in less than six weeks.
14 April 1944 British freighter SS Fort Stikine in the Victoria Dock of Bombay, British India (now Mumbai, India) caught fire and was destroyed in two giant blasts, scattering debris, sinking surrounding ships and setting fire to the area, killing around 800 to 1,300 people. Some 80,000 people were made homeless, and 71 firemen lost their lives in the aftermath. The ship was carrying a mixed cargo of cotton bales, timber, oil, gold, and ammunition including around 1,400 tons of explosives with an additional 240 tons of torpedoes and weapons. Fort Stikine was one of the 198 Fort Class cargo ships built in Canada during WW2 for use by the UK under the Lend-Lease scheme.
15 April 1814 Kingston Navy Dockyard launched two of the three ships that were the most powerful British warships built in Upper Canada during the War of 1812. HM Ships Prince Regent, and Princess Charlotte; under Commodore Sir James Yeo, they went on to blockade the American fleet in Sackett’s Harbour and capture Oswego, restoring Canadian control of Lake Ontario in the War of 1812 and ending the threat of US invasion. Once the war was over, most vessels of the Lake Ontario squadron were no longer needed following the terms of disarmament in the 1817 Rush-Bagot Agreement, and these ships were eventually sunk. The wrecks attest to the presence of the British fleet based in Kingston and the magnitude of the arms race between the Americans and the British and its role in determining the outcome of the war.
16 April 1945 German U-Boat U-190 torpedoes and sank the Bangor Class minesweeper HMCS Esquimalt 5 miles off Chebucto Head near the Halifax lightship; 44 of her ship’s company are lost in the last Canadian Warship loss of the War; U-190 will surrender 11 May and will be sunk ceremonially on 21 October 1947 where she had destroyed the Esquimalt.
17 April 1944 A Canso from RCAF Squadron 162 sank U-342 southwest of Iceland. By the end of the war, RCAF planes were credited with sinking 19 German U-boats. Coastal Command, which included many RCAF crews flying British planes, accounted for more than 200 U-boat kills.
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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