NAC News – Edition K675 HMCS Poundmaker
Your weekly national and international naval news for the week of July 3, 2026
Edition K675 HMCS Poundmaker (Editor – River Class) Quote: “Russian President Vladimir Putin is carefully constructing a reality that seeks to portray a Russian victory in Ukraine as inevitable while downplaying the growing domestic economic costs of the war. This constructed reality is premised on a rejection of the tactical and operational developments that have characterized 2026 thus far and a continued Russian commitment to its untenable maximalist battlefield objectives. Putin’s control over the information space and his ability to shape and propagate narratives of Russian military success are critical to maintaining this false reality.” ISW, Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 29 June 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
13 – 16 July 2026 Monday-Tuesday, Maritime & Arctic Security & Safety Conference (MASS) St. John’s Convention Centre, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
19 October 2026 ABCDMI Seaspan Industry Engagement Day Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, BC
20 – 21 October 2026 ABCDMI Business Opportunities Conference & Trade Show, Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, BC
THIS WEEK’S SIGNIFICANT ARTICLE
Naval Assoc’ of Canada/Assoc’ Navale du Canada: VAdm Topshee 1 June 2026 (Editor – if you missed it live here is the first-rate 1:35:26 hr interview. Other earlier NAC/ANC videos you may have missed)
CANADA
Statement by the Minister of National Defence on Canada Day 2026 & Déclaration du ministre de la Défense nationale à l’occasion de la fête du Canada 2026
Nouvelle solde pour service militaire en reconnaissance du service des membres des FAC & New military service pay to recognize CAF members’ service
CDAI: A Submarine Decision That Will Define Canada’s Naval Power
CDAI: Will Twelve New Boats Solve the RCN’s Submarine Problem?
Why expansion of Delta, B.C., container port is going hand-in-hand with Alberta pipeline
Gen. Jennie Carignan on military readiness, threats to Canada, and NORAD (Editor – 7:00 min video)
F-35 vs. Gripen: Why a Mixed Fleet Makes Sense for Canada | Fighter (Editor – CDR 7:31 min video)
Canada and Australia’s different submarine paths
Q&A With Senior Navy Leaders from Canada and South Korea (Editor – Go Bold 17:32 min video)
CDR: A Canadian view from Inside Hanwha
Canada’s Arctic Amphibious Warship – The Arctic Mobile Base – Discussion (Editor – 13:11 min video)
La ministre Joly annonce 688 M$ pour renforcer la souveraineté satellitaire du Canada par l’ajout d’un satellite à la mission de la Constellation RADARSAT & Minister Joly announces $688M to strengthen Canada’s sovereign satellite capacity with RADARSAT Constellation Mission replenishment satellite
Campbell River company wins $74M contract to build RCMP boats and Le gouvernement du Canada attribue un contrat pour la construction de nouveaux navires de patrouille côtière afin de renforcer la sécurité en Colombie-Britannique & Government of Canada awards contract for new police coastal patrol vessels to strengthen security in British Columbia
CANADIAN ARMED FORCES: Fuelling Their Own Rumour Mill (Editor – Esprit de Corps 5:30 min video)
The Defense Industrial Alliance Washington Is Throwing Away
The EPIC Geography of Lake Superior (Editor – 9:42 min video)
ARNC juillet 2026 french édition & NRAC July 2026 English Edition
VAC: Salute! 2026 & Salut! Juin 2026
Lookout: “There has been a critical error on this website” & “Une erreur critique est survenue sur ce site web”
Trident: Monday 029June 2026 Volume 60, Issue 13 & Lundi 29 juin 2026 Volume 60, édition 13
NAC Naval Affairs: Bibliography Shipbuilding (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.
ARCTIC, 7 marginal seas and Canada’s archipelago
2 legendary polar exploration shipwrecks are about to get their 21st-century close-up
MLI: Cracks in the ice: Power, propaganda, and Russia’s nuclear icebreakers
Nuclear-powered battlecruiser returns to Severomorsk for first time in 27 years
USA & AMERICAS and the Caribbean Sea
USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: June 29, 2026
GPS Interference Off California Offers Warning for Global Shipping
Congressman Urges Trump Administration to Deploy Navy Hospital Ship to Earthquake-Ravaged Venezuela
USNS Kanawha is First MSC Ship to Get the Military’s Highest Unit Award
HMCS St. John’s Concludes Participation in US FLEETEX 250
US Navy seeks to boost production of new anti-radar missile
U.S. Navy Awards Boeing $880M to Boost P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft Against Sub Threats and How the US Navy Hunts Submarines Built to Be Unfindable (Editor – 17:38 min video)
How One US Navy Ship Carries an Entire Army to War (Editor – 16:03 min video)
U.S. Navy Accepts Two Modernized Destroyers Ahead of Schedule
Pentagon Puts All Drone Programs Under One Office, Except Navy’s MUSV
Introducing LampreyMMAUV™: The Next-Generation of Undersea Autonomy (Editor – 3:32 min video)
Coast Guard Taps Commercial Supply Vessel to Keep Cutters on Station Longer
The Cartel Thought Their Sub Was Safe… Then THIS Happened (Editor – 16:36 min video)
Panama Canal Sees Revenue Beating Forecast After Hormuz Closure
UPDATED: U.S. Warships, Marines Arrive to Assist with Relief Efforts in Venezuela
World War II Wreck Hunter RV Petrel Reborn as Navy Survey Ship Sarah Lynn
South Carolina Ports to Pause Leatherman Terminal Operations as Trade Headwinds Mount (Editor – unintended consequences of rolling global upheavals)
U.S. Coast Guard Offloads $60 Million Worth of Cocaine in Port Everglades
INDO-PACIFIC
Pacific Ocean and 22+ marginal seas:
USNI News Western Pacific Pulse: June 26, 2026
Japan Begins Development of Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile Systems
China’s submarine-building dominance
Why is China so obsessed with Arleigh Burke destroyers? 3 reasons (Editor – 11:21 min video)
South Korea Selects Hanwha Ocean to Build 6 KDDX Guided Missile Destroyers for Fleet Air Defense
U.S., Partners Wrap Exercise Valiant Shield (Editor – HMCS Charlottetown)
New Zealand P-8A Poseidon’s First AGM-84J-1 Harpoon Strike Signals New Pacific Maritime Lethality (Editor – it looks like the RCAF P8’s will also carry harpoon)
Indonesian yard launches Philippine Navy’s newest landing platform dock
Resolute Dragon Exercise Upsets the Chinese Navy East of Taiwan
Chinese vessels shadow US-Philippine naval drills in South China Sea near disputed shoal
South Korea’s Upgraded KSS-3: The Most Overpowered Conventional Submarine (Editor – 16:02 min video)
Japan Commissions 10th Mogami-class Frigate ‘Nagara’
Largest-Ever RIMPAC Kicks Off With Stronger Participation From US Allies｜TaiwanPlus News (Editor – 2:59 min video)
RIMPAC 2026: U.S. Pacific submarine force to test unmanned undersea vehicles and Harpoon missile strikes with U.S. and Allies Conduct SINKEX 2026 Using Former Amphib
Airbus, Kawasaki Explore Japanese Eurodrone Anti-Submarine Variant
Fincantieri, Albanian partners sign training pact to support naval shipbuilding
China Built The Largest Oil Tanker In The World — The US Is Watching Carefully (Editor – educational 22:40 min video)
Indian Ocean and 4 major marginal seas:
Pakistan Urgently Seeks LNG as Hormuz Flare-Up Chokes Supply
Chinese Navy’s destroyer Tangshan arrives in Seychelles for a friendly visit
Indian Coast Guard Commissions ICGS Akshay, Fourth Adamya-Class Fast Patrol Vessel
EUROPE
Black, Azov, and Caspian Seas:
Ukrainian Company NOAH X Unveils Harpoon Small Unmanned Surface Vessel
Baltic Sea:
Ukraine Authorities Ordered Nord Stream Sabotage: German Prosecutors with Germany Charges Former Ukrainian Officer Over Nord Stream Pipeline Sabotage
Russia Appears to Arm LNG Tanker in Baltic as Maritime Tensions With NATO Deepen
Saab receives order for three submarines for Poland
Destroyer Severomorsk Escorted Putin’s Yacht with Anti-Drone Protection During Baltic Sea Departure
Poland Is Digging Tons of Soil From the Baltic Bottom as Russia Loses Control of the Entire Sea (Editor – wide-ranging; starts in the Baltic, then North-East passage, and a Canadian pipeline in a 22:02 min video)
Mediterranean Sea and its 15 marginal seas:
CIMSEC: Chokepoint Hormuz: Epic Fury and Italy’s Mediterranean Strategy
General:
Britain confirms plan to build 12 new nuclear attack subs
UK commits to new assault ships in joint effort with Dutch
UK Scraps Plans To Replace Destroyers With Focus On Drone Warships and At least six Common Combat Vessels will be built for the Royal Navy
Russia, one of the world’s biggest oil exporters, moves to import fuel as drone strikes squeeze supply with Russia Buys Gasoline From India to Tackle Shortages, Sources Say
French Navy Receives De Grasse Barracuda Nuclear Attack Submarine for ASW and Strike Missions
Britain to buy new mine hunting motherships from Norway
UK green lights three huge floating submarine repair docks
Sweden Fits Guns To Coast Guard Vessels As Baltic Tensions Rise
Denmark Orders New Multi-Role Environmental and Minelaying Vessels
MIDDLE EAST
Armed Boarders Damage Merchant Ship Off Yemen as Second Vessel Reports Suspicious Approach
Container Ship Runs Aground Outside Iran-Approved Hormuz Route
Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face ‘forceful response’
Indian Navy foils piracy attempt in Gulf of Aden; three ships remain in captivity, IMO warns
‘We are pawns’: Indian sea captain fears for other seafarers still stuck in Persian Gulf
Iran, US to work on negotiating peace deal in Doha after de-escalating weekend strikes with Oman Clarifies its Stance on Hormuz as Talks with Iran Widen
IMO Estimates There Are 80 Mines in Hormuz’s Shipping Lanes
2nd ship struck in Strait of Hormuz as attacks between Iran and U.S. escalate with Tanker Struck by Drone off Oman and the US Again Responds with New Strkes and of course Iran says US violated peace deal as both sides attack (Editor – hard to keep track of the sequencing in the tit-for-tat exchanges)
CIMSEC: American Naval Mines Can Be Decisive Against Iran
CSIS: Preventing Iran’s Military Reconstitution
CIMSEC: The Iran War Highlights New Realities and Changing Paradigms
Iran attacks Bahrain and Kuwait following U.S. strikes, threatens to halt talks to end war
Iran Reasserts Its Right to Control Shipping in Strait of Hormuz After Ship Hit Near Oman while Oman Tells Allies Ships Going Through Hormuz May Have to Pay
Asymmetric Alliance Strategy: An Israeli Maritime Perspective on the Iran War
GLOBAL INTERESTS
Shipping’s Aging Global Fleet Is Raising Safety Risks
Why No One Wants to Be a Seafarer (And Why the World is Scared) (Editor – alarming stats 17:21 min video)
FS Rhone Joins Moroccan Naval Exercise
SCUTTLEBUTT
The Mariner’s Mirror: Secret Warriors: British Submarines in the Cold War (Editor – 35:00 min podcast showcasing a new book)
The Kriegsmarine’s Biggest Mistake (Editor – note that the USN also had ineffective submarine torpedo at the start of WW2 – 11:11 min video)
Why do we salute with 21 guns?
THIS WEEK IN RCN/MARITIME HISTORY
4 July 1943 Canadian vessels of the 29th and 65th Motor Torpedo Boat Flotillas conduct raids on the French coast near Cherbourg.
5 July 1940 First Canadian registered merchant ship sunk in Battle of the Atlantic, CSL’s S.S. Magog, by U-99 SW of Ireland. No casualties.
5 July 1950 HMC Ships Athabaskan, Cayuga, and Sioux sail from Esquimalt, BC, to join the United Nations naval forces operating in Korean waters.
6 July 1941 The ex-USS Kalk/HMS Hamilton (Border or Town Class) was recommissioned as HMCS Hamilton.
6 July 1944 HMC Ships Ottawa commanded by Cdr James D. Prentice, DSO, RCN with HMCS Kootenay commanded by A/LCDR William H. Willson, RCN, along with HMS Statice, sank the German submarine U-678 while on patrol in the English Channel.
8 July 1760 The final Battle of the French-British war for Canada between the RN and Acadian militia and Mi’kmaq (Mi’gmaq) militias was fought in the mouth of the Restigouche River. It was not on land but at sea that the French lost the battle for Canada. It was because of French naval weakness that the outnumbered French and Canadians in North America were unable, indefinitely, to deny Acadia, the Ohio, Lake Champlain, Quebec, and Montreal, to the invading British and Americans of Amherst, Wolfe, and Johnson.
8 July 1944 Canadian MTB 463 was lost to a mine in the English Channel. No crew were lost, although 5 men were wounded.
8 July 1954 Canada’s first icebreaking arctic patrol vessel, HMCS Labrador, was commissioned. The design was adapted from that of the United States Coast Guard’s Wind class icebreakers. She carried 2 helicopters. Labrador was built in recognition of the growing strategic importance of the sovereignty of Canada’s Arctic region. Labrador sailed that summer on the first of 4 voyages she would make to the Arctic as a naval vessel. On that initial voyage, she became the first warship to negotiate the Northwest Passage across the top of the continent and, returning to Halifax, Nova Scotia, via the Panama Canal, was also the first to circumnavigate North America.
9 July 1914 HMCS Rainbow begins a three-month sealing patrol in the North Pacific. Under the command of Commander Walter Hose, the RCN’s first commissioned vessel augmented its skeleton crew with sailors from the East Coast for this sovereignty and fisheries mission.
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.
10 July 1989 443 Squadron transfers to Patricia Bay, B.C. from Shearwater, taking four Sea Kings to support the West Coast fleet.
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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