Starshell ‘A little light on what’s going on!’

Volume VII, No. 65 ~ Winter 2013-14

Public Archives of

100 years of in the RCN!

National Magazine of The Naval Association of Canada Magazine nationale de L’Association Navale du Canada www.navalassoc.ca Please help us put printing and postage costs to more efficient use by opting not to receive a printed copy of Starshell, choosing instead to read the FULL COLOUR PDF e-version posted on our web site at http:www.nava- lassoc.ca/starshell When each issue is posted, a notice will Starshell be sent to all Branch Presidents asking them to notify their ISSN 1191-1166 members accordingly. You will also find back issues posted there. To opt out of the printed copy in favour of reading National magazine of The Naval Association of Canada Starshell | Winter 2013-14 the e-Starshell version on our website, please contact the Magazine nationale de L’Association Navale du Canada Executive Director at [email protected] today. Thanks! www.navalassoc.ca Patron • HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Our cover RCN CENTENNIAL Honorary President • H. R. (Harry) Steele The two RCN H-Class submarines CH14 and CH15 dressed overall, ca. 1920-22. Built in the US, they were offered to the • RCN by the Admiralty as they were surplus to British needs. President Jim Carruthers, [email protected] See: “100 Years of Submarines in the RCN” beginning on page 4. Past President • Ken Summers, [email protected]

Treasurer • Derek Greer, [email protected] In this edition Board Members • Branch Presidents NAVAL AFFAIRS • Richard Archer, [email protected] 4 100 Years of Submarines in the RCN History & Heritage • Dr. Alec Douglas, [email protected] 8 Deal of the Century 12 Perhaps Start with Mahan? Honorary Counsel • Donald Grant, [email protected] 13 Schober’s Quiz #64 ARCHIVIST • Fred Herrndorf, [email protected]

14 From the Bridge (President’s Report) AUSN LIAISON • Fred F. Abbott, [email protected]

16 The Front Desk (Executive Director’s Report) CHAIR ENDOWMENT FUND • Brooke Campbell, [email protected] 17 Mail Call (Letters to the Editor) OBIT RESEARCH • Pat Barnhouse, [email protected] 18 The Briefing Room (news items of interest) WEBMASTER • Robert (Bob) Bush, [email protected] 21 This Will Have to Do (Bob Welland’s Memoirs) – Part 2

24 The Reading Room (Book Reviews) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STARSHELL EDITOR SEC’Y / COMMUNICATIONS 27 Obituaries and In Memoriam George A. Moore Kenneth B. Lait 1871 Primrose Crescent 308 Kennedy Lane E Kamloops BC V1S 0A5 Orleans ON K1E 3M4 Telephone 250-314-1284 Telephone 613-841-4358 Facsimile 250-314-1286 Advertise in Starshell [email protected] [email protected] We are pleased to print camera ready advertisements at the following rates Starshell Magazine is published quarterly by The Naval Association of Canada (NAC) in February, May, August and November. The editor is solely responsible for the selection of Other rates including those for our website are 1 Issue 4 Issues/per issue material. Contributions are encouraged and should be sent direct to the editor. PLEASE available on request. The advertiser assumes Full page $220 $180 NOTE: ALL MATERIAL MUST REACH THE EDITOR NO LATER THAN THE 15TH DAY OF all liability for content and/or claims against The 2/3 page $190 $150 THE MONTH PRIOR TO THE MONTH OF PUBLICATION. All photographs submitted for Naval Association of Canada which may arise from 1/2 page $160 $130 publication must be accompanied by suitable captions and accreditation. CHANGES OF 1/4 page $90 $80 it. Typesetting and art work services available at ADDRESS ARE TO BE SENT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NOT THE EDITOR. extra cost. Contact Starshell editor for details. 1/8 page $70 $55 The opinions expressed in this publication are deemed to be exclusively those of the author(s) and are not necessarily shared by The Naval Association of Canada, the Royal Starshell is printed in Canada by Postlink Corporation, Ottawa Canadian Navy or the Department of National Defence. If copyright is specified for any item, permission to copy must first be obtained through the editor, otherwise material may be copied without permission provided appropriate accreditation is given to both Editorial services, layout and design are provided by… the author(s) and Starshell. ® DISTRIBUTION and SUBSCRIPTIONS – Starshell circulation exceeds 2,000 copies and Cascade Creek Publishing is distributed to members of NAC, HMC Ships and shore establishments, NDHQ, selected George A. Moore, President Ministers, Senators, MPs and other interested individuals. Except for copyright material, 1871 Primrose Crescent, Kamloops, BC V1S 0A5 copying and internal circulation to interested officers is encouraged. Non-members may Phone 250-314-1284 • Fax 250-314-1286 subscribe by sending $15 in Canada, $20 elsewhere for each subscription to the Execu- . [email protected] tive Director 2 Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter

3 One Hundred Years of Submarines in the RCN Starshell | Winter 2013-14 By Michael Young

Author’s Note – This article is an adapted and condensed version of a paper written for the Friends of the Canadian Museum’s historical research project in collaboration with Michael Braham. The original can be found at http://www.friends-amis.org/pdf/RP14_CdnSubmarines.pdf

xcept for headline making events Company had two submarines available unteer Reserve (RNCVR) and the tiny such as the tragic accident aboard for sale. Iquique and Antofagasta had been squadron was commanded by a retired HMCS Chicoutimi in 2004, the built for the but the Chil- British submariner living in Canada who debate over the proposed acqui- eans refused to accept them since there was brought into the RCN. The addi- Esition of nuclear-powered submarines were significant unspecified deficiencies. tion of some technical personnel from the in 1987-88 or the recent problems associ- After three days of negotiating back Rainbow meant there was a nucle- ated with returning the Victoria-class to and forth between Seattle, Ottawa and us of naval trained personnel. Initially operational status, Canadians tend to be Victoria, in the middle of the night of 4-5 none had any submarine experience so unaware that Canada even possesses, or August 1914, the submarines slipped out training for virtually all hands was nec- has much involvement Maritime Museum of British Columbia essary. with submarines. There The submarines were is even less awareness of placed at the disposal the chequered history of of the British Admiralty submarines in the Royal since, at the time, the Canadian Navy (RCN) fledgling RCN was fully or of the men who served under the operational in them — a history that control of the Royal will celebrate its Centen- Navy (RN), which de- nial in 2014. cided that they should At the outbreak of remain in BC waters I in 1914, the for training purposes. miniscule RCN, then just There they stayed un- four years old, had only til the summer of 1917 the old cruiser HMCS when they were ordered Rainbow based in Esqui- to Halifax, NS, together malt for defence of the with their coastal waters of British HMCS Shearwater. Thus Canada’s first submarines CC1 and CC2 are pictured at Halifax, Nova Sco- Columbia. The Premier they became the first tia ca. 1918. The patrol vessel HMCS Cartier is in the background. of British Columbia, Sir ships to transit the Pan- Richard McBride, was extremely con- of the yard under cover of darkness. After ama Canal flying the White Ensign. They cerned over the lack of naval forces to an inspection by Canadian authorities in languished in Halifax until 1920 when protect BC waters in the event that the Canadian waters off Esquimalt, a cheque they were sold for scrap. German squadron of Admiral Graf von for $1.2 million was handed over in ex- Although some twelve Canadian na- Spee approached the coast; a concern change for possession of the submarines val officers served in submarines during heightened when Rainbow sailed quietly in the early morning of 5 August. The , two in particular served on 3 August to meet the potential threat following day the Canadian government with distinction. B. L. ‘Barney’ Johnson of the German cruiser Leipzig then off ratified the purchase and commissioned was a master mariner and a marine pi- Mexico and apparently heading north. the vessels in the RCN as HMC Ships CC1 lot with the Pilotage Author- McBride acted upon his concern and and CC2. ity who was temporarily attached to the on his own initiative. He had learned that Their crews were drawn from volun- RCN in Esquimalt. The temporary attach- the Seattle Dry Dock and Construction teers from the Canadian Vol- ment became permanent for the duration 4 Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter of the war. He was commissioned as an pressure from the Admiralty, the RCN re- the RN. Twenty-six officers, all from the Acting Lieutenant in the Reserve and ap- luctantly took the two submarines, desig- RCNVR, underwent submarine training pointed as second-in-command of CC2. nating them CH14 and CH15. Although during the years 1942-1944. Of these, Subsequently, he was appointed to com- some effort was made to keep the sub- three went on to command British sub- mand one of the submarines building for operational, they were laid up marines. Two were awarded the Distin- the RN in Montréal.1 He commissioned permanently in June 1922 after the gov- guished Service Cross (DSC) with LCdr H8 in 1915 and took her across the Atlan- ernment refused to approve the annual Freddie Sherwood from Ottawa earning a tic to Britain. He became the first Canadi- upkeep costs necessary. There would be second award for actions in the Far East. an to command a submarine and he later a hiatus of 23 years before submarines re- One officer2 who had volunteered for won the Distinguished Service Order turned to RCN service. ‘chariot’ (human torpedoes) operations (DSO) for his exploits in command of the Canada did not acquire any subma- was killed in January 1943 when the sub- submarine in the North Sea. rines during WWII although at one marine in which he was taking passage Unlike Johnson, William Maitland- point in mid-1943, there was a proposal enroute to his target was sunk. Dougall was a regular force officer. He to form a submarine branch of the RCN In 1945, the RCN took over two sur- had entered the Royal Naval College of and acquire six submarines. The Naval rendered German U-boats: U-889 and Canada in 1911 at the age of fifteen as Board ultimately rejected this proposal. U-190. The former was transferred to the a member of the first term of cadets at Submarines did serve in Canada to train USN early in 1946 after supporting equip- the new College. Af- ment trials by the RCN. RCN / Public Archives of Canada / Editor’s Collection ter graduation in 1913, U-190 lasted until Oc- he had been in a British tober 1947 when due to cruiser until recalled to her deteriorating state, Canada at the outbreak she was sunk as a target of war to serve in the off Halifax near the spot newly acquired subma- where she had torpe- rines. In 1915 he volun- doed HMCS Esquimalt in teered to serve in British April 1945. This time the submarines and under- hiatus would only last 15 went further training in years. Britain. After serving The postwar RCN as second-in-command evolved into a highly to Lt Barney Johnson in specialized ASW Navy. HMS D3, he qualified Effective operational for submarine command training for the navy, and and replaced Johnson in the maritime patrol air- D3. Thus he became the craft of the Royal Cana- youngest to command a dian Air Force (RCAF), submarine and the first required the services of A line is passed to U 889 from a Canadian warship as the U-boat prepares RCN (Regular Force) of- submarines. The RN to formally surrender to the RCN off Shelburne, NS, on May 13th, 1945. ficer to do so. Maitland- provided such services Dougall was killed, just before his twen- HMC ships. The Dutch submarine O-15 for the RCN and RCAF on the east coast ty-third birthday, on 12 March 1918 when arrived on the scene in Halifax from the after the war using the small U-class. For his submarine was attacked and sunk Netherlands West Indies in August 1940. a variety of reasons, including cost, this while on the surface by a French airship The RCN managed to hold onto O-15 un- arrangement was ultimately unsatisfac- in a tragic case of mistaken identity. til well into 1942, by which time she had tory for both parties. At the end of World War I, two H-class been joined by an obsolete but still useful In the early 1950s, negotiations began submarines that had been built in the British submarine L27. Throughout the between the RN and the RCN for what United States were offered to the RCN remainder of the war, the Admiralty allo- became a complex agreement by which by the Admiralty as they were surplus to cated to the Canadians a series of ageing the RN stationed a squadron of three sub- British needs. This was a gift the Cana- (most were over 20 years old) submarines marines in Halifax. In return, the RCN dians did not want as they could not af- which had been acquired by lend-lease provided personnel for training and sub- ford to run both submarines and do the from the USN. sequent service in British submarines — necessary training for the surface ships. Even if the RCN lacked a submarine not necessarily those stationed in Halifax. In addition there were not enough sailors branch during World War II, it did not lack In the summer of 1955 the first subma- to man everything. Nevertheless, under volunteers to serve in the submarines of rine arrived to inaugurate the Squadron. 5 This arrangement lasted for ten years and marines to be built in Britain. These were ships and maritime patrol aircraft that came to a close when HMCS Ojibwa ar- the Oberon-class which, although very ad- their RN predecessors had done from rived in Halifax in 1965. vanced in some features, was essentially 1955 to 1965. They spent a considerable On the Pacific coast there was no similar an update of the World War II Type XXI amount of time at sea — much more than arrangement. However, there was a good U-boat design. The US design used the their surface ship cousins. relationship with the USN and the west advanced ‘tear drop’ hull form utilized by By the late 1970s, the Oberons were get- coast ships and aircraft frequently exer- the USN for its nuclear attack submarines ting tired. Most of their sensor systems cised with submarines of the USN. While which gave the diesel electric Barbel much were obsolete and spare parts were becom- Starshell | Winter 2013-14 this was a beneficial situation, the amount better speed and diving capability than ing scarce and expensive. The Navy made of training time available to the RCN and that of the Oberon-class. The Oberon was a successful case for an update program, RCAF in the Pacific was extremely limited considerably cheaper however. the formal title of which included the term and insufficient to sustain high standards The first of the new submarines was ‘Operational.’ In addition to improve- of operational readiness in ASW. commissioned as HMCS Ojibwa at Cha- ments in the submarines’ systems, new Throughout much of the 1950s, the tham Dockyard in the summer of 1965. and modern electronics replaced the out- RCN considered the acquisition of sub- She had been laid down for the RN as dated analog versions and a new , marines of its own — including a study of HMS Onyx but was transferred to the RCN the American Mark 48, was acquired. The the option of obtaining John Webber update took place be- nuclear-powered sub- tween 1980 and 1986 and marines. The cost of the the result was a very ca- arrangement on the east pable submarine. Given coast was increasing and this better capability, the Britain was anxious to Navy finally assigned reduce its commitment. operational tasks, other In 1960 the government than simply training, to authorized the lease of the submarines — albeit the former USS Burrfish, reluctantly at the outset. a World War II era USN The submarines proved boat in the reserve fleet, their worth in several for a five year period of successful deployments service on the west coast. in scenarios. Renamed HMCS Grilse, On the west coast the she was commissioned lease of Grilse had been into the RCN on May extended for a further The O-class submarine HMCS Ojibwa entering Halifax harbour, likely during 11, 1961. This decision five years and she had the 1970s given the old style Type 187 dome on the bow. resulted in two training been refitted in 1967. streams — one USN and one RN. This while under construction. She was fol- However, in 1968 the US Navy offered would have some interesting repercus- lowed in 1967 by HMCS Onondaga and in another submarine and the RCN bought sions over terminology and operating phi- 1968 by HMCS Okanagan. Onondaga and the former USS Argonaut. She was com- losophies when the two groups merged Okanagan incorporated a series of modi- missioned as HMCS Rainbow and replaced during the introduction of the Oberons. fications to meet specific RCN require- Grilse which was returned to the USN in At the beginning of the 1960s, the navy ments. A fourth Oberon, to meet the west 1969. Rainbow only lasted until 1974 and had plans for a small force of six modern coast requirement, was vaguely promised for many years afterwards there would submarines, based on the USN Barbel de- but in the event was never authorized. be no submarine based on the west coast. sign, which would have both an opera- The government was at pains to point Occasional deployments of an Oberon tional and a training function. Grilse was out that the acquisition of these subma- from the east coast in the later 1980s allevi- viewed as a stop gap measure. However, rines was for the purposes of training the ated the shortfall but did not solve it. politics got in the way of these plans dur- ASW forces of the RCN and the RCAF — Although the modernization program ing the major shake-up of National De- exclusively on the east coast. They were for the Oberons was in progress in 1980, fence initiated by Paul Hellyer, the Minis- not to have any operational role. This the Navy began the initial planning pro- ter of National Defence. despite the fact that the thinking within cess for their eventual replacement with Instead of the planned six, US-designed, NATO ASW circles was that the best anti- a modern diesel-electric submarine. This ‘state of the art’ diesel boats, the govern- submarine vehicle was another subma- was a prudent move given the reality of ment entered into negotiations with the rine. The Oberons did the same ‘clock- very long lead times for such major proj- Admiralty for the acquisition of three sub- work mouse’ evolutions for the surface ects. In 1983, a formal project was estab- 6 Cpl Malcolm Byers, MARPAC Imaging Services © 2011 DND-MND Canada Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter lished with a small team of dedicated per- sonnel and the formal title established as the Canadian Submarine Acquisition Proj- ect — CASAP for short. This action took advantage of an offer from the Royal Aus- tralian Navy (RAN), which also operated Oberon-class submarines, to participate in their replacement project which was at a more advanced stage. In the event, the cooperation with the RAN did not bear fruit (except for the Canadian team gain- ing much useful technical information) and each of the navies resumed their own courses of action. In the mid-1980s, the newly elected federal government of Prime Minister Mulroney decided that the submarine HMCS Victoria (SSK 876) replacement program should include preparing for hoisting nuclear-powered submarines. They were drills with a Sea King included in the 1987 Defence White Paper helicopter from 443 Mari- in support of a three ocean policy. To say time Helicopter Squad- that this was a controversial move is a ron during sea trials off gross understatement. Two years later the Constance Bank near program was effectively cancelled when Victoria, BC, on Decem- the funding was removed from the federal ber 7th, 2011. budget. The impact of this diversion of focus from the core element of CASAP — the re- died as a result of smoke inhalation while museum submarine on the shores of Lake placement of the Oberons with new diesel- fighting this fire. He became the second Erie in Port Burwell, . Her passage electric submarines — was devastating. In peacetime casualty in submarines.3 through the Seaway and the effect the project went back to basics and a Arguably, the Victoria-class has given on a barge in 2012 generated much posi- very low priority on the procurement lad- the Navy a better capability than it had tive publicity. She is now open to the pub- der. with the Oberons. The west coast has a lic as part of the Elgin Military Museum in In 1998 an arrangement between the submarine capability of its own again and nearby St. Thomas, Ontario. British and Canadian governments re- the submarines have an excellent opera- sulted in the acquisition by Canada of tional ability that is being used. The era of Footnotes four diesel-electric submarines that were nothing but ‘clockwork mice’ tasks seems surplus to British requirements. Britain over. 1 10 H-Class submarines were built at Canadian had opted to operate only nuclear-pow- With the arrival of the Victoria-class the Vickers in Montréal in early 1915 for the RN, init- ered submarines and these four relatively era of the Oberons ended. However, two ially without the knowledge of the Canadian gov- new submarines had been laid up in a have been preserved as museum ships. ernment. Five more were built in Vancouver and state of preservation (‘mothballed’) since Onondaga was the first true Canadian boat shipped to Russia in kit form. A further six, also 1994. They were the only four built out and had commissioned in the Centennial built in Vancouver, never reached Russia and of a planned nine Upholder-class that had Year of 1967, so it is fitting that she is pre- eventually ended up in USN service. See: entered service between 1990 and 1993. served. After unsuccessful attempts to http://www.gwpda.org/naval/cdnhboat.htm Designated as the Victoria-class by the Ca- bring her to the 2 Lt C. E. Bonnell, DSC, RCNVR in HMS P311. nadian Navy, the namesake of the class in Ottawa, in 2008 she was relocated to 3 The first was PO2 Verne McLeod killed when a was commissioned at Halifax in December the Pointe au Père Historic Site near Ri- HTP torpedo exploded in HMS Sidon in Portland, 2000. She was followed by HMCS Windsor mouski, Québec. She has been restored on 16 June 1955. in June 2003, HMCS Corner Brook in March to a pristine condition and has become a 2003 and HMCS Chicoutimi in September major tourist attraction. Ojibwa, the first Mike Young is a former naval officer and 2004. The latter submarine suffered a ma- Canadian Oberon to commission, has submariner residing in Nepean, Ontario, a jor fire en route across the Atlantic to Hali- also been rescued from the ship-break- member of NAC Ottawa and past editor of fax. One officer, Lt(N) Chris Saunders, er’s hands and is now high and dry as a “Starshell.” 7 Starshell | Winter 2013-14 8 S Forces. A single shotfrom a Mk. 48is capable ofcompletely most potent weaponsystem operated bytheCanadian Armed for trainingpurposes. of anSSNwasso steep, itmade no sense to acquire themsimply was real concern with thenature of the operating system: the cost historian oftheCanadian submarine programme points out,there rines, notconventionalonesliketheOberons . However, asthe since the1950s,andwhatitreally wantedwere nuclearsubma- first time. quired fortheboatsmakingthem operationalweaponsforthe 1980s modern combat systems and theMk.48 torpedoes were ac- as ‘clockwork mice’ during navalexercises; however in thelate were purchased from Britain.Thesesubmarineslargelyworked were leasedandshortly thereafter newOberon-class submarines ing targets. Two old American surplusWWIIerasubmarines required the acquisition of submarines in order to provide train- the field of anti-submarine warfare for NATO’s maritime defences to convince the government at thattime that its growing role in navy’s demands until theearly1960s.Thenavywasablethen the resisted government the and conflict the for procured were ans servedinBritishsubmarines during World War Two, none war.of themfollowingtheend Although manyCanadi- acquired duringWorld Warservice divesteditself the but One, has spent most of itsexistencewithouthavingany. Two were the SubmarineService. end of or the that was either RCN: it only option opentothe the modern Upholderswerehighly what itcouldspend,theused,but was essentiallyhostiletotheideaofsubmarines,andlimitedin navy werechoices forthe the a governmentthat Faced with stark. problems sinceexperiencedintheactivationofthesevessels. Yet, inherentany technical shortcomings,whichcreated manyofthe Oberons inthe1990s.Itwasdecisions made then,ratherthan actuality, thenavyhadrelativelyfew optionstoreplace itsaging they really are asetoflemons put uponus bythecraftyBritish.In inated the media narrative for a decade, convincing many that dom- have submarines Victoria-class the afflicted have that sues With theadditionoflarge torpedoes, the subsbecame the for submarines Little knownisthatthenavyhadbeenlobbying Submarines have long beencontroversial in Canada. The navy Editor’s Note: To accesstheoriginalcontainingactivelinks,pleaseclickonorcopy, typeandpastethefollowinglinkintoyourwebbrowser then their role inCanada’s defence. Worse, thetechnicalis- even thosewellversed in militarymatters,understand on systemintheCanadianForces. FewCanadians, ubmarines are perhaps themostmisunderstoodweap- Dr. Mitchell’s originalarticlecontainsnumerous interesting interactiveweblinkswhichcouldnotbeduplicatedhere. ‘Deal oftheCentury’ click onNavalAffairsandscroll downtothelistofpapers:http://www.navalassoc.ca By Dr. PaulT. Mitchell through whichSoviet SSNsandSSBNs would havetotransitin marines meantto defendtheso-called Greenland-UK (GIUK)gap Canadian submarineservicefrom alingeringdeath. pearance ofthe navy’s existing budget. Based on thatguidance,theluckyap- aging Defence in 1994 ultimately supported the idea of replacing the reportrias. Whilethe Committee onCanada’s Special Joint of the the predicaments with which it currently wrestles with the Victo- revenue toprocure submarines that ultimatelyled the navy into extra lack ofany the cashstrapped1990s.Indeed,itwas ing a programme thatlikelywould haveeatentheservicealivedur Cold War and a growing government deficit saved the navy from ter ErikNielsentomakearenewed caseforthem.Theendofthe minis- defence then by comment offhand an of advantage taking confrontation betweentheCanadianandSpanishnavies. during theTurbotCrisis of1995helpedtode-escalatethethreat of on navies. The publication ofa“NoticeIntention”bytheRCN against afalsetarget. tion is that every expended in the British ASW effort was we were there theyknew until they heardourtorpedoesrunning. that think I don’t attack. counter effective no was “There scored. According tothe Argentinean CaptainoftheSan , most of its ASW ordnance, were released with no hits Local in return. acoustic conditionsrendered theBritishforces helpless:over150 it target effectively to unable were but them, val forcesan knewthat Argentineansubmarine waspursuing na- British itscolony. back take to efforts Britain’s ending tire, Hermes been hit,theRoyal Navy would have been forced to re- misinstalled, reversing thepolarityofconnection). Had gyroscopes malfunctioned becauseanelectricalcablehadbeen failed tohittheshipbecauseofaverysimple technical error (its HMS on solution fire a achieved Luis, the Theirsubmarine, theBritish. against feat same the off island boundgarrisonoftroops totheirultimatefate. the left and field the fromretired navy Argentineanthe Belgrano, action onthepartofadversaries. After the sinkingoftheGeneral vividly demonstrated, such an action could compel real strategic destroying allbutthelargest ofvessels. As the FalklandsWar The 1980s, the during again SSNs of idea the with flirted navy The effect deterrent potent a causes submarines of threatmere The What manydonotrealize, the Argentiniansalmost pulled Oberons, itwas only iftheycould be replaced within the Upholders were designed as ultra-quiet conventional sub- subs on the market probablyUpholder subsonthe saved the Hermes, butthetorpedoes ” The implica- Luis: San - Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter VICTORIA CLASS SUBMARINE Type: Long-range diesel-electric Length: 70.26 metres Masts and Periscopes patrol submarine Beam: 7.6 metres The binocular Search Periscope is used to search for ships and aircraft when the boat is at Speed: 12 knots (surfaced), Draught: 5.5 metres periscope depth. It is equipped with a SEASEARCH II system that warns of nearby hostile radars. 20 knots (submerged) Engine: Two Paxman Valenta The relatively undetectable monocular Attack Periscope with infrared capability is used while Patrol Endurance: approximately 8 weeks 16-cylinder diesels driving two conducting attacks or gathering intelligence. Radar is an above-water sensor used only when the boat is at periscope depth or surfaced. Because of its susceptibility to detection, submarines Complement: 48 crew and 5 trainees 2,500-kw generators. The boat seldom use radar except to assist navigation while entering or leaving harbour. Electronic Diving Depth: 200 metres is propelled by a single 5,400 shp electric motor turning a single Sensors Measures detect the presence of active radar before that radar can detect the Displacement: 2,185 tons (surfaced), submarine. The ESM antenna is located on top of the Search Periscope. 2,400 tons (submerged) propeller Barr and Stroud Barr and Stroud 1 Engine Room 2 Machinery Control Room 3 Control Room CH85 Attack CK35 Search Contains two The MCR team manages the Computers process Periscope Periscope Steering and Passive diesel engines submarine’s propulsion and external data received Depth Control Acoustic Sensors that drive electrical plant. The from sonar and other Sperry Type Station These sonar systems associated electric engineers are responsible sensors, resulting in the 1007 Navigation The helmsman are simply underwater Snort generators, which for all electrical and development of a Radar controls the hydrophones, designed Induction in turn the mechanical systems, coherent tactical picture submarine’s to listen to noise main battery that from weapons, sensors allowing the crew to depth, course radiated into the water powers the and communications to understand what is and speed. from other vessels and propulsion lighting, heating and air happening outside Exhaust aircraft. Sonar operators motor. conditioning. the boat. Mast man a display that indicates the location of the detected target. Aft Escape Main The sensors are fitted Hatch to the hull of the Hatch Forward submarine. Escape Hatch Torpedo Tubes 1 2 3 Towed Array A passive acoustic sensor housed in a waterproof tube and Main Propulsion pulled behind the Motor submarine on a cable. Aft Battery Section Accommodation and Mess Decks MK-48 Torpedo The main Weapon Stowage Compartment Active Acoustic Sensors armament of the Victoria class submarines is the MK-48 Torpedo. After This area contains storage racks These sonar systems rely on the transmission of launch the torpedo is connected to the submarine by a thin guidance wire, for up to 18 Mk-48 heavyweight sound waves into the water, with the intention of through which the torpedo and submarine fire control system (SFCS) “talk” torpedoes. The high-speed, receiving an echo from nearby targets. The Victoria to each other. This ability to communicate allows the weapon to be steered long-range, deep-diving torpedoes class submarines have a medium-range detection in different directions or acquire a different target after launch. A single hit are fired from six forward tubes, set in the bow, echo-sounders to determine the depth will disable or sink a small or medium-sized ship or submarine; multiple hits and designed for use against both of the sea floor and velocimeters to measure the will disable or sink the largest ships and submarines in existence. surface ships and submarines. speed of sound in water.

DEPARTMENT OF NATIONAL DEFENCE ROB STRUTHERS, TIMES COLONIST

order to attack Western resupply convoys the window was about to slam shut, the Terror in 2003, just as the submarines were or to manoeuvre into their firing positions navy lobbied hard for their acquisition in arriving in Halifax, also limited the ability respectively. With the end of the Cold what was called the deal of the century — to move quickly in resolving these issues. War, and dealing with its own deficit pro- four slightly used subs for $750 million. In many ways, the problems experi- grammes, UK MOD decided to invest all The old supply vessel HMCS Provider enced by the subs represent an ‘own goal’ its efforts in SSNs, and terminated the pro- would be paid off early and planned refits on the part of the navy. gramme after just four had been built. The for the O-boats foregone. The decisions that were made at the submarines were placed up for sale, but But the navy had to live within the tight time in order to get the boats, were to given that they were virtually the same limits that had been established by that come back to haunt the navy years later. submarine as the nuclear Trafalgar-class, $750M figure. As such, much of the spare The failure to acquire sufficient spares or and based on sensitive US technology, parts the RN had warehoused for the sub- establish supplier relationships for parts the MOD could not just sell them to any marines were not purchased, or some of resulted in many of the significant delays navy. From the very beginning, Canada the technical information concerning the in making the subs operational as the was the preferred customer given its close engineering of the submarine’s systems navy worked to create its own network relations with both the US and the UK. In- acquired from VSEL (later BAE Systems). of industrial relationships to manufac- deed, two successive US Secretaries of De- Further, a series of technical problems ture the specialized equipment found on fense lobbied Canadian politicians to step were discovered in the submarines as they no other naval system. This, rather than up to the altar and accept the subs. began to be reactivated by the Royal Navy. the frequent argument that the subs were However, submarines were politically Many of these were fixed before the boats poorly constructed, is responsible for unpopular within the Chrétien govern- were turned over to Canada, however, the delays in the programme. Yet, given ment. The former foreign minister called several expensive fixes remained when we the constraints under which the navy them “un-Canadian” and Chrétien him- acquired them. The heavy demands made had to operate in the mid-1990s meant self dithered on the decision. Sensing that on the navy at the beginning of the War on that there really were no other alterna- 9 tives if the service was to be preserved. forgotten that similar horrors were suf- is no justification for acquiring new subma- From several different perspectives, de- fered by German and Japanese sailors in rines.” In sum, there is a long history of spite the problems that came with the the unrestricted submarine operations opposition to submarines in Canada. boats, it really was the deal of the century! conducted by allied navies. Submariners The problem with these arguments is No new system could be considered given have often embraced this reputation: on basically their tactical orientation to sub- the cost constraints, no other used system the return of HMS Conqueror following the marines as weapons. First, it is difficult for was likely to come along and the O-boats end of the Falklands War in 1982, it flew Canadians to imagine a replay of the Bat- were nearly at the end of their operational the Jolly Roger on its periscope along with tle of the Atlantic emerging once more at Starshell | Winter 2013-14 lives. a broom to indicate a ‘clean sweep’ of all sea. Secondly, it is impossible for them to That the navy was willing to rashly run its targets, reviving a tradition from the imagine Canadian crews deliberately tar- such risks perversely shows the impor- First World War. geting foreign commercial shipping in the tance attached by the navy to preserving In what seems to be a recurring pat- same way that contemporary Canadians the service. Students of politics will be tern, Canadian qualms over submarines condemn our participation in the strate- quick to point out that bureaucratic orga- were raised even before the close of the gic bombing campaigns against Germany nizations seek to preserve both budget as Cold War and the debate over the so- during World War Two. Both of the above well as mission, if not also increase them. called peace dividend. In 1983, the Sen- scenarios imagine how the vessels might However, the scale of the effort to protect ate Subcommittee on National Defence in be used in a specific circumstance, rather the subs meant it had to be a navy-wide its report Canada’s Maritime Defence noted than considering the types of general op- effort, rather than simply the selfish pur- “[Submarines’] major disadvantage is that tions such a capability gives to a Canadian suit of interests by a (very) small part of they are quintessentially weapons of war government. the service. Still, the desire by the RCN to and would be able to contribute little to We should consider, therefore, these protect its sub-surface capabilities escapes the accomplishment of the ancillary duties options that open up to governments. Be- many Canadians, including those with assigned to MARCOM in peacetime.” A cause of their inherent stealthiness they backgrounds in military affairs. decade later, the Canada 21 report argued: can: Michael Byers and Stewart Webb’s re- cent critique of the Victoria-class subma- In the new strategic context, there is no • operate in a state’s backyard, rine programme ‘re-surfaces’ what are obvious need to maintain the wide range unsupported and in the face of actually very old concerns about the stra- of air, ground and ASW conventional opposing sea control efforts; tegic requirement for these weapon sys- forces needed to repel an attack because • conduct non-politically intrusive tems in the inventory of the RCN. Their it is difficult to conceive of any military operations in forward areas; opposition to submarines is based purely power with the desire or ability to attack • be inserted for a wide range on tactical considerations surrounding the Canada. of operational tasks (intelligence current strategic environment. A strategic indication and warning, special consideration of submarines is focused, On the then proposed Upholder pur- operations); rather, on the options that the system gives chase, the Globe and Mail editorialised “[e] • conduct a wide range of opera- the Canadian government in an unknow- ven if we could afford the $800 million tions with a high degree of sur- able future security environment. [cabinet] knows that nothing is a bargain if vivability. Of course, the submarine has long had they are not necessary.” Even some retired a sinister reputation stemming from both naval officers argued against the systems. Submarines, thus, offer considerable the major global conflicts of the twentieth Former submarine captain Ed Gigg wrote strategic flexibility to the nations that op- century. The vessels themselves with their that: erate them. Besides their ominous offen- black hulls are visually menacing. The sive capabilities, three roles fall naturally unrestricted submarine campaigns con- Britain has every right to reap the so- to submarines: Conventional Deterrence, ducted by the German navy in both called ‘peace dividend’ by taking Up- Intelligence Collection and Operational cemented in the public’s imagination the holder submarines out of service; but Support. inherent ‘evil’ of the submarine. The sink- Canada should not consider adding to ing of vessels like the Lusitania on May 7th, the British dividend by purchasing sub- u Strategic Conventional Deterrence 1915 with the loss of 1,201 persons, all of marines for which there is no demon- ubmarines are enormously difficult them civilian passengers and crew, framed strable need, Sto find at sea. In World War Two, the the essential horror of this weapon. Lat- huge casualties suffered by the German er, the long of the Atlantic with and Captain ‘Tex’ Thomas argued that: wolf packs were partly caused by the speed the steady loss of merchant mariners, in “In time of changing focus for the fleet, in- of convoys that forced most submarines to equally horrible circumstances, reinforced creasing complications for funding and em- attack on the surface where ships and air- this image. In Western nations, it is often phasis on versatility and flexibility, there craft could more easily attack them. How- 10 Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter ever, modern submarines (particularly nu- erations in strategic waterways with little logic to determine Canadian naval re- clear submarines) are much faster which likelihood of being detected. Canadian quirements. Our military contributions gives them the tactical manoeuvrability to submarines have been used in such pur- to Canadian security, whether exercised attack while submerged. As noted above, poses to monitor American fishing ves- in terms of domestic operations or those the Royal Navy found out in the Falklands sels thought to be illegally harvesting fish in alliance, coalition or UN operations, War modern ASW is far more tricky. in Canadian waters and have supported should be determined by our values and Such operational difficulties exert a counter-drug efforts in the . interests rather than the availability of strong psychological effect on navies. specific military capabilities. Those who Knowledge of an operational submarine u Operational Support rely on the capability argument avoid the in a particular area will often deter navies astly, given the difficulty in finding and difficult question of what, as a country, we from entering at all. Following the sink- Lcommunicating with submerged sub- are willing to fight for. ing of the General Belgrano by Conquerer, marines, they are rightly considered soli- Clearly, as the history since 1991 has the Argentinian navy returned to port. tary weapon systems. However, in some shown, there are some things that even the The knowledge that the Canadian navy circumstances they can provide powerful most war averse government has deemed had deployed submarines to the Georges operational support to other military sys- necessary to support with military force. Bank in 1995, assisted in managing the cri- tems. Under good sonar conditions and What those issues will be in the future is sis between Spain and Canada during the equipped with a towed array, submarines entirely unknowable, just as it was im- . are capable of covering 125,000 km2 over possible to imagine the high intensity op- a forty to fifty day patrol. Thus, consider- erations conducted by the u Intelligence Collection able resource savings can be had with sub- in Kandahar province in 2006/7, or the he same features which enhance con- marines, especially given that Canada’s bombing operations undertaken by the Tventional deterrence also play an Victoria-class submarines are crewed by RCAF over Libya in 2010. important role in intelligence collection. only 48 sailors, whereas a similarly capa- Submarines offer tremendous flexibil- The ability to cruise undetected close to ble naval task group might have as many ity in how they can be used. While their hostile shores demonstrates the utility of as 1,400, not to mention the considerable acquisition costs are high, once acquired, these vessels. During the height of the fuel costs of a five ship formation as com- their operations and maintenance costs Cold War, American submarines were pared to that of a single submarine. can be quite low. able to penetrate the ports of some of the Operating in conjunction with mari- Presently, most Canadian cities enjoy Soviet Union’s most sensitive naval in- time patrol aircraft (MPA), submarines historically low crime rates, yet the argu- stallations, conducting signals and elec- are able to assist in controlling enormous ment that police forces can be dramatically tronic intelligence, as well as photograph- areas. Again, the sensors on board these cut is justifiably risible. That we have not ing the undersides of Soviet submarines. vessels provide useful long range infor- experienced a fire or other natural disas- Submarines would be able to per- mation; however, the submarine’s ability ter is hardly an argument for abandoning form similar missions in other opera- to respond to that information may be lim- home insurance. Airports have relatively tional contexts, complementing the in- ited by speed and safety considerations. few crashes but none go without their own telligence resources available to a naval Submarines operating with MPA (or even fire trucks. So it is with military forces. We or a ground force commander. Further, in the future, organically deployed UAVs) purchase military capabilities not with such missions might be able to collect can pass on their target information, al- the expectation that they will be used, but intelligence unavailable by other means. lowing the aircraft to conduct more de- with the hope that they will prove entirely Opposing forces can avoid or deceive tailed investigations of contacts that are unnecessary. satellite reconnaissance as long as the or- far removed from the submarine’s posi- bital periods are known. Long range high tion. This also has the benefit of allowing altitude aircraft, such as the U2 and Global the submarine to remain covert. Dr. Paul T. Mitchell is a Professor of De- Hawk UAV, are highly scarce resources Those arguing that submarines have fence Studies at the Canadian Forces Col- which may not be available on short no- no use in a Canadian context, thus, are lege, an alumnus of Wilfred Laurier Univer- tice. Further, these and other aircraft may thinking in very narrow terms about what sity, and a Research Associate of the Laurier be detected, thereby warning the opposi- types of threats they can imagine given Centre for Military Strategic and Disarma- tion that they are being watched. A sub- the current political environment. They ment Studies. marine’s stealth avoids these problems. have difficulty imagining how the awe- No other platform has the ability to co- some capabilities characteristic to subma- The views expressed here are those of the vertly track, identify and monitor vessels rines would be employed by the Canadian author alone and do not represent those of in fog conditions. ‘Bottomed out’ subma- government in future operations, and the or the Depart- rines resting on the sea floor, can conduct thus dismiss them as unnecessary. There ment of National Defence. long range and long term intelligence op- is a fundamental problem of using such 11 Perhaps start with Mahan? By Ian Parker

lfred Thayer Mahan, the 19th First: Leveraging Defence Procurement enlightening to compare the outcome of Starshell | Winter 2013-14 century American geopolitical Through Key Industrial Capabilities,” following Mahan’s principles between strategist, theorized that for a further supports the Mahanian principles the USA and Canada. By following Ma- country to be a maritime na- by advising the government to develop a han’s principles, the USA developed into tionA it needed to have specific and unique defence industrial strategy for Canada, to an economically strong and prosperous characteristics, namely: to be either an island invest in Canada, which is what Mahan maritime nation. For Canada, at least at or like an island for ease of defense, to have a advocated in the USA. this point in time, the fruits of our govern- long coastline, access to seas from interior via The NSPS is that single Canadian de- ment’s maritime strategic initiative, the rivers and bays, and have numerous and deep fence-related policy and investment pro- NSPS, notwithstanding recent minor con- harbours, a portion of the population engaged gramme that has the potential to exploit tract announcements, seem to be theocrat- in seagoing occupations or suited to them, a our national characteristics as a maritime ic hubris — increased government process citizenry that has a strong leaning towards with plenty of circular consultation, an US Naval History & Heritage Command commerce and business, and a government apparently absolute aversion to risk, and faithful to the will of the people, that can pro- indeed, no steel yet being cut for the navy vide intelligent direction, promote the growth or coast guard. Not quite the outcomes and strength of seagoing commerce and build postulated by Mahan or envisioned by our a strong navy. government. The Prime Minister of Canada, on May The tangible gem of this potentially 3, 2012, stated: “Canada is a maritime nation, great nation-building endeavour is the a maritime nation with trade, commerce and Canadian Surface Combatant 2 (CSC), interests around the world. Surrounded as we worth more than $26B. That project alone are by three oceans, it can truly be said that has the potential to employ thousands of Canada and its economy float on salt water. Canadians, to design, build and sustain Such a nation must have a navy. A navy that these ships throughout their service to serves, a navy that protects, a navy that will, Canada. This will be the single biggest if circumstances demand, place its ships and shipbuilding investment in Canada, short their personnel in situations of imminent dan- of wartime efforts. It is, perhaps, what the ger, for the sake of the country they have sworn Prime Minister envisioned when he spoke to defend.” Alfred Thayer Mahan USN of our nation understanding the value of (September 27, 1840 – December 1, 1914) The Prime Minister was speaking about our oceans, the necessity of ensuring the a modern Canada in the context of Ma- . . . . . freedom of the seas, and the necessity of han. He was speaking of a Canada with building and sustaining our fleet while unique characteristics. When the govern- nation, as envisaged by Mahan, while building the high quality national indus- ment initiated the National Shipbuilding investing in Canada for Canadians. The trial base to sustain the effort beyond what Procurement Strategy (NSPS) they were NSPS therefore is a modern nation-build- was considered in the NSPS. Sadly, we following Mahan’s principle “…to build a ing policy as ambitious as the Trans Can- must remember Canada’s current reality: strong navy.” ada Highway or the St. Lawrence Seaway theocratic hubris, process and risk aver- “The Harper government is committed to were in their day. Grasping the potential sion! supporting Canadian jobs and industry by and the opportunity presented by the It is disappointing that pundits who maximizing military procurement,” Minis- NSPS will require, in Mahan’s words: “…a have commented on the NSPS and the ter Ambrose said recently as the govern- citizenry that has a strong leaning towards Jenkins Report have not grasped the fun- ment formally received a report prepared commerce and business, and a government damental strategic underpinnings of these by a panel of experts chaired by Tom Jen- faithful to the will of the people, that can pro- initiatives and as a result seem to have kins, Special Adviser to the Minister of vide intelligent direction, promote growth and embraced, perhaps unwittingly, what ap- Public Works and Government Services. strength of sea-going commerce and builds a pears to be a subservient colonial mindset, Although not specifically about ship- strong navy.” one that questions Canada and Canadian’s building, the Jenkins Report, “Canada Although the NSPS is still young, it is ability to succeed. This mindset coupled

12 Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter with the Canadian reality of theocratic hu- being the case, strategic investment, not ests. But to do so, the government and the bris, increased process and risk aversion IRBs, are needed. bureaucracy must not be side-tracked by creates an environment that is counter to It is worth noting that Canada can build commentators warning about a fictional the principles laid out by Mahan. Recall ships. Our current Halifax-class fleet of “military industrial complex” or the false he advocated building a national capabil- , designed and built in Canada, are allure of foreign off-the-shelf cheap acqui- ity not relying on foreign solutions as he among the most integrated and the most sitions or a process-driven, easy way out. recognized that buying offshore ultimate- capable in the world. Moreover, ton for Canada, to reap the investment needed ly results in a loss of sovereignty, a loss of ton they also provided the government by NSPS in securing our place as a pros- wealth, and forces a reliance on foreign the best value when compared to other na- perous maritime nation, needs to find the countries. Other maritime nations seem to tion’s offerings. leadership to deliver success, to take the understand this basic principle of Mahan. National strategic initiatives such as the risks needed to succeed and to create re- Imagine, if you might, a Canadian design NSPS, and reports such as the Jenkins re- lationships that will enable and make pos- of a Canadian major combat system in a port, do not create a detailed road map to sible the successful fulfillment of NSPS. French or British warship! It has never the future, and although they are part of Canada must also trust that her people and will never happen because of the pro- a discussion, they are not a final answer. have the initiative, the entrepreneurial tective policies of those governments. They are based on national strategic con- capacity and the wherewithal to fulfil the For NSPS to succeed, Canada needs to siderations for the benefit of Canada and Prime Minister’s words; if we do not, we invest in Canada. One dollar spent in a Canadians. as a nation, fail. foreign country never gets spent in Can- Recognizing the importance to their ada and is lost forever, whereas a dollar national security and national economies, Ian Parker served in the Canadian Navy for spent in Canada is re-spent in Canada many nations have protective defence thirty-seven years, retiring as a Captain(N). many times over, increasing economic and security industrial policies. Canada He is at present a Defence and Security Advi- growth and contributing to our ability to needs to take a similar approach for her sor. This article was originally published in remain a maritime nation. Yes, there are own national security and economic inter- FrontLine magazine. Industrial and Regional Benefits (IRBs) that obligate foreign countries to invest in Canada, but IRBs are not what Mahan had in mind when he stated: “… that can pro- Schober’s Quiz #64 By George S. Schober, NOAVI vide intelligent direction, promote the growth and strength of sea-going commerce and build How many Twentieth century career naval officers attained the position a strong navy.” He advocated for, as has of Head of State or Head of Government? Jenkins, an industrial strategy to create Answer on page 26 Copyright © 2014 George S. Schober • All rights reserved. and support a Canadian naval and mari- time industrial base. We must recognize that simply relying on IRBs as an invest- ment tool, without implementing a stra- tegic investment plan, will not lead to the Clippings development of our naval and maritime …from the McKee files industrial base which is fundamental to the success of the NSPS. Mahan was clear, build the industrial base to build and sus- n our continuing hunt for additional really tain the navy, otherwise the nation will ugly ships, this one has to be near the top of not be a maritime nation. NSPS and the the list! According to the “Wider and Deep- er” article that appeared in the November 2013 edition of www.shipsmonthly.com programs under are but the beginning, not I “she is the first in a new generation of seismic survey vessels built for Petroleum the end. Canada will require more ships, Geo-Services, has recently been completed and will be used for service in the North with different capabilities. Refocusing our Sea. Ramform Titan was launched in April 2013 from the Mitsubishi yard in Naga- approach to one of strategic investment to saki, Japan, and came to northern Europe during the summer. The 104m vessel has align with Mahan’s principles will build an array of new features incorporated into her design so that she can collect seis- the foundation to deliver, on an ongoing mic data quickly, safely and reliably. She has increased working and storage space, can carry over 6,000 tons of fuel and seismic equipment, has two stern-launched basis, Canada’s navy. The Canadian gov- workboats, triple redundancy in propulsion and fully separated engine rooms. Her ernment with the NSPS, took a bold stra- unusual appearance is the result of the trend for seismic vessels to become wider so tegic decision that, as a maritime nation, that they can effectively tow more cables. This means they can undertake surveys Canada needs the wherewithal to build, more accurately in deeper water.” Fraser deliver and sustain her federal fleets. This 13 From the bridge Jim Carruthers | President | [email protected] Starshell | Winter 2013-14

with Cmdre Craig. He is enthused about come from naval, military, civil service or An update… improving and developing our relation- naval associated industry backgrounds. ship, however, things had gone slower The second group is those just embarking e continue to make prog- than might be expected due to significant on a naval career—be they sailors or Naval ress on the issues discussed changes in the Reserve now underway. Cadets. We might also want to consider at our AGM in Victoria this You will have heard about some of the those not entering the service who are pur- past June. Time and space changes in the press but there are more to suing a career of related studies. doW not allow me to cover progress on each come, including a change in the respon- It is suggested NAC will benefit from of the issues so perhaps I can update you sibilities for Cmdre Craig and movement those just retiring which will help bring on a few. of his position from Québec City to Esqui- NAC up-to-date knowledge. New retirees malt. Although I am far from expert on also help by providing links to those still Communications the topic of our Naval Reserve, the chang- serving, in particular the leadership of the Member communications was identified es described by David sounded positive RCN. At the other end of the career path, as the priority. NAC NEWS has been very and I expect they will be welcomed by those just entering the system offer us the well received. As you will see from this Reserve Units. opportunity to acquire life-long members. issue of Starshell, we are beginning to dis- Cmdre Craig and I both came to the It was suggested that NAC establish cuss naval affairs more broadly and thanks conclusion that given the size of the coun- a category of dues called Introductory. to Bob Bush our website continues to both try and the diversity of NAC/Reserve re- Candidates would not have to pay dues improve and expand. A LinkedIn discus- lationships we needed to focus at the start. and would be restricted to reception of sion group was also started and will find We agreed that a great candidate location services which do not have a significant increased traffic as we expand debate on for a pilot effort would be Vancouver overhead cost for the Association. They the need for a strong Navy. However, we where both organizations have strong rep- would not receive any magazine or print- cannot deliver information and discussion resentation and a history of cooperation. ed documents but would be able to access by these new avenues without your email. Accordingly, I have asked John McLean electronic versions. If you aren’t receiving NAC NEWS, please to be the point man on this issue. The This fall the NAC Board approved the send me your email address immediately idea is that John and his counterparts at following motion: and make sure your Branch records are up Discovery will take a look at how our two to date. organizations can cooperate to our mutual Moved that the Naval Association of Canada advantage. John Anderson of our Toron- introduce a membership dues level for Na- Naval Reserve to Branch has asked to also be involved. tional membership whereby new RCN en- A priority identified at our meetings was Hopefully this work will result in a set trants undergoing initial training (for one to establish contact with the Naval Reserve of ideas which can then be implemented year or until commissioned, whichever comes (NR) to examine how NAC and the NR nationwide. Thank you John(s) for taking later) would be accepted as Introductory might improve relationships to our mutu- this on. Level members at no charge to the member. al benefit—and that of Canada. As a start- Retiring RCN or RCN civil servants would ing point I met briefly with Commodore Introductory Members be offered an Introductory level membership David Craig head of our Naval Reserve. We have discussed changing the demo- good for one year following their date of re- Following this, each Branch provided an graphic of NAC by attracting younger tirement. Such Introductory members would assessment of its relationship with its local members. Two groups were suggested. receive all the benefits of membership with reserve unit. Cmdre Craig simultaneously The first is those retiring, who have had the restriction that newsletters be delivered took a quick look at the NAC relationship a career with the RCN, who one might electronically. Branches are very strongly from the NR unit perspective. expect have an affinity for the RCN and encouraged to introduce Introductory mem- Shortly before the holidays, I again met therefore the aims of the NAC. They may bership at the Branch level. 14 Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter The Ottawa Branch has been offering a membership dues lev- el such as this to retiring service ‘GET ON THE LIST and GET IN THE KNOW!’ members, even though it did not collect from the individual and NAC is now sending out naval news of interest on the Branch had to pay National. a weekly or better basis but don’t reach a large This motion removes the obliga- part of our membership simply because we don’t tion for a Branch to pay National have your email addresses. Should anyone have during the introductory term. an email address and not be receiving these news This approach has been quite items from me, please drop me an email and I’ll successful in bringing retired of- add you to the list. So, don’t delay … ficers and NCMs on board. Get on the There are four major uni- ‘NAC NEWS’ email distribution list now! versities in the NAC Ottawa catchment area (Carleton, U of JIM CARRUTHERS [email protected] Ottawa, Queens and RMC) and RMC would seem to be the best candidate to help us establish how we can involve Naval Cadets. Bob submarines; an historical paper by Mike options. The RCN has no great sea Hamilton has volunteered to be the RMC Young, “One Hundred Years of Subma- to celebrate from WWI, and HMCS Battle contact and I have strong connections as rines in the RCN,” and “Perhaps Start of the Atlantic or HMCS Gulf of St. Lawrence President of the RMC Foundation. At the with Mahan” by Ian Parker. don’t exactly roll off the tongue. Most im- RMC end, Cdr Mike Mooz, RMC Chief of The papers, along with others Associa- portantly, the RCN tradition is that ships’ , is the senior naval officer. Similar tion authors have written over the years, battle honours can only be perpetuated by to our initiative to reach out to the Naval will be on line at our website under Na- re-using the names of ships that won these Reserve through a pilot project it is hoped val Affairs. Discussion will expand to our honours. Would those making these deci- that the lessons learned in this project will LinkedIn interest group at: ( http://www. sions ever even consider renaming Army be repeatable at universities across the linkedin.com/groups/NAVAL-ASSO- regiments with the loss of traditions this country. CIATION-CANADA-6547216?trk=my_ would entail? If not, how can they do ex- groups-b-grp-v ) which now has 121 par- actly this to the RCN? Naval Affairs ticipants. I want to propose that the Arctic Off- The sharp end of the NAC is, I submit, our shore Patrol Ships and the –frig- ability to share ideas and debate the future Naming of Ships ate replacement Canadian Surface Com- of the RCN. The NAC needs well-devel- I have received quite a bit of correspon- batant resurrect many of the proud names oped research, thoughtful articles and best dence on the issue of the recently an- of our ships with great battle honours ideas to help ensure Canada has the Navy nounced names of the Joint Support Ships from WWII. I submit the naming of HMC it needs in the 21st century. (JSS)—none of it enthusiastic for the an- Ships should be done out of respect for the While active in the ‘90s, particularly in nounced choices. The NAC supports the proud heritage of the RCN. support of submarine and helicopter dis- government in its understanding of the I will put this up as a discussion topic cussions of the day, NAC involvement need to bring this long-standing procure- on our LinkedIn Interest Group. Send me in Naval Affairs went into recession. Re- ment project one step closer to realization, your thoughts. cently we have been working to develop and it is one of our core mandates to cele- authors, publish papers, deliver current brate the proud history of our nation. The In Conclusion news to members, improve and expand was a great demonstration The NAC is once again growing both in our website and debate with the Confer- of the importance of British sea power in terms of numbers, but also as importantly, ence of Defence Associations and its In- blockading the American economy so that in terms of attracting younger members, stitute regarding their treatment of naval the seaboard states would not support the members from across the naval commu- issues. land conflict. Still, to name the JSSs after nity and those from industry and gov- This edition of Starshell bears testament the land battles at Queenston [Heights] and ernment who are our essential partners to progress as it contains three quality ar- Chateauguay, to many seems a little strange. in making sure Canada has the Navy it ticles in the area of Naval Affairs which I Many of us now fear that future ship needs. Please get involved with your hope will engender discussion. They are classes will follow this trend and be named Branches to not only maintain this course, a paper by Paul Mitchell entitled: “Deal for WWI and WWII battles. A possible but increase our SOA. of the Century,” examining the case for course, except it will have limited naval Jim 15 16 Starshell | Winter 2013-14 and itwasmailedtoCRA onthe10 we compiledtheresponse totherequest information. Working with Derek Greer, ber wereceived arequest foradditional be slightlyoptimisticandinlateNovem- Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) proved to in Junelastyear. By-Laws that were approved at the AGM proval forour Articles of Continuanceand significant effort needed and input from andinput needed effort significant comprehensive,thereis clearthat it isa as their own section. While the list is not of thesections with theby-lawsexisting Fund sectionsandageneralrestructuring updating ofthe Awards and Endowment ditional requirements forrecord keeping, ad- Act, Corporations Profit For Not ada of therequirementsthe Can- imposedby clude expanded instructions to meet many al. A fewof the changes envisioned in- to revisingattention theGuidanceManu- will beapproved, it isnowtimetoturnour status asaNotforProfit Association. with respect tomaintainingourcharitable we willreceive approval ofour Articles communication will bequickerandthat and activeinCRA itis hoped thatournext open is file our that Now 2014. January W Initial reports ofturnaround timesat With full confidence that the paperwork NOAC Endowment Fund,POBox2402,Vancouver Main PostalOutlet,349West GeorgiaSt.,Vancouver, BCV6B3W7 P Whether rememberingthepast,supporting today’s Navy, orbuildingfor thefuture… lease getting governmentap- update onwhere westand would like toprovide an here did2013go?FirstI

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October 4 October nual GeneralMeetingwillbeSaturday, ing aswell. to havingmanyof those members attend- the sametimeframeandwelookforward the UNTDannualmeetingwilloccurin and planonattending. will be Thursday,will be 2 October and AGM havebeenset.TheConference piece, thedatesforNACConference information being correct on our database. me if you have any concerns about your President. You shouldfeelfree tocontact that theyhavepassed it tomeandthe Branch has your correct email address and ceiving hisemails,pleaseensureyour that to theRCNandNAC.Ifyouare notre- distributing interesting articlesrelevant voting considerabletimetocompilingand our membershiplists. The President isde- issue ofStarshell. should be posted by thetimeyouread this effort first the as ] www.navalassoc.ca [ get them.Checkitoutonthenationalsite them onthewebsiteasI will beputting Branches for important dates in 2014 and it modernandrelevant. Ihaveaskedall considerable time inworkingtomake our Webmaster, BobBush,hasinvested E Just ashappenedinVictoria lastyear, Finally, andasalludedtoearlierinthis Another issueweare dealingwithis The website continues to evolve and ndowment th . Pleasemarkyourcalendars F nd andthe An- und Ken Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter Mail call Letters to the editor

Brian Burnell photo Our cover (p.2 Vol. VII, No. 63, Summer 2013 Starshell )

bit of ‘supply trivia.’ One of my appointments when I spent Atime in NDHQ as the Director of Personnel Stores was the responsibility for purchasing all the food, clothing, medical sup- plies, etc. When I took up my appointment I was told a large order of sailor’s collars was due from the RN. What we did not know was they would be light blue, not dark blue as was the case for RCN collars. Apparently the RN issued light blue collars to the RN’s Mediterranean fleet. It was also apparent the RN had an unusual surplus of the light blue collars which they wanted to get rid of … the RCN was the goat! You can imagine my shock when they arrived … all light blue! I had one helluva time explaining the mix-up to supply depots across the country. No one wanted to wear light blue collars. The Starshell cover reminded me of the Royal Navy Type 45 class air-defence destroyer HMS Dragon (D35) fiasco which haunted me for at least a year or two! photographed May 1st, 2012 rounding Calshot Spit at the southern Fred Fowlow, Calgary Branch end of Southampton Water, while inbound to Marchwood Military Port from , UK.

The Thetis bolt (Mail Call: “Schober’s Quiz #62,” pp. 13 & ...... 24, Summer 2013 issue Starshell; Mail Call: (Letter to the Editor), p 10 an American group attacked in the Persian Gulf, “Schober’s Quiz #62,” Autumn 2013 issue Starshell.) poised to defend the group from surprise attack. Their enemy’s objective is to swamp the defences of the Western vessels with n his comment on Schober’s Quiz #62 in the Autumn issue of volleys of sea-skimming guided missiles from shore batteries and IStarshell, Mike Hurford mentioned the “Thetis Bolt.” I believe aircraft, until a missile gets through to the carrier. But HMS Drag- the usually accepted term is ‘Thetis Clip” and it is a simple but on is the world’s most advanced air-defence ship and it is for just extremely effective mechanical interlock device. It prevents the such a scenario that she has been designed. torpedo tube from being opened initially more than a fraction so The Dragon’s radar plots and prioritizes each new threat—up to that if the tube is full and water gushes out, the door can be easily 10,000 of them. Simultaneously the ship’s computers lock onto up and quickly shut. It was fitted on all British (and UK-built RAN to eight targets at a time, running complex algorithms to decide and RCN) submarines after the Thetis incident. Whether it contin- the optimum moment of reply. Dragon’s own Sea Viper missiles ued into the nuclear submarine era is not known, but mess- blast out of weapons silos beneath her forward deck reaching four rumour had it that it was not originally included in the Upholder times the speed of sound in two seconds. These, says her captain, tube design. Again according to that impeccable source, there Cdr Darren Austen, can “hit a cricket ball travelling at three times the was an incident with Upholder on trials and the clip reinstated in speed of sound 50 miles away.” the class. Does anyone know if the Victoria’s have it? If ordered, the full arsenal of 48 missiles could be automatically Also if memory serves, RN boats had additional mechanical targeted and launched by the ship’s computers in two or three interlock that stopped the rear door opening lever from being seconds, equivalent of the destructive capability of almost the en- actuated when the outer door was open. Unlike the Thetis Clip tire combat aircraft fleet of Argentina. however, this one could be bypassed deliberately. In 1906, HMS Dreadnought stunned the world’s navies with its Mike Young, NAC Ottawa, (former s/m Torpedo Officer) speed, structural innovation and unmatched weaponry, herald- ing a design revolution on the high seas. Almost 100 years later She may not be pretty, but… (Mail Call: “Beauty some RN officers compare the arrival of the six Type 45 destroy- and the Beast,” Fraser McKee, p. 10, Autumn 2013 Starshell: the ers, at £1 billion each, to the arrival of the Dreadnought. Eighty RN’s new Type 45 Daring-class .) percent of the technology of the Type 45 is new and looks strik- ingly different from its predecessors. Much of its equipment is ne Stop Ship – The Royal Navy’s newest recruit can destroy hidden by a ‘clean’ angled superstructure of steel and composite Oan entire air force in two minutes. In an unfought war, the materials designed to scatter rather than reflect enemy radar. The Royal Navy HMS Dragon is a ‘picket ship’ for result is a vessel that appears on radar like a small fishing boat 17 18 Starshell | Winter 2013-14 and overlaid with that of any other friendlyship—eventhose of any and overlaidwiththat away,a command feedingdataintocentre wheresharedcan be it Type 42class,andlivingconditionsare consequentlyspacious. integration meansthecrew of190isalmost100fewerthantheold see wave-topmissiles over thehorizon.Butgreater technological to thetwo huge radars mounted 50m above sea level, which can class, the Type 42.Thebiggership’s bulk actsasacounterbalance rather thanan8,500toncraft. of thenominatingorganization. Nominees need not bemembers of any organization or a member nominations. submit to urged are affairs maritime of range wide who areoutstanding achievementinthe inapositiontoidentify award ofthe Admirals’ Medal.Individualsandorganizations Nominations –The Foundation invitesnominations for the award annually, except when no qualified recipient is nominated. makethe and Committee the Awards on serve fields maritime development ofmaritimeaffairsinCanada. illustrates how individuals can make apermanentimpacton the men, now all deceased. Their outstanding personal performance associated with thediverse achievements ofthree distinguished activities canbepubliclyrecognized. Thenameofthemedalis means bywhichoutstandingachievementsinCanadianmaritime of theNavalServiceCanada)provides a Medal shouldbeaddressed to: organization submittingthe recommendations. proposed to recognize, alongwiththename of theindividual or tion ofthework,achievement or displayofpracticalskill thatitis Please includerelevant biographical information,abriefdescrip- ecutive Secretary—see contactinformation below) fullycompleted. by letterwiththenominationform(toberequested from the Ex- Admirals’ Medal seeksnominations T The radarscombinetobuilda3Dpicture more than320km This is4,000tonnesmore thantheNavy’sprevious destroyer Nominations close on March 1 A group ofprominent Canadianswithbackgrounds invarious Nominations andallcorrespondence related tothe Admirals’ Items ofinterest from SeatoSea… in conjunctionwiththe75 he Admirals’ Medal (established in 1985 The briefing room Email: [email protected] PO Box505,Ottawa,ONK1P5P6 The Admirals’MedalFoundation Telephone: 613-971-7696 Facsimile: 613-971-7677 Executive Secretary th anniversary st annually, andshould be made Simpson, current COofHMCSCabotandLCdrMargaret Morris. NLNAC, CdrLarryTrim, COCFSSt.John’s, LCdrShannonLewis- ment indeed!LtoRintheabovephotoareWheeler, Lorne President LCdr Margaret Morrisfollowing42yearsofservice…arare achieve- retirement offormerCOHMCSCabot,andmemberNLNAC, the capacityofhalfanOlympicswimmingpool. steam for7,000nauticalmiles at 18knotsthankstofueltankswith can she and predecessor, her than efficient more 22% is use fuel Lt JamieVaughn, equivalenttothatusedbyacityof60,000.But bine. Sheproduces 45megawattsofpower, saysship’s engineer first warship to run on electrical power, generated by a diesel tur thousands ofmilesaway. Long ServingCOofHMSCabotretires A ceremony was held on October 19 the following: Chedabucto, UngavaandGranby . Chelsea, Agassiz,Shawinigan,Lethbridge, Mahone,SwiftCurrent, U-boat, U536. German prisoner-of-war and theattemptedcapture ofaGerman ber 1943. in ChaleurBay(Baiedes Chaleurs) duringthemonth ofSeptem- icipants ofactioninChaleurBay, September1943 Film production companyseekswartimepart- Y (So, asmymotheralwaystoldme…“beautyisintheeyeofbeholder!”Ed.) A furtherinnovationistheship’spropulsion system—sheisthe Any information would be greatly appreciated. Please contact believe wereThe shipsthey involved were HMCSRimouski, The specific incident they are interested in, involved an escaped is seekinganyonewhowasinthewartimeRCNandoperated ap Films,aproduction company locatedinToronto, Ontario, [email protected] •Telephone: 1-416-843-8714 Senior Researcher, Yap Films James Ellis, th in St. John’s, NF to mark the Edison-Brown, NOABC - Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter Endowment Fund donation in Victoria London Branch honours those lost at sea London Free Press

The above newspaper image is from the front page of the London Free Press on November 4th, 2013. It shows Mark Van Den Bossche, An Endowment Fund donation of $6,000 was recently presented to President of NAC London and his family placing poppies on the stone the Broadmead Care Society in Victoria. L to R above are Dave Che- of HMCS Valleyfield. This is an annual ceremony that takes place at perdak, CEO Broadmead Care Society, Derek Greer, NAC National the start of Remembrance Week in London A poppy is placed for Treasurer, Paul Morgan Vice-Chair Broadmead Society Board, and each sailor lost. Poppies vary in number depending on the ship, i.e., Michael Morres, President NOAVI. The donation will be used for the Trentonian–6, Athabaskan–129. The pictures are an attempt to place purchase of a medication dispensary cart (5K) and two geomattress- a photo of each sailor lost on the appropriate stone. Last year they es for the Lodge at Broadmead. placed 150, this year there are up to 500.

Medallion recipients in Thunder Bay Diamond Jubilee Medal presented in Montréal

During Weepers in HMCS Griffon, Thunder Bay, ON, November 1st, During a recent ceremony, Bernard Cornell (left), outgoing President 2013, NAC Medallions were awarded as follows: L to R Bronze Award Montréal Branch, presented the Diamond Jubilee Medal to Dennis G. recipients M. O. Nelson and Brad Yeo; Gold awards, George Kearney Baird who is taking over as Branch President. and Ray Zuliani.

Joint Support Ships named (Partial DND News Release) a defining moment in our country’s history that contributed to shaping he Hon Rob Nicholson Minister of National Defence, an- our identity as Canadians and ultimately our existence as a country.” Tnounced on October 25th last that the RCN’s two new Joint “Canada’s rich is a source of inspiration for the men and Support Ships (JSS) will be named HMCS Queenston and Chateau- women who currently serve in the ,” said VAdm guay in recognition of the significant battles of Queenston Heights Mark Norman, Commander RCN. and Chateauguay during the War of 1812. Traditionally the name of the class of warship is derived from “The names recognize the achievements and sacrifices of those early the name of the first vessel in this class to be constructed. HMCS Canadian soldiers who fought and died in these critical battles during Queenston will be built first, therefore, the two JSS will be known the War of 1812,” said Minister Nicholson. “The War of 1812 was as the Queenston-class. 19 Plaque honours HMCS Star CPO Paul Williamson, CD Starshell | Winter 2013-14

bold new look for the Halifax waterfront was revealed on Thursday, January 23rd when the Canadian Naval Memorial Bob Williamson (left, wearing the uniform of a senior naval officer in A the War of 1812), oversees the unveiling of the plaque in late October Trust released the concept design for 2013 by Hamilton Historical Board Plaquing Chairman Robin McKee, Place, a structure proposed as a legacy of the 150th anniversary and LCdr G. Woolfrey, Commanding Officer of HMCS Star. of Confederation. The culmination of years of work by a dedicated team of vol- his past October, the City of Hamilton Historical Board (HHB) unteers and the result of an intensive period of design and plan- Tpaid tribute to the long naval history of this city by presenting ning, the concept will show how the proposed facility will pres- a Heritage Recognition Bicentennial Plaque to our Naval Reserve ent the amazing story of Canadians who brought about success Division, HMCS Star. With a parade of 150 naval reservists look- in the Battle of the Atlantic. Once funding is secured, Battle of ing on with pride, the Commanding Officer, LCdr G. Woolfrey, the Atlantic Place will be ready to receive visitors in time for CD and HHB Plaquing Chairman, Robin McKee, unveiled the Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017. plaque. Myself, wearing the costume of a senior naval officer of The structure will house HMCS Sackville, the living embodi- the War of 1812, drafted the wording and designed the plaque. ment of an extraordinary period in our history, which symbol- In my address to the ship’s company I observed that this proj- izes Canada’s national commitment to winning the Battle of the ect was thirty years in the making. After stepping down from Atlantic. It is more than an old ship on the Halifax waterfront: it command of HMCS Star in 1988, I wrote the history of the Reserve is a steel-hulled piece of history that stands not only for Canada’s Division to draw attention to the navy’s contribution to our his- vital role in the Allied effort in the war, but also as a tangible trib- tory on the Great Lakes. ute to the men and women who have served Canada at sea, on Finally, with the celebration of the Bicentennial of the War of land, in the air and just as importantly, at home. 1812, the Canadian government has awarded Star with a Defence When fully realized, Battle of the Atlantic Place will of Canada banner (left background in above photo). To augment stand out as a visually compelling structure, a gathering place the banner, the HHB Heritage Recognition Plaque describes how right on the shore of Halifax Harbour, steps away from the Mari- the first warship named Star launched on Lake Ontario in 1813, time Museum of the Atlantic and the city’s downtown, and acces- fought successfully to preserve our nation. sible all year round. Bob Williams, NAC Toronto (Hamilton) It will present the story of a generation of Canadians who are now passing—a generation which overcame adversity with re- sourcefulness, courage and determination. It will be a metaphor Bicentennial of HMCS STAR 1813-2013 for what a nation can do to succeed when facing incredible chal- lenges. The first Canadian-built STAR constructed as the Provincial Marine , Lord Melville, 186 tons/14 guns, was launched July 22, 1813 at Kingston, Ontario and transferred to the Royal Navy registry as His Majesty's Ship STAR. Battle of the Atlantic Place will not be a museum. It Canadian sovereignty was maintained during the War of 1812, by controlling supply lines on the Great Lakes. HMS STAR participated in the following will tell the story of Canadian accomplishment in an innovative, naval successes in the Defence of Canada that preserved the future of our country as we know it.

The capture of USS GROWLER & USS JULIA technologically immersive manner, which will have a profound on Lake Ontario, August 8-10, 1813

A large enemy naval squadron repelled off BURLINGTON on September 28, 1813 effect on Canadians and visitors from around the world. Its dar-

The capture of the American supply depot, FORT OSWEGO, New State on May 6, 1814 ing design will make it an instant landmark and a striking addi- Reinforcements transported to Niagara for the victory at LUNDY'S LANE on July 24, 1814

Star's crew helped capture the USS OHIO & tion to the waterfront. USS SOMERS at Fort Erie on August 11, 1814 HMS Wolfe, Royal George and Star lead the British Squadron to attack on September 28, 1813, by Canadian marine artist Peter Rindlisbacher www.battleoftheatlanticplace.ca HHB Heritage Recognition City of Hamilton 1812 Bicentennial Project For further information contact 2013 Battle of the Atlantic Place Project Office Telephone: 902-492-1424 ~ Email: [email protected] 20 Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter This will have to do The serialized naval memoirs of RAdm Robert Philip ‘Bob’ Welland DSC & Bar, MiD, psc, Officer of the Legion of Merit (USA), RCN

Part Two ~ The East Indies Squadron

Editor’s Note – We rejoin Admiral earth’s land surface. There were no tour- receptions; huge men, chiefs of their tribe, Welland in early 1937 having just completed ists, no passenger aircraft, only a few dressed in golden robes, feathered head- his midshipman’s training with the Royal wealthy people travelled in my father’s dress, with black gleaming skin. Some Navy, and with the knowledge he had been P&O steamships. News was not broadcast wore wide blue velvet ribbons, the British posted to HMS Emerald effective Mayst 1 , internationally because there was no long- Order of the Garter (or whatever). They that year, following a most welcome three range ‘voice’ radio, only morse code. The were accompanied by just-as-huge ladies weeks’ leave with relatives living in London. word ‘television’ hadn’t been coined as the in more grand get-ups. Precious stones technology was ten years away from being were liberally strewn over enough gleam- is Majesty’s Ship Emerald, was invented. Yet there was still plenty to do. ing hide to make ten pair of ‘Guccis.’ not painted grey like other war- Our soccer team was frequently beaten In the Muslim countries, only men at- ships, she looked like a giant by barefoot black men in Dar es Salem, tended our Captain’s receptions: sheiks luxury yacht. A closer look un- Calcutta, the Andaman Islands and the robed in white, with voracious appetites Hveiled eight heavy guns, sixteen torpedo Seychelles, and also by smaller, orien- for our food and drink. A few knew that tubes, and aircraft mounted on a catapult, tal men in Singapore, Penang and Kuala special drinks (booze) could be had in the a crew of six hundred, and down below, Lumpur. Captain’s cabin, and that a midshipman turbines that could drive her at 34 knots. Our cricket team was equally dismal. was the key to finding the way. Lieuten- She was my home for eighteen adventur- The locals earned these outcomes and en- ant Edwards, our ‘Snottie’s Nurse’ told us: ous months. The East Indies Squadron joyed our ‘agony of defeat.’ They usually “Allah won’t mind as long as they don’t get consisted of three , based in ‘Trin- arranged games to be played either side of too plastered.” co.’ From this base the Navy controlled high noon. Mr. Kipling should have said: It was these colourful characters who the empire of colonies spread throughout “Mad dogs and Englishmen, ‘and native really ran their countries and used Em- the Indian Ocean, along the African coast competitive teams,’ go out in the noonday erald, the power of the Empire, with her and into the Malay Peninsula. Emerald vis- sun.” They thoroughly enjoyed watching shiny white paint, smiling behind her big ited these ‘possessions’ on a prearranged us melt. guns, to hold their grip on the population. schedule that gave local authorities plenty At each place the ship was opened to As long as their interests matched those of of time to prepare our welcome. Arrange- the public. A special reception was held far-off London, peace and quiet reigned. ments always included sporting events, for the local ‘Poobahs’ and their ladies Even a twenty-year old midshipman parades, parties on board and a refresher on our teak quarterdeck under the red- knew those were the rules. for the locals on how best to demonstrate striped awning. Exotic folks graced these Whenever a crack in the facade devel-

exemplary behav- Imperial War Museum Q-045940 oped, the booze iour. The ‘Colo- and coloured aw- nial Governor’ nings were dis- was always a cen- placed by sterner tral figure. stuff. In Madras, For the read- in southern India, er who was not we landed four around at this time hundred armed in history, the Brit- men, myself in- ish Empire was cluded, to support painted pink on the British Army. world maps and We demonstrated occupied about to Mr. Gandhi’s one-third of the HMS Emerald is seen in her unusual ‘yacht-like’ pre-WWII paint scheme as described by the author. followers that 21 Wikipedia peace and quiet was a good thing. His a daily journal of the ship’s doings. Once a mob were told to stop overturning street- week our work was presented for criticism cars; our Vickers machine guns were in the to the instructor officer, an Oxford don do- street to aid understanding. ing his naval reserve time. He cared little At Hodeida, in the Yemen, we gave a about the events described, only about demonstration of fire power. A salvo of improper English, weary discourses and explosive eight-inch shells ripped up a bad handwriting. “I wish boredom were hillside. That elevated the understanding punishable by flogging,” he wrote across one Starshell | Winter 2013-14 of local sheiks on the evils of slave trading of my efforts. Once a fortnight we were across the Red Sea. In Palestine we landed set a problem by our ‘nurse,’ Lt. Edwards, to support the British Army who, even and required to write an “Appreciation of then (1938) were trying to stop the Arabs the Situation.” The object was to acquaint and Jews from blowing each other up with us with ‘officer type’ problems and devel- stolen hand grenades. I spent two days in op our powers of expression and critical charge of a road block; I was camped on sense. That’s what the instructional man- Mount Carmel outside Haifa. History has ual said. The situations set might be quell- shown I wasted my time. ing a riot in one of the colonies; refueling Augustus Agar was the captain of the Captain (later Commodore) Augustus Agar, and supplying distant island operations; VC, DSO, RN (January 4, 1890 – December 30, Emerald. He wore the Victoria Cross and planning a reception for a mixed group of 1968), was the captain of HMS Emerald during numerous other medals for heroic exploits the author’s time aboard in the 1930s. Muslim Imams, Jewish Rabbis or Greek- in World War I. He was credited with Orthodox priests. We knew these ‘appre- sinking the Russian cruiser Oleg, with his . . . . . ciations’ were regarded as important to motor torpedo boat. He was tall and ath- our careers; seniority could be gained by letic; he wore his hair long in pompadour common practice in sailing ship days, but doing them well. style, stuffing most of it under his cap. He Gus was a famous officer. Moreover, he One such appreciation had us at war seemed to take great interest in the welfare gave the impression he really didn’t give a with the Japanese; our ship was in the of the crew, including the midshipmen, damn about naval formalities and would China Sea searching for the Jap fleet. Each going so far as to know our names. sooner be playing polo or golf than pro- midshipman was to cast himself in the role His wife was frequently embarked moting the Empire. We toured the African of pilot of our seaplane. He was to create for long voyages. She was slim, elegant, coast and had fun with the ‘Crossing the a search plan that considered the aircraft’s looked like an actress and laughed a lot. Line’ ceremony. Everyone got a fancy cer- endurance, radio performance, naviga- She and the captain paced the quarter- tificate signed by Father Neptune. Gus al- tion and so on. Two days after Mid John deck for exercise several times a day. They ways took a lead part in the entertainment Roxbourgh turned in his appreciation, the seemed to be great pals, he called her and abuse. ship’s executive officer, Cdr. Boutwood ‘Boo’ and she called him ‘Bunny.’ They We midshipmen were required to write (known as the ‘Yellow Peril’ because of his went perfectly with our disposition and skin co- Wikipedia all-white ship, the sheiks lour through eating ata- and the chiefs, and the brine malaria drugs) sent drinks on the teak quar- for Roxbourgh. Roxbor- terdeck. ough had carefully mea- At ship’s concerts, sured the distance from Mrs. Agar sang the the ship to the coast of popular songs. At Sun- China and found the fuel day church she played load would give him a the organ. She was a few minutes to spare consistent winner in the if he flew directly to it officers’ bridge tourna- [but] none to get back to ments. ‘Boo’ and the the ship. He explained ship’s dog were every- that were he to look for one’s favourites. The Japanese heavy cruiser Ashigara. During a formal visit to Colombo, we mid- the Japanese and find shipmen were given a tour of the ship. “There’s no need to spy,” said our ‘nurse.’ It was unusual in 1938 them, they would shoot “Vickers in Manchester helped design her and manufactured the 8-inch guns.” She for a warship captain to was years newer than our Emerald and was sunk by US Navy aircraft in 1944. him down with their have his wife on board, much superior aircraft, although that had been a ...... the new Type II Zero 22 Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter fighters armed with eight .5 inch machine Singapore was guns, and that he would lose his life. Also, a major naval as they became aware of the British pres- base, it held the ence, they would promptly locate our strategic stores ship, then sink it with their new twin- for the East Indies engine ‘Betty’ torpedo bombers, each of fleet and also for which carried two parachute-deployed the China fleet, 18-inch torpedoes. He concluded it would gun ammunition, be folly to look for them as finding them torpedoes, fuel oil would put not only himself at deadly risk, in a vast array of but jeopardize the lives of his beloved tanks, cranes on shipmates. So he flew his Fairey Seafox the dockside that to the China coast, set the little seaplane could lift a 1,500 down near a beach and traded it to the ton gun turret SINGAPORE – The island is 20 miles long. The naval base and new dry- Chinese for first-class train fare to the col- out of a battleship dock are at the north-east tip. Raffles Hotel and the Happy World Dance ony of Hong Kong. and put a new one Hall are in Singapore city. Emerald always anchored close by Raffles. This flagrant dereliction of duty upset back in. In 1938 a Boutwood and Roxborough was roundly new drydock was ...... lectured. “When I told him I was joking,” completed. It was capable of handling the other, and the local teams. Rowing and Roxborough told us he said, “So am I, your largest warships and the huge new com- sailing races added to the busy program. leave is stopped for a month.” Gus Agar and mercial liners — Queen Mary at 80,000 tons American and French warships had been ‘Boo’ quickly learned of the clever appre- — and a new one being built that was even invited. The Empire was doing its thing, ciation and Boutwood was ordered to can- larger. Britain ruled the seas, I was part of rubbing in that Singapore was important, cel the punishment. A few years later in it. It was a good time to be a midshipman would be defended, and Japanese, Italians the war, Roxborough became an outstand- in the navy. There was plenty to be proud and Germans ought to pay attention. I ing submarine commander and wound up of. But Captain Gus Agar made us think remember that being my simplistic assess- his career as an admiral commanding the about what might happen next. ment, noting the Japanese had been con- British submarine fleet. I knew from my instruction in radio that quering the Chinese for years and contin- Gus encouraged us to criticize the sys- the Royal Navy was in touch with every- ued to do so; the Italians had taken Eritrea tem. Occasionally he would have us mid- where in the world. All the red parts of and the British complained but did noth- shipmen into his cabin for cards and take the globe were connected by high-speed ing; the Germans armed and supported a the opportunity to tell us what the navy morse radio; no other country had such revolution in Spain, extolled the virtues of ought to be doing instead of what it was ability. The occasional ‘Appreciation’ Naziism and had already captured Austria doing. “We will be at war with the Germans required us to defend, destroy, occupy, and the Czechs. So it really wasn’t that and Japanese within five years,” he told us. recapture the massive radio stations and hard to figure out why the British were “The navy is still building battleships, lots of their ‘antenna farms’ in remote parts of trying to gain a little ground with a splash them. Even one is too many, we ought to be the Empire. The ‘Stone Cutters’ station in about their super fortress, Singapore. We building aircraft carriers and developing new Hong Kong represented an opportunity midshipmen in our gunroom talked about planes.” to be imaginative; it was surrounded by these things; Landymore tried to get Lt. Gus told us the navy was ruled by once-enemy clever citizens who had in- Edwards, our ‘nurse,’ to set ‘the world battleship gunnery officers who had won vented explosives! Our sailors could send political scene and what Britain should World War I (according to them) and they messages home from where ever we were. do about it’ as a subject for our bi-weekly were now the admirals in London. “We are It was magical and I was trained to take an ‘Appreciation of the Situation.’ No dice, behind the Americans in carriers and aircraft, active part. Every morning at daybreak I too touchy; Boutwood would have killed behind the Japanese in both, behind the Ger- was required to practice morse on a key or our popular ‘nurse’ if his midshipmen mans in submarines, we are neglecting anti- a light! A small part, but a part. It would criticized the management of the Empire. submarine warfare and anti-aircraft defence have been a great system to have had be- On the day of the new drydock open- of our ships.” He said the only bright spot tween Ochre Beach and McCreary [Mani- ing my job was to ferry our Royal Marine was the Germans building battleships, toba]! band from the ship to the dock, which was “Pissing away their resources, like us.” At The ceremony to celebrate the opening located at the back of Singapore Island one of these sessions I asked why the Brit- of the new dock found the ships of the East facing the mainland of Malaya, a twenty ish held onto India as a colony. He said, Indies and China fleets gathered in Singa- mile run. I was coxswain of this forty-foot “Because they’re black, and we can get away pore harbour; thousands of sailors played picket boat, a high-speed craft with three with it.” soccer against the Army, Air Force, each V8 engines that could make 30 knots. I 23 had studied the chart, was aware that cooperation,” I said. I had shut down the ‘unarmed combat.’ He was noteworthy some shallows were not shown and knew engines and there was a lot of silence. for single-handedly beating up four thugs to avoid these areas. Something went “Tell your marines to strip, get over the side on a dockside in Calcutta, one of whom wrong and the boat slowed, churned up and push us free.” There was a chorus of died through having his nose bitten off mud and came to a halt. There were thirty giggles. I ordered my three crewmen and and neck broken. men onboard, most being the marine band six or so sailor passengers to strip. They “I have made arrangements that your leave dressed in their finest white uniforms, did. “Bandsmen strip to your bare arses…” privileges are suspended for a month,” he burnished black boots, pith helmets and ordered the Sergeant Major, realizing there said. I did not argue. This meant that I Starshell | Winter 2013-14 white gloves. “We cannot be late,” said was no other choice, “…and shake it up, and could not go dancing at the Happy World the Marine Sergeant Major in charge of over the side.” With the boat lightened she disco in downtown Singapore where it the band. He was a large muscular man easily came free. “All aboard and get your cost one shilling to foxtrot with pretty Chi- complete with waxed mustache, a Lan- kit on,” ordered the Sergeant Major. “You’ll nese ‘taxi dancers.’ cashire accent, and very good at tossing pay for this, you smart-arse colonial fart,” he Stopping leave was about the only pun- his mace during parades. He sneered at said to me. I got the band ashore with ten ishment available for midshipmen; flog- me, “Just what do you propose to do, Cana- minutes to spare. ging had been banned by law a few years da?” Royal Marines were noted for paying Later in the day I was sent for by the earlier and we were paid so little that seiz- no respect to midshipmen. I was in com- marine officer, Major Sobey. The major ing that meant nothing. mand of the boat and everyone onboard, had a flattened nose, he was lean and tall, and he knew that. “I propose to get your his eyes were narrow slits, his hobby was To be continued in next issue.

The reading room For those wintry nights in front of the fireplace…

sea, well worth scarce, so it’s a little difficult to establish a My Battle of adding to anyone’s clear time line; but since this is just a ‘tale shelf. for the telling’ that is not really very vital. the Atlantic Donald Bow- On his promotion and ‘graduation’ man was, like so leave he returned to Saskatoon to get By Donald A. Bowman many, from Regi- married and for a week’s leave, thence to na, and attending HMCS Discovery in Vancouver for initial Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing (2013), http:// engineering at the experience and to try out his introduc- www.yournickelsworth.com 74 Academy Park Rd., Regina, SK S4S 4T7, 115 pp., paper- university, when tion to ‘Officer-Like Qualities’ as the little back, illustrated, $16.95. he and a friend re- handbook called them. In early 1944 he solved to join the travelled to HMCS Kings in Halifax for a A review by Fraser McKee, NAC Toronto Navy, although month’s training. (This seems very short, he had spent a given I was there about four months later he larger stories of the Battle of the year in the Army’s COTC. He joined at for at least four months, but maybe things Atlantic, in fact the naval war in HMCS Unicorn as a seaman, did basic were more urgent at his time.) On gradu- Tgeneral, have been published in a training there briefly, thence to Cornwal- ation he was appointed to the Ed- thousand volumes. The official US Navy lis in 1943. His descriptions of those ex- munston, being refitted for her extended history runs to fifteen volumes; I hold two periences will ring a bell for any that went foc’s’le at Liverpool, NS. He was to spend shelves of hard cover books on the Battle through similar introduction to the Service the remainder of the war in her, promoted of the Atlantic alone — probably 10% of — surprise at the casual nature of ‘fiddles’ to Lieutenant and granted his watchkeep- what’s available. Now, as I’ve been urg- being worked, boat-pulling and sailing ing certificate. Edmunston was paid off at ing in editorials and articles, we are fill- in Annapolis Basin against the massive Sorel, Québec in June 1945. ing in the more personal bits and pieces tides, punishment drill in the Gun Battery. In that ship, as part of mid-ocean Group — rather like those 1,500 piece jigsaw On graduation, because of his university EG C-8, she operated between St. John’s puzzles, mostly completed but with miss- years, Bowman was commissioned an and Londonderry, and here Bowman’s sto- ing bits of sky, water or fields. This small Acting Sub-Lieutenant (temporary) — the ries are both typical and unique to his ex- semi-pocket sized book is a great addition Navy needed to be sure it really wanted periences. Problems with fog and icebergs to the historiography of Canada’s war at or could use you. Dates in his story are off Newfoundland, damaged freighters, 24 Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter U-boat hunts, escapades in ‘Derry and on or part-credited. the timing of attacks, but he has caught the leave in London, failed experiments with He seems to have learned quickly, got atmosphere exactly. camouflage low night lighting (I hadn’t on well with both his COs and his Sigs, for Bowman was released after some Pacific realized that other than in Jack Pickford’s he was Signals Officer in the ship and tells leave, returned to university and worked Rimouski this odd concept had been tried many brief and well told stories. in a family auto business and others of his elsewhere) — familiar experiences, yet The illustrations are a mix of a few per- own. He lives independently still, with a each unique to this story. sonal snaps and Public Archives photos, VA pension for some problems, like many Great stuff! Turns out Edmunston was some quite unique. contemporaries. This is indeed one of the first attacker of U 877 with an initial Considering it is a tale of some sixty- those filler pieces for the Canadian naval detection and two good depth charge at- eight years ago, there are remarkably few story and a valuable bit of colour for the tacks, but her efforts were taken over by errors. As the Signals Officer he cannot whole. two more modern ships, HMCS St. Thomas be fairly faulted for being off a bit on how and Sea Cliff who got credit for sinking her. depth charges worked, mixing the opera- Fraser is the author of several books on the Seems unfair not to have been mentioned tion of the primer and the detonator and RCN and a former editor of Starshell.

their main machinery. read. I have already mentioned the lack SHEPHERDS One of the frustrating of technical details about the ships. What aspects of this book detail that is given is provided in snippets OF THE SEA is that it gives so little throughout the book. The most difficult Destroyer escorts in detail of the design and part was the way the author mixed a num- armament of the DEs. ber of topics into single chapters, often WORLD WAR II Many of the facts I dis- without a bridge to explain why he had By Robert F. Cross covered about them jumped, for example, from the story of a Naval Institute Press (2010), www.usni.org came not from Mr. ship sinking in one paragraph to US Navy Annapolis, MD, paperback & ebook, 320 pp, Cross’s book, but from shipbuilding priorities in the next. US$24.95, ISBN/SKU 9781591141211. my own copy of Jane’s The book jumps around not only from Fighting Ships of World topic to topic, but also in chronology. A review by Gordon Forbes, NAC Ottawa War II. There is also the tendency to treat the he Battle of the Atlantic is a key part The author tries to cover a lot of terri- whole success in the Battle of the Atlantic of the history of the Royal Canadian tory from government and US Navy pol- solely to the US Navy and its DEs. Noth- TNavy and most of us are aware of icy and decision making to stories of in- ing in the book gives credit to the work of the twists and turns of that six year fight. dividual heroism. There are many stories the Royal and Canadian navies, and the The dangers and stresses of the sailors on of submarine kills and DE sinkings at the fact that they bore the weight of the bat- the and frigates are well record- hands of submarines and aircraft. There tle alone through the worst period of the ed in Canadian naval lore. So it is with are short biographies of some of the offi- struggle until the arrival of the US DEs in some interest that I approached the read- cers and men, including Franklin Delano late 1943. ing of this book which is subtitled “De- Roosevelt Jr., youngest son of the US presi- Nonetheless, if you want to see the sub- stroyer Escorts in World War II” and sets dent, who commanded one of the DEs, the marine war through the eyes of another out the story of the ’s USS Ulvert M. Moore. country, this book does provide a lot of efforts in the same battle. Although these ships were built primar- information. You just might have to dig a The story concentrates on the destroyer ily for the Battle of the Atlantic, many of little to find it all. escorts (DEs) that were reluctantly built by them gave valuable service in the Pacific the USN at the behest of the President of war battling everything from Japanese Gordon Forbes retired from the Canadian the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. submarines to kamikazes to battleships Navy in 1988 after a 28 year career as a Gen- These ships equate very closely with the (really!). A lot of ground is covered in the eral List MARS/MARE (CSE) officer. He size and design of our own frigates, being book. then worked as a project manager in the de- of almost the same size and displacement, The author is intimately involved in the fence industry for 20 years before retiring in and with the same role of ocean escort and preservation of the last DE, the ex-USS 2008. He has recently completed the book “We anti-submarine warfare. A total of 563 Slater, now in Albany, New York. He is Are As One,” the story of the explosion and of these ships were built and delivered obviously passionate about the subject of fire aboard HMCS Kootenay in 1969. Gord between 1943 and 1945, some of which the DEs and has done a lot of research and was the Weapons Officer aboard Kootenay at were given to the Royal Navy and several interviews to get the story. the time of the tragedy. He now lives in the other allied navies. They were built in five However, despite the amount of detail Ottawa suburb of Orleans with his wife Denee classes, differing primarily in the design of included in the book, I found it difficult to and their dog ‘Only.’ 25 Answer to Schober’s Quiz #64 on page 13

rand Admiral Dönitz – Dönitz did not attain Flag rank until Octo- Answer: st Gber 1 , 1939. Yet on 30 January 1943—a scant three years and three Four. They are, in chronological order: (1) Vice Admiral Miklós Horthy of months later—he attained the top rank of Grand Admiral and Command- Starshell | Winter 2013-14 Nagybánya, Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Navy (18 June 1868 - 9 er-in-Chief of the German Navy, promoted ahead of a considerably more February 1957); (2) Admiral of the Fleet François Darlan, (7 senior admiral recommended by the outgoing Grand Admiral Räder. August 1881 - 24 December 1942); Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz, Imperial Although Dönitz was not a member of the Nazi Party, it would seem German Navy/German Navy (16 September 1891 - 24 December 1980); that Hitler had a special regard for him, for on the day before his suicide and Commodore Josaia Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, Fijian Navy (27 the Führer named Dönitz to be his successor in the capacity of “President April 1954 - ). of the Reich.” With Hitler dead on the following day, the 1st of May 1945, leadership of what remained of Germany passed to Admiral Dönitz, who ice Admiral Horthy – With the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian thereupon made the Naval College at Flensburg/Mürwick his headquar- VEmpire near the end of the First World War, and the disbandment of ters. Dönitz ordered all German Armed Forces to capitulate on 7 May its navy, Vice Admiral Horthy retired to his ancestral home in rural Hun- 1945. gary. But during the immediate postwar Communist occupation of Hun- Dönitz’s provincial government was dissolved by the Allies on May 23rd gary, he was called on by a group of former officers to head right-wing forc- and he was taken into custody by the British. In the fall of 1945 he was ar- es that quickly succeeded in ousting the Communists from the country. raigned before the International War Trials Court at Nuremberg, charged On 1 March 1920 Horthy was appointed Regent of the nominal King- with “Planning aggressive war.” Despite the intervention (in writing) of a dom of Hungary, a position roughly analogous to President of a republic, number of senior Allied admirals—most notably Fleet Admiral Chester which he held between the wars and through most of the Second World Nimitz, USN—who considered the charge against Dönitz specious, he was War (WWII). He was reluctant to embroil Hungary into WWII, but was duly convicted and sentenced to 10 years in Spandau prison. After his eventually coerced by the Axis into declaring war on the Soviet Union on release from prison in 1956 Dönitz spent his remaining years quietly in 1 July 1941. retirement, writing two autobiographical books But as early as 1942, Horthy initiated secret peace negotiations with the Western Powers. Inevitably, the Germans learned of them and preemp- ommodore Bainimarama – Commodore Bainimarama possesses a tively occupied Hungary, without firing a shot, on 15 March 1944. On 15 Cmost impressive CV. He is a seagoing officer with a number of com- October of that year, with the Soviet Army at the gates of Budapest, Horthy mands at sea and wide-ranging education and training abroad—including declared a unilateral ceasefire—but the order was not carried out, and on studying “Exclusive Economic Zone Management” at Dalhousie Univer- the following day he was forced to resign by the Germans.1 sity, Halifax, NS. Horthy spent the rest of WWII in an Austrian castle as a guest of Hitler, In early 2000 Bainimarama was serving as Commander of the Fijian but was not otherwise harmed. After the war he and his family moved to Navy when he took umbrage at the handling of a coup and counter-coup Portugal where he spent the rest of his days. by the Government of Fiji. Accordingly, on 29 May 2000 he spearheaded a coup leading to the establishment of a Provisional Military Government dmiral of the Fleet Darlan – Following the capitulation of France in which he headed. A1940 Darlan became one of the principal figures of the Vichy French Subsequent to restoration of some semblance of order in the govern- Régime, retaining overall command of the French Fleet. Shortly before ment of Fiji, Bainimarama more-or-less returned to military duty. On 5 the French surrender he had given his solemn word to Prime Minister February 2004 he was appointed Commander of Fiji Military Forces, but Churchill that, come what may, no French warship would be allowed to fall that did not keep him from continually interfering in the country’s gover- into the hands of the Germans.2 He therefore was deeply incensed by the nance. Predictably, the Commodore staged another coup in 2006, result- Royal Navy’s firing on French fleet units at Mers el Kébir on 3 July 1940, ing in his ongoing tenure in several government posts including Minister which he considered an act of treachery. This event probably was a factor of Finance and, currently, Prime Minister. in Darlan’s subsequent collaboration with the Germans. Fijian politics during the last decade are far too complicated to attempt On 9 February 1941 Marshal Pétain named Darlan to a number of se- to unravel in this quiz. Suffice to say that the situation is, to say the least, nior government posts additional to his naval appointment, whereby the fluid. Very recently Commodore Bainimarama announced that this com- Admiral became de facto Prime Minister of Vichy France as well as Com- ing February 28th he would resign from the Navy and as Commander of mander-in-Chief of the French Armed Forces. He served as Head of Gov- Fijian Forces, so as to form a new political party and run for election to ernment until 18 April 1942, when he was replaced, under German pres- Prime Minister as a civilian. sure, by Pierre Laval, while retaining his naval and military appointments. Coincidentally—perhaps3—Darlan was in Algiers on 8 November 1942, when Allied forces landed at several French North and West Afri- 1 Schober’s Quiz #59 gives a detailed account of the events leading to Horthy’s resign- can locations, meeting with unexpectedly strong resistance from the Vichy ation. French defenders.4 But two days later Admiral Darlan ordered all French 2 Darlan was as good as his word. On 27 November 1942, when the Germans at- forces in North Africa to cease hostilities against the Allies—an order that tempted to seize all French warships present in , they found every last one of was obeyed without question. Consequently on 14 November, the Allies them scuttled by their own crew. named Darlan “High Commissioner of France for North and West French 3 It has been alleged that as early as the summer of 1942, Darlan had engaged in Africa”—which duly enraged Charles de Gaulle. secret talks with the Allies concerning the forthcoming North African landings (Op- On 24 December 1942 Darlan was fatally shot in his office by twenty- eration Torch). year-old Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, an ardent French Monarchist 4 Schober’s Quiz #4 gives details regarding Canadian Captain E. T. Peters’ attack at who resented the admiral’s Republican leanings. , earning him the Victoria Cross.

26 Winter 2013-14 Starshell | Winter

All these were honoured in their generations, Obituaries and were the glory of their times. There be of them, that have left a name behind them, Compiled by Pat D. C. Barnhouse that their praises might be reported. Starshell Obituary Editor Aprocrypha – Matthew 44:7-8 = [email protected]

F LCdr(L) Robert Harold ARTHUR, CD*, RCN (Ret’d) F Capt(E) Robert Louis LANE, CD*, RCN (Ret’d) NSNOA, 87 in Halifax 01/08/13. WWII RCNVR. Jn’d. RCN 06/49 as A/ NAC Ottawa, 93 in Ottawa 27/12/13. RMC Cdt thence RCN Cdt 08/39 SLt(L) (sen. 06/49) at Stadacona and prom. SLt(L) (sen. 06/49), thence Ni- and to trg. RNC and RNEC. Prom. Mid(E) 05/40, fll’d. by HMS Glasgow. obe (UDE Portland) in ‘50, fll’d. by prom. Lt(L) (sen. 04/49),Bytown 02/51, Prom. SLt(E) 01/42 and Lt(E) 03/43, thence Uganda 09/44, Niobe and Niagara (USN Air Stations) in ‘53 and Shearwater 04/54. Prom. LCdr(L) Cayuga (Korea) 09/49. Prom. LCdr(E) 03/51, fll’d. by Bytown 08/51 and 04/57, thence Bonaventure 09/57. Chaudière (LO) 11/59, Naval Base Niagara 09/52. Prom. Cdr(E) 07/53, thence Bytown 12/54, Naden 10/58 Sydney 06/61 and Shearwater 07/64. Ret’d. in ‘71. Civ. career as Direc- and Bytown 07/60. Prom. Capt(E) 01/61, fll’d. by Cataraqui (NDC) 09/65 tor Physical Plant VGH. [SR, Chronicle Herald, “Canada’s Naval Aviators.”] and SACLANT. Ret’d. in ‘69. Civ. career as management consultant. F LCdr(E) Hugh Charles ASHCROFT, CD*, RCN (Ret’d) [Citizen] NSNOA, 91 in Halifax 13/10/13. Jn’d. RCN in ‘39, srv’d. WWII and Ko- F Surg Cmdre Donald Angus MacIVER, OMM, MiD, OStJ, CD*, RCN rea (Huron) and CFR’d as Cmd Eng 08/53, thence Donnacona and By- (Ret’d) town 04/55. Prom. Lt(E) 06/55, fll’d. by Fortune (CCMINRON 2 EO), New NAC Ottawa, 93 in Toronto 28/10/13. WWII RNVR Surg in HMS Bayntum Glasgow (EO) 12/58, PNO(West) 11/61 and Yukon (EO) 05/63. Prom. and HMS Largs. (MiD). Jn’d. RCN 04/53 at Stadacona as Surg. Lt (sen. LCdr(E) 06/63, fll’d. by PNO (Maritimes) 02/65. Ret’d. in ‘71. Civ. career 11/46). Prom. Surg LCdr 09/54, thence Labrador 06/56 and Stadaco- with DSS. [BL, Chronicle Herald] na 10/57, fll’d. by 3 Wing Zweibrucken. Prom. Surg Cdr 01/61, thence F Cdr(S) Edward Joseph L’HEUREUX, CD*, RCN (Ret’d) Chief Surgery NDMC in ‘64 and prom. Surg Capt 03/65. Also prom. Surg NAC Ottawa, 84 in Ottawa 28/10/13. Jn’d. Hunter as OS 10/48, thence Cmdre. Ret’d. in ‘78. General surgeon in Wallaceburg, ON from ‘78 to UNTD Cdt 02/49 and Cdt(S) 10/49. Prom. A/Slt(S) RCN(R) 07/51, thence ‘86. [AW, Citizen] Star 05/52 and Shearwater (CND) 03/53. Prom. Lt(S) 02/54 and tsf’d. to F LCdr John McCammon REID, CD*, RCN (Ret’d) RCN, thence Hochelaga 01/56, Avalon (SO) 07/56, Bonaventure 08/58, NSNOA, 91 in Bridgewater, NS 14/11/13. Jn’d. RCN in ‘41 and srv’d. Haida (SO) 05/59, and York (SO) 05/61. Prom. LCdr(S) 02/62, fll’d. byHo - Annapolis, Trillium and Waskesiu during WWII. CFR’d as Cmd Comm Off chelaga 05/63, Niagara (RCNLO Phila.) 07/65, Hochelaga 08/68 and CFB 04/63, thence Algonquin 12/54 and Shearwater 07/55. Prom. Lt 04/58, Rockcliffe 08/70. Prom. Cdr(S) 01/71, thence NDHQ 01/71 and CI CFPD fll’d. by Patriot 05/58, Outremont 09/60 and Stadacona 03/63. Prom. in ‘76. Ret’d. in ‘79. Civ. career with DSS. [LL, AW, Citizen] LCdr 10/63, fll’d. by CANMILREP NATO HQ and CFS Mill Cove (i/c). F LCdr Charles Kenneth HURST, RCN(R) (Ret’d) Ret’d. in ‘71. Civ. career in real estate. [SR, Chronicle Herald] NAC Ottawa 17/11/13. Jn’d. RCNVR in ‘42 as SLt (sen. 01/42) thence F LCdr William Arthur SOMERVILLE (Ret’d) Chaleur 05/42. Qual. ‘t’, fll’d. by Arnprior 03/45. Rls’d. in ‘45. Jn’d. NOAVI, 89 in Duncan, BC 28/09/13. WWII RCNVR service. Active with RCN(R) at Carleton 01/53 as LCdr (sen. 01/50). Ret’d. in ‘55. Career in RCSC and Navy League in Winnipeg. Commanded RCSCC Qu’Appelle government, culminating as Chief Engineer Public Works. Active in com- in the 1960s. [RT, GAM, Times Colonist] munity and volunteer affairs. [AW, Citizen] F Lt Robert France STAYSKO, RCN(R) (Ret’d) F Inst A/SLt Frank William KILLAM, RCN(R) Calgary Br., 88 in Calgary 21/11/13. Srv’d. RCAF WWII and postwar as Flt NOABC, 73 in Vancouver 08/11/13. Jn’d. UNTD as Inst Cdt at Discovery Lt in RCAF Auxiliary. Jn’d. Tecumseh 02/65 as Lt and srv’d. ‘til 1968. Civ. 01/59 and prom. Inst A/SLt 05/61. Rls’d. in ‘62. Involved in family busi- career in personnel side of the oil industry. [MB] ness. [WC, Vancouver Sun] In Memoriam (non members) F Cdr(P) [LCol] Alexander James ANDERSON, CD**, RCN (Ret’d) F CPO1 Leonard George FLANAGAN, CD*, RCN (Ret’d) 79 in Kentville, NS 08/11/13. Jn’d. RCN as Mid 07/53, prom. A/ 82 in Perth, ON 02/11/13. Srv’d. Nootka, Huron, Quebec, Restigouche, SLt 07/54, SLt(P) 07/65, Lt(P) 12/56, LCdr(P) 01/65 and LCol in ‘86. Chaudière, Athabaskan, Cap de la Madeline and Bonaventure. [AW, Citi- Srv’d. Cornwallis, Ontario, Stettler, Niagara (USN Flt. Trg.), Shearwa- zen] ter, Bonaventure, Naden, Qu’Appelle, CFRC Winnipeg, CFB Portage, F CPO1 John GERVAIS, CD, RCN (Ret’d) Protecteur, CFCSC, NDHQ, 440 Sqn., ACHQ, UNTSO and AAFCE 77 in Ottawa 01/11/13. Srv’d. in Quebec, Bonaventure, Nipigon and Ot- Ramstein. Ret’d. in ‘90. [SR, Chronicle Herald, “Canada’s Naval Aviators.”] tawa. [Citizen] F Surg LCdr John Wilson CLARK, RCNVR (Ret;d) F Lt the Hon Louis Davies HYNDMAN, OC, QC, RCN(R) (Ret’d) 94 in St. Catherines, ON 17/10/13. Jn’d. as Surg Lt 05/41 and srv’d. Former Edmonton Br., 78 in Edmonton 24/11/13. Jn’d. UNTD as Cdt at Naden, with RN 4th Minesweeping Sqn (Overlord) and Stadacona. Rls’d. Nonsuch 01/52, prom. SLt 07/56 and Lt 05/58. Rls’d. in ‘62. Srv’d. as Hon in ‘46 and prom. Surg LCdr on Ret’d. List. Husband late Surg Lt Lillian Capt with 4th Destroyer Sqn. [WC] Sugerman (see Starshell Fall 2013 obits) [AW, Globe & Mail] Continued on page 28 27 F Lt(L) Irvine Newton JOHNSTON, CD**, RCN (Ret’d) prom. Lt(L) 04/53 and LCdr(L) 04/61. Srv’d. Stadacona, Quebec, Cayuga, 91 in Halifax 03/10/13. Jn’d. RCN in WWII. CFR’d as Cmd Elec Off 09/54 Shelburne and SUPLANT. Ret’d. in ‘70. [SR, Chronicle Herald] and prom. Lt(L) 01/59. Srv’d. New Liskeard, Iroquois, Magnificent, Bo- F Cdt(E) Geoffrey Frederick PENNEY, RCN (R) naventure, Bytown and SUPLANT. Ret’d. in ‘76. [SR, Chronicle Herald] 74 in Burlington, ON 27/09/13, as Cdt(E) 01/58 at Cabot. [WC] F Lt Leonard Maynard KUZMINSKI, RCN(R) (Ret’d) F LCdr(O)(P) Leslie Charles ROSENTHALL, CD*, RCN (Ret’d) 69 in Abbotsford, BC 14/11/13. Jn’d. as UNTD Cdt at Unicorn in ‘63, 82 in Dartmouth, NS 08/13. Jn’d. RCAF 07/42, rls’d. in ‘46, thence RCAF prom. SLt in ‘66 and later Lt. Srv’d. Discovery and qual. as Ship’s Diving (Reserve) in ‘48. Tsf’d. to RCN 01/50 as SSA Lt(O) (sen. 06/49), qual. ‘P’ Officer. [WC, Vancouver Sun]. and permanent commission in ‘56. Prom. LCdr(O)(P) 06/57. Srv’d. Shear- F Frances Jennifer LYNCH, QC water, Magnificent, Stadacona, RCAF for pilot trg., Bonaventure, Niagara

Starshell | Winter 2013-14 Former Ottawa Br., in Ottawa 13/11/13. Conflict management expert, (USN Aviation Safety Crs.) and Hochelaga. Ret’d. 04/70. Civilian career charitable volunteer and Commissioner Canadian Human Rights Com- as public servant. [SR, Chronicle Herald] mission. [Citizen] F CPO Thomas Anthony SAWYER, CD**, RCN (Ret’d) F Chap CI III William Grant MacDONALD, RCN (Ret’d) 87 in Oakville, ON 06/09/13. Srv’d Warrior, Cornwallis, Donnacona, 99 in Dartmouth, NS 06/12/13. Jn’d. 03/44 as Chap CI III, srv’d. Peregrine Swansea, Sioux, La Hulloise, Stadacona, Granby, Magnificent, Prestonian, and rls’d. in ‘46. [SR, Chronicle Herald] Nootka, New Waterford, Montcalm, Assiniboine, Discovery, HMS Dolphin, F LCdr Francis Richard MATTHEWS, CM, QC, RCNVR (Ret’d) HMS/M’s Andrew, Alcide and Ojibwa. [JP] 93 in Calgary 02/10/13. Jn’d. as Pay SLt 06/41 and prom. Pay Lt [Lat- F SLt(NS) Mary Glen STIRLING (nee KEIRSTEAD), RCN er Lt(S)] 09/41. Srv’d. Stadacona and Bytown. Rls’d. in ‘45 and prom. 86 in Wolfville, NS 27/10/13. Jn’d. in ‘53, srv’d. in Stadacona and Corn- LCdr(S) on Ret’d. List. [AW, Globe & Mail] wallis and rls’d. in ‘55. [SR, Chronicle Herald] F LCdr(L) Arlo Maitland MOEN, CD**, RCN (Ret’d) 93 in Halifax 28/10/13. Jn’d. RCN in ‘38, CFR’d as Cmd Rad Off 10/50, Regalia Kit Shop Blazer Badge (NAC or RCN) $23.00 each A link has been added to our website to Blazer Buttons (NAC) take you to the NAC Kit Shop. The Kit Large $29.00 each Shop now provides NAC members with Small $27.00 each the opportunity to purchase items with the Cuff Links (NOAC) $37.00 pair Medallion Lapel Pins NAC logo. All purchases of these items Gold, Silver, Bronze $5.00 ea. will return a contribution to NAC coffers. Medallion Neck Decorations $95.00 ea. Follow this link to the site… NOAC Plaque http://www.navalassoc.ca/en/ns Ready for engraving $25.00 ea. and you then only need click on the NAC Necktie NOAC/NAC/RCN $36.00 ea. crest to go directly to the shop that dis- All prices include taxes and shipping. Send orders to the plays items with our logo. Be sure to take Executive Director. Cheques payable to “NOAC National” a look!

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