A Movie about the RCN

By Les Mader, 5 December 2023

Screenshot of the title slide from the movie Lifeline to Victory.

To my knowledge, only two movies have ever been made about the RCN – the World War II Corvette K 225 and the 1993 Lifeline to Victory.  Of the two, I have always considered Lifeline to Victory to be the better.  It stars some first-class actors and was filmed on location using CSS Acadia and HMCS Sackville.  It is also the more historically accurate film, especially with respect to the RCN in the early years of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Sadly, it does not seem to have ever been rebroadcast on TV after its initial 1993 showing and I cannot locate it as a DVD.  The last VHS tapes were sold over a decade ago.

Thus, I was very pleased to discover that it has been placed on YouTube at the attached link, which is provided for the enjoyment of the Broadsides Forum community.

Post continues on the Broadsides Forum

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Current Issue: Fall 2023 CNR issue

Volume 19, Number 2 (2023)

The fall 2023 CNR issue begins with an Editorial, by CNR Editor Ann Griffiths, which asks if Canada – the government in particular – is drifting in terms of military and defence matters. Next, we are pleased to present the essay which won the 2023 CNMT essay competition. Cameron Meikle wrote the winning essay, which is entitled “Innovation to Expand Canada’s Global Naval Influence.” Meikle calls for Canada to act in response to the shifting characteristics of naval warfare. The Royal Canadian Navy should seize the opportunity to innovate, articulating a novel future vision with uncrewed vehicle technologies at its core and lead industry, partners and allies in driving change to achieve this future.

This article is followed by an article entitled “Svalbard: The Worrying Geopolitics of an Arctic Archipelago” by Andreas Østhagen, which examines the situation relating to this northern archipelago as relations with Russia evolve. Next, we have an article by Marc Milner, entitled “The RCN’s Forgotten Surface Battles of 1944” which outlines several battles fought by the RCN in WWII. The final article, “Russia’s Expansion in the Arctic and Canada’s Response” by Jeff G. Gilmour, explains how Russia has been beefing up its military presence in the Arctic and outlines how Canada has responded – and how it should respond. The result, as you will see, is a collection of articles that are both fascinating and timely.

As well we have a number of interesting Making Wave commentaries and our usual columns. We have a report by Tim Choi about his visit to the submarine yard in Karlskrona, Sweden, in May 2023. This article provides a description of the yard and Saab’s views regarding the Canadian submarine replacement project. Keeping with the submarine theme, we have a column by Daniel Baart who discusses the interest in, and growth of, submarine procurement in the Indo-Pacific region. In his column, Dave Perry talks us through the implications of the budget cuts the government announced in the spring, and how they will affect the Department of National Defence. And in Doug Thomas’ column, he briefly outlines the history of the Ukrainian Navy, and then tells us what Ukraine has managed to do in terms of naval warfare even without a navy. 

This is just a taste of what’s to come in the issue. Of course there are amazing photos to illustrate everything! We hope that you will find this issue interesting. See the Table of Contents below.

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Looking for Books about Maritime Matters?

Over the last 15 years, Canadian Naval Review has published over 180 book reviews. These books cover a variety of topics but they all relate to maritime matters, history, or security and defence at sea. This is an amazing resource. Go through the list of reviews, pick out a few books that look interesting, read the reviews, and then order the books from your nearest bookstore or from the publisher. See the list of book reviews at https://www.navalreview.ca/book-reviews/