HMCS Fredericton (FFH 337) is a that has served in the Canadian Forces

Canadian Forces

The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...

 since 1994. Fredericton is the eighth ship in her class which is based on the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project

Canadian Patrol Frigate Project

The Canadian Patrol Frigate Project was a procurement project undertaken by the Department of National Defence beginning in 1975 to find a replacement for the , , , and destroyers.-Contract award:...

. She is the second vessel to carry the designation .

Fredericton was laid down on 25 April 1992 at Saint John Shipbuilding Ltd.

Saint John Shipbuilding

Saint John Shipbuilding was a Canadian shipbuilding company located in Saint John, New Brunswick. It operated from 1923-2003.-History:Numerous shipyards were located on the shores of Courtney Bay in the east end of Saint John Harbour where extensive mud flats dried at low tide.In 1918 it was...

, Saint John

Saint John, New Brunswick

City of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...

 and launched on 26 June 1993. She was officially commissioned into the CF on 10 September 1994 and carries the hull classification symbol

Hull classification symbol (Canada)

The Royal Canadian Navy uses hull classification symbols to identify the types of its ships, which are similar to the United States Navy's Hull classification symbol system...

 337.

She is assigned to Maritime Forces Atlantic

Maritime Forces Atlantic

In the Canadian Forces, Maritime Forces Atlantic is responsible for the fleet and operations of the Royal Canadian Navy in the Atlantic Ocean and Arctic Ocean. The Commander of MARLANT is a two-star Rear Admiral....

 (MARLANT) and is homeported at CFB Halifax

CFB Halifax

Canadian Forces Base Halifax is Canada's east coast navy base and home port to the Atlantic fleet, known as Maritime Forces Atlantic....

.

As of June 10, 2010, HMCS Fredericton has been commanded by Commander John Zorz and was previously commanded by Commander Steve Waddell.

Service

Fredericton serves on MARLANT missions protecting Canada's sovereignty in the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 and enforcing Canadian laws in its territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone

Exclusive Economic Zone

Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...

.

Fredericton has also been deployed on missions throughout the Atlantic and to the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

; specifically the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

 and Arabian Sea

Arabian Sea

The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...

 on anti-terrorism operations.

Fredericton has also participated in several NATO missions, patrolling the Atlantic Ocean as part of Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT) and its successor Standing NATO Response Force Maritime Group 1

Standing NRF Maritime Group 1

Standing NATO Maritime Group One is one of NATO's standing maritime Immediate Reaction Forces. Prior to 1 January 2005 it was known as Standing Naval Force Atlantic...

 (SNMG1).

Fire

A fire broke out in the forward engine room of the frigate on May 6, 2009. The fire was suppressed within a few minutes and the ship made a brief stop at the home base of Halifax before being given the all-clear to return to sea.

Operation Saiph

HMCS Fredericton departed Halifax, N.S. on October 25, 2009 to commence her transit to the Gulf of Aden, northern Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman. She integrated into Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) in November 2009 and remained with SNMG1 until February 2010 conducting counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin. Following a Rest and Maintenance Period (RAMP), Fredericton integrated into Combined Task Force 150

Combined Task Force 150

Combined Task Force 150 is a multinational coalition naval task force working under the 25 nation coalition of Combined Maritime Forces and is based in Bahrain established to monitor, inspect, board, and stop suspect shipping to pursue the "War on Terrorism" and in the Horn of Africa region ...

 (CTF 150) to conduct counter-terror patrols in the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman. The ship sailed from Halifax with a complement of approximately 250 officers and crew, including a CH-124 Sea King

CH-124 Sea King

The Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King is a twin-engined anti-submarine warfare helicopter designed for shipboard use. The Canadian variant is based on the US Navy's SH-3 and has been continuously in service with the Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces since 1963.-Design and development:The advent of...

helicopter and air detachment. HMCS Fredericton returned home on May 4, 2010, the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Navy.

Collision

On November 18, 2010, HMCS Fredericton “briefly came into contact” with during a replenishment-at-sea manoeuvre off the coast of Florida. There were no injuries, but both ships suffered “superficial” damage consisting of scrapes and dents on both hulls.

External links

• HMCS Fredericton (FFH 337) - official website