HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339)

HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339) is a Halifax-class frigate that has served in the Royal Canadian Navy since 1995.

Charlottetown is the tenth ship in her class which is based on the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project. She is the third vessel to carry the designation HMCS Charlottetown.

Charlottetown was laid down on 18 December 1993 at Saint John Shipbuilding Ltd., Saint John and launched on 1 October 1994. She was officially commissioned into the CF on 9 September 1995 and carries the hull classification symbol 339.

She is assigned to Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) and is homeported at CFB Halifax.

Command Team

 * Commanding Officer: Lieutenant-Commander Rob Gillis
 * Executive Officer: Lieutenant-Commander John Plows
 * Coxswain: CPO1 Simon LePage

Service
Charlottetown serves on MARLANT missions protecting Canada's sovereignty in the Atlantic Ocean and enforcing Canadian laws in its territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone.

Charlottetown has also been deployed on missions throughout the Atlantic and to the Indian Ocean; specifically the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea on anti-terrorism operations.

NATO
Charlottetown 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 (SNMG1).

Charlottetown departed Halifax on 8 January 2012 to join the NATO led mission Operation Active Endeavor. The mission is an anti-terrorism mission in the Mediterranean Sea. At the time of departure Commander Wade Carter said to the media that there were no plans for Charlottetown to intervene in the conflict in Syria.

Libyan conflict
On Wednesday 2 March 2011, Charlottetown left its home port of Halifax to join the NATO-led air-sea Operation Unified Protector during the 2011 Libyan civil war.

Charlottetown worked in conjunction with an American carrier battle group led by USS Enterprise. The stated mission was to help restore peace, evacuate Canadian citizens in Libya and provide humanitarian relief.

On 18 March the Canadian government expanded the mission by announcing that HMCS Charlottetown, in addition to six CF-18 fighter aircraft and two CC-177s transport aircraft, would constitute Canada's contribution to the enforcement. of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, aimed to protect Libya's civilian population (Operation Mobile).

By 21 March, the CBC reported that Charlottetown was patrolling the waters off north Libya. Since then, Charlottetown has seen military action at least twice:


 * On 12 May, the frigate engaged several small boats involved in an attack on the port city of Misrata.
 * On 30 May, the frigate came under fire from a dozen BM-21 rockets while patrolling off the Libyan coast, but no damage or injuries were reported.

In July 2011, HMCS Vancouver (FFH 331) relieved Charlottetown, which returned to Halifax.

Operation Active Endeavour
HMCS Charlottetown returned to the Mediterranean in January 2012 to join Operation Active Endeavour and relieve HMCS Vancouver.

Maritime Security Operations
Charlottetown transited the Suez Canal on 23 April 2012 to join Combined Task Force 150, conducting counter-terrorism operations in the Arabian Sea. She returned to Halifax on 11 September 2012.

Lineage - Charlottetown
First of Name HMCS Charlottetown (1941) (K244) Corvette, Revised Flower Class Commissioned 13 December 1941 Sunk by enemy action 11 September 1942

Second of Name HMCS Charlottetown (1943) (K244) Frigate, River Class Commissioned 28 April 1944 Paid off 25 March 1947

Third of Name This is the current ship with the name Charlottetown