HMCS Charlottetown In Support Of Libyan Operations

HMCS Charlottetown/photo US Navy

HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339) is a Halifax-class frigate that has served in the Canadian Forces 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.

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.
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).
On Wednesday March 2, 2011, the Charlottetown left its home port of Halifax to be a part of a humanitarian relief operations near Libya. The Charlottetown will be working in conjunction with an American carrier battle group led by the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise. Their mission is to reach Libya to help restore peace, evacuate Canadian citizens in Libya and provide humanitarian relief.
On Friday March 18th it was announced that HMCS Charlottetown, in addition to 6 CF-18s and 2 C-17s, would constitute Canada's contribution to the enforcement of UN resolution 1973 which permits UN member states to take certain military action against Libyan forces, including the enforcement of a no-fly-zone, to protect Libya's civilian population.