HMCS Kingston (MM 700) 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 1996.

Kingston is the lead ship

Lead ship

The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...

 of her class which is the name for the Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project

Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project

The Maritime Coastal Defence Vessel Project was a procurement project undertaken by the Department of National Defence beginning in the mid-1980s to find a replacement for the , and minesweepers....

. She is the first vessel to use the designation .

Kingston was laid down on 12 December 1994 at Halifax Shipyards Ltd., Halifax

City of Halifax

Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...

 and was launched on 12 August 1995. She was officially commissioned into the CF on 21 September 1996 and carries the hull classification number

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...

 700.

It 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....

.