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HMCS Toronto (FFH 333)
Encyclopedia
HMCS Toronto (FFH 333) is a that has served in the Canadian Forces
since 1993.
Toronto is the fourth ship in her class which is the name for the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project
. She is the second vessel to carry the designation .
Toronto was laid down on 22 April 1989 at Saint John Shipbuilding Ltd.
, Saint John
and launched on 18 December 1990. She was commissioned into the Canadian Forces
on 29 July 1993 and carries the hull classification symbol
333.
She is assigned to Maritime Forces Atlantic
(MARLANT) and is homeported at CFB Halifax
.
and enforcing Canadian laws in its territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone
.
Service highlights
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 1993.
Toronto is the fourth ship in her class which is the name for 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 .
Toronto was laid down on 22 April 1989 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 18 December 1990. She was commissioned into 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."...
on 29 July 1993 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...
333.
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....
.
Service
Toronto serves on MARLANT missions protecting Canada's sovereignty in the Atlantic OceanAtlantic 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...
.
Service highlights
- 50th Anniversary of D-Day Celebrations - May and June 1994. The ship visited several ports in the United Kingdom including the embarkation areas for Canadian troops taking part in the June 6, 1944 landings. Other highlights included attending the unveiling of a war memorial in Hyde Park and taking part in the sailpast of the landing beaches at dawn on June 6.
- Operation Sharp Guard, 1994 - NATO patrols off the coast of the former YugoslaviaYugoslaviaYugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
to restrict the importation of arms and fuel in an effort to end the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. - Operation Victory in Europe, 1995 - Joined international flotilla of warships to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Victory in Europe. Highlights included a port visit to Amsterdam to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands. This included visits by the ship's company to ceremonies at several Canadian War Cemeteries in the Netherlands.
- Standing Naval Force Atlantic, 1997 - Toronto deployed for North Atlantic operations with STANAVFORLANT and was involved in a major search and rescueSearch and rescueSearch and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
operation off the coast of Spain. - Operation Determination, 1998 - UNUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
patrols in the northern Persian GulfPersian GulfThe 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...
to effect an embargoEmbargoAn embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
against IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Torontos rapid redeployment to the Persian GulfPersian GulfThe 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...
necessitated intense training to prepare the ship for tropical operations under the chemicalChemical warfareChemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
and biological warfareBiological warfareBiological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
threats of Iraq. - Flagship for the Canadian Task Group Atlantic, November 1998 - January 2000 - Toronto is involved in an intensive year of operations, sailing in every CTGA exercise.
- Exercise El Morro Castle, 1999 - Successful missile engagements against target drones and missiles confirms the effectiveness of the ship's advanced missile defence system and the crew's training.
- Search and rescue of the M/V Leader L, 2000 - Toronto in company with a squadron of Canadian warships to scene of sinking and is involved in rescue of 13 crew members. 18 men perished in the accident.
- Search and rescue of fishing boat, 2001 - Toronto responds to distress call of sinking fishingFishingFishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
boat while conducting work-ups off Nova ScotiaNova ScotiaNova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
coast and is involved in rescue of 3 crewmembers. 1 man perished in the sinking. - Operation Active Endeavour, 2001 - 2002 - Toronto deployed for eastern Mediterranean SeaMediterranean SeaThe Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
patrols with NATO's Standing Naval Force Atlantic on anti-terrorism operations. Torontos rapid deployment necessitated intense training to prepare for possible nuclear, biological, and chemical threats. - Operation Apollo, 2002 - Toronto re-deploys to the northern Arabian Sea to conduct operations in the support of anti-terrorism operations.
- Operation Altair, 2004 - Toronto re-deploys to the northern Arabian Sea to conduct operations in the support of anti-terrorism operations.
- Operation Unison, September 2005 - Part of MARCOM contingent dispatched to assist in Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
(see: Canadian response to Hurricane KatrinaCanadian response to Hurricane KatrinaCanada's first response to the disaster inflicted by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf of Mexico coastline of the United States was the deployment of a Vancouver heavy urban search and rescue team, which arrived in Lafayette, Louisiana on the evening of August 31, 2005, arriving on a WestJet...
). - 1 October 2007 - Toronto, while serving in NATO's Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), was involved in a search and rescue operation of 9 missing Yemeni soldiers after a volcanic eruption on Jabal al-Tair islandJabal al-Tair IslandJabal al-Tair Island is a roughly oval volcanic island northwest of the constricted Bab al-Mandab passage at the mouth of the Red Sea, about half way between Yemen and Eritrea...
, about 140 kilometres off the coast of Yemen in the Red Sea. Toronto rescued one man and located the bodies of two more. - 24 November 2008 Toronto makes port of call in Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, VirginiaNorfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
with and - In February 2011, Toronto completed a month-long deployment to the Caribbean SeaCaribbean SeaThe Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
conducting counter-drug operations in cooperation with the United states. Working with an embarked U.S. Coast GuardUnited States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
Law Enforcement DetachmentLaw Enforcement DetachmentsLaw Enforcement Detachments or LEDETs are specialized, deployable maritime law enforcement teams of the United States Coast Guard. First established in 1982, their primary mission is to deploy aboard U.S. and allied naval vessels to conduct and support law enforcement, interdiction, or security...
(LEDET), Toronto provided surveillance, logistics, and refueling support for law enforcement missions. This was the first time that a U.S. Coast Guard LEDET operated from a Canadian vessel.