HMCS Iroquois (DDG 280)

For other ships of the same name, see HMCS Iroquois.

Career (Canada)	Royal Canadian Navy
Namesake:	Iroquois
Builder:	Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel
Laid down:	15 January 1969
Launched:	28 November 1970
Commissioned:	29 July 1972
Refit:	3 July 1992 (TRUMP)
Homeport:	CFB Halifax
Motto:	Relentless In Chase
Notes:	Colours:Gold and black
Badge:	Blazon Or, the head of an Iroquois brave, couped at the base of the neck, properly coloured and wearing two eagle feathers in his hair and a gold ring pendant from the ear.
General characteristics
Class and type:	Iroquois-class destroyer
Displacement:	5100 t
Length:	129.8 m (425.9 ft)
Beam:	15.2 m (49.9 ft)
Draught:	4.7 m (15.4 ft)
Propulsion:	COGOG - 2 shaft 2 x Allison 570-KF cruise gas turbines (5.6 MW) 2 x Pratt & Whitney FT4A-2 boost gas turbines (37 MW)
Speed:	29 kn (53.7 km/h)
Range:	4,500 nmi (8,334.0 km)
Complement:	280
Sensors and processing systems:	Signaal AN/SPQ 501 DA-08 radar Signaal LW-08 AN/SPQ 502 radar SQS-510 hull sonar SQS-510 VDS sonar
Armament:	29 x VLS, Standard SM-2MR Block IIIA SAMs 1 x 76 mm/62 OTO Melara 6 x 12.75 in tubes firing Mark-46 Mod 5 torpedoes 1 x Phalanx CIWS (Block 1) 2 x M2 Browning machine guns
Aircraft carried:	2 x CH-124 Sea King helicopters
Aviation facilities:	hangar and flight deck

HMCS Iroquois (DDG 280) is an Iroquois-class destroyer that has served the Canadian Forces since 1972.

Iroquois is the lead ship of her class which is sometimes referred to as the Tribal-class or simply as the 280-class. She is the second vessel to use the designation HMCS Iroquois. She carries the hull classification symbol 280.

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

She is also the unofficial flagship of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Command Team

• Captain: Commander Jeff Hamilton
• Executive Officer: Lieutenant-Commander David Patchell
• Coxswain: Chief Petty Officer First Class Gerald Chapadeau

Service

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

Iroquois 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.

Iroquois 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).

Timeline

• 1969, Jan 15: laid down at Marine Industries Ltd., Sorel PQ

• 1970, Nov 28: launched

• 1972, Jul 29: officially commissioned into the CF

• 1972 - 1992: Participates in more than 40 major exercises and 6 Standing Naval Force Atlantic Deployments.

• 1983, Dec 4: Destroyer HMCS Iroquois responded to assist HO MING 5, Panamanian-registered-freighter, 11 crew removed by Sea King, and 9 by Zodiac in high seas and gale force winds. 12 crewmembers awarded Star of Courage, and 6 others Medal of Bravery

• 1989, Nov 1: Destroyer HMCS Iroquois commenced TRUMP refit Marine Industries Ltd Sorel PQ.

• 1992, Jul 3: Completed Tribal Class Update and Modernization Project(TRUMP) refit. At this time her classification changed from Destroyer Helicopter (DDH) to Destroyer Guided Missile (DDG).

• 1993, Sep 25: Destroyer HMCS Iroquois departed Halifax for Operation Sharp Guard off Yugoslavia

• 1994, Apr 15: Frigate HMCS Halifax commenced blockade duties off Yugoslavia relieving HMCS Iroquois.

• 2000, Oct 8: Norfolk

• 2001, Oct 17: HMC ships Preserver, Iroquois and Charlottetown depart Halifax for anti-terrorism duty in Arabian Sea

• 2001, Oct 29: Gibraltar

• 2001, Nov 20: HMCS Preserver, Iroquois and Charlottetown arrive in Arabian Sea for Operation Apollo

• 2002, Jan 18: Bahrain

• 2002, Apr 10: Suez Canal

• 2002, Apr 27: Supply ship HMCS Preserver and destroyer HMCS Iroquois returned to Halifax from Operation Apollo, Arabian Sea deployed for 193 days during which she spent 171 days at sea, including 51 days consecutively. Traveled approx 44,000 n/m, transferred 1,380 cargo pellets, or 203,192 kg and almost 27m liters of fuel. Conducted 120+ RAS with ships from Canada, US, France, Australia, UK, Netherlands and Italy. Carried more than 1,000 hailings and two boardings.

• 2002: CTF 150 established
• 2002, Nov 7: Halifax

• 2003, Feb 24: 2003 - HMCS Iroquois departs Halifax to assume duties as flagship of Task Force 151, the multi-national maritime intercept force in the Persian Gulf region.

• 2003, Feb 27: Sea King helicopter crashes on flight deck of HMCS Iroquois three days after departing Halifax to become flagship of multi-national Task Force 151 in Persian Gulf region. Two of the four helicopter crewmembers sustained minor injuries in the crash. Iroquois forced to return to Halifax.

• 2003, Mar 1: Halifax

• 2003, Mar 5: Destroyer HMCS Iroquois and frigate Fredericton depart Halifax for Persian Gulf.

• 2003, Mar 13: Gibraltar
• 2003, Mar 20: Augusta
• 2003, Jul 12: Valletta

• 2003, Jul 19: Gibraltar
• 2003, Jul 26: St. John's
• 2003, Jul 27: Destroyer HMCS Iroquois arrived St. John's from Operation Apollo. 1,200 vessels were stopped and 44 were inspected.

• 2003, Jul 29: Halifax
• 2003, Sep 26: Halifax

• 2003, Dec 5: Halifax

• 2004, Jan: Operation Altair starts
• 2005, Oct 29: Boston

• 2006, Aug 24: Brest (International Squadron)

• 2006, Sep 1: Aarhus (International Squadron)

• 2006, Sep 20: Solent (International Squadron)
• 2006, Sep 20: Plymouth Sound (International Squadron)
• 2006, Sep 28: Rota (International Squadron)
• 2006, Oct 10: Souda Bay (International Squadron)

• 2006, Nov 22: Palma de Majorca (International Squadron)

• 2006, Nov 30: The rudder fell off Mayport-based frigate USS Boone while on deployment in the western Mediterranean. The mishap forced the ship to send out a call for help to which Canadian destroyer HMCS Iroquois responded, providing divers who inspected the ship’s underside.

• 2006, Dec 10: Casablanca

• 2006, Dec 17: Halifax
• 2007, Apr: Morrison arrives as Coxswain
• 2007, May 5: Boston

• 2007, Jun: Captain Brendan Ryan assumes command

• 2007, Oct 18: Sydney NS

• 2007, Dec 6: Boston

• 2008, Apr 19: Embarks on way to Caribbean

• 2008, Apr 27: Caribbean transit

• 2008, Apr 30: arrives in San Juan, Puerto Rico

• 2008, Apr 30: rendezvous with Calgary, Protecteur
• 2008, May 13: Malaga

• 2008, May 13–18: trains with several allied nations, transiting through Mediterranean Sea

• 2008 May 17: in multinational ASW scenario

• 2008 May 23: delegation visits Croatian hospital

• 2008 June 3: Canada's Commodore Bob Davidson takes over CTF 150. Iroquois becomes CTF 150's flagship.
• 2008, Jun-Sep: CTF 150 make 190 visits to vessels, carry out 4 operations, involved in 9 rescue efforts.
• 2008, Jun 23: Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Iran

• 2008, Aug 4 - Sep 5: In Theater

• 2008 Aug 6-8: stopover in Karachi, Pakistan

• 2008 Aug 22: Operationg as part of CTF 150

• 2008 Sep 15: Iroquois helps disrupt pirate attack

• 2008, Sep 15: Manama (CTF Change Command)

• 2008 Sep 16: Denmark's Commodore Chirstensen takes over CTF 150. Iroquois docked at Mina Salman.
• 2008 Sep: Iroquois, Calgary, Protecteur begin journey back to Canada. Iroquois travels via Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Aden, Suez Canal while the other ships continue East, visiting India and Malaysia en route to Victoria.
• 2008 Oct 20: Iroquois visits St. John's, NL.
• 2008 Oct 23: Iroquois returns home
• 2009, Jan: Commander Réal Brisson assumes command
• 2009, July: Iroquois visits Bermuda.

References

• HMCS Iroquois (DDG 280) - official website