HMCS St . John ' s ( FFH 340 ) HMCS " St . John ' s " ( FFH 340 ) is a Halifax - class frigate that has served in the Royal Canadian Navy since her commissioning in 1996 . She is the eleventh of twelve ships in her class which is based on the Canadian Patrol Frigate Project . " St . John ' s " is named after the city of St . John ' s , Newfoundland and Labrador , a port city associated with Canadian naval history and heritage , and is the first ship in the Royal Canadian Navy to bear the name . She was laid down on 24 August 1994 at Saint John Shipbuilding Ltd . , Saint John , New Brunswick , and launched on 26 August 1995 . She was officially commissioned into the CF on 26 June 1996 in St . John ' s , and carries the hull classification symbol 340 . She is assigned to Maritime Forces Atlantic ( MARLANT ) and her homeport is in Halifax , Nova Scotia . Service . " St . John ' s " serves on Canadian Armed Forces missions protecting Canada ' s sovereignty in the Atlantic Ocean and enforcing Canadian laws in its territorial sea and exclusive economic zone . " St . John ' s " has been deployed on missions throughout the Atlantic Ocean , to the Indian Ocean ; specifically the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea on anti - terrorism operations , to the north as far as Grise Fjord and to the Caribbean where she played a vital role in helping to stop the flow of illicit drugs to North America . Commanding Officers . Command Team Biographies . Coxswain : CPO1 Grégoire Bio . Chief Petty Officer Grégoire grew up in the border towns of Campbellton , New Brunswick and Pointe - à - la Croix , Québec . He enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces on the 1 November 1986 as a Naval Weapons Technician . He served in HMCS TERRA NOVA , YUKON , MACKENZIE , ANNAPOLIS on the West coast and served East in HMCS FRASER , HALIFAX , VILLE DE QUÉBEC and Sea Training Atlantic . During his sea time , he has conducted the following operational deployments : Op FORWARD ACTION , Op SHARPGUARD , Op APOLLO and Op UNISON . His shore postings included such duties as Halifax Class equipment instructor , Halifax class senior instructor , Naval Weapon Technician course scheduler , and Naval Weapons Training Chief at the Canadian Forces Naval Engineering School . He also served as a Project Technician at Canadian Forces Maritime Warfare Centre ( Halifax ) and had the privilege of acting as the Deputy Parade Chief for the Consecration of the Queen ' s Colors held on the 27 June 2009 . He is a graduate of the NCM Executive Professional Development Program at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston earning a Certificate in Professional Military education . Chief Petty Officer Grégoire became a member of the Order of Military Merit in 2009 . He assumed his present employment as Coxswain of HMCS ST - JOHN ’ S in the summer of 2013 . Recent activity . In July 2010 , " St . John ' s " took part in the International Fleet Review at Halifax , Nova Scotia , where Queen Elizabeth II inspected a Guard of Honour on board the ship to mark the centennial anniversary of the Canadian Navy , and as part of Canada Day celebrations . In August 2011 , " St . John ' s " participated in the multinational six - week arctic sovereignty Operation Nanook . During the operation , " St . John ' s " visited several northern communities and participated in search - and - rescue and disaster response exercises in company with and as well as American and Danish ships . " St . John ' s " deployed on Operation Caribbe from 3 October to 14 November 2011 , Canada ’ s contribution to an ongoing U . S . - led , multinational effort to interdict drug trafficking in the international waters of the Caribbean Basin and eastern Pacific Ocean . During her deployment , she helped recover a drug cargo from a scuttled self - propelled semi - submersible ( SPSS ) vessel . The recovery effort included the deployment of the FBI laboratory ’ s technical dive team , which conducted dive operations on the scuttled SPSS from United States Coast Guard Cutter ( USCGC ) " Cypress " . More than of cocaine was recovered from the vessel . The drugs , destined for distribution in North America , had an estimated street value of US $ 180 million . During " St . John ' s " deployment , the Joint Interagency Task Force South based out of Key West , Florida , coordinated the joint efforts in allowing the US Coast Guard to make 38 arrests , and seized a total of of cocaine and of marijuana , equating to more than US $ 223 million . In 2012 " St . John ' s " again participated in Op Nanook as well as another Op Caribbe in support of JIATF South . In the summer of 2013 the crew of " St . John ' s " conducted a replacement in place of the crew of HMCS " Toronto " in Kuwait City , Kuwait . " Toronto " was in the middle of a deployment on Operation ARTEMIS in support of CMF 150 . " St . John ' s " began her mid - life refit in June 2013 . Community involvement . " St . John ' s " also has a history of supporting local charities and charities in Newfoundland and Labrador . Originating the “ Run the Rock ” in 1996 , members of the ship ’ s company have raised C $ 520 , 000 for the Children ’ s Wish Foundation of Newfoundland in their annual relay across Newfoundland . In the Run the Rock 2013 fundraiser , crew members raised $ 75 , 717 . 20 , the most successful year in the events history . HMCS " St . John ' s " also supports the Janeway Children ' s Hospital Foundation in St . John ' s , Newfoundland .