HMCS Fraser ( DDH 233 ) HMCS " Fraser " ( DDH 233 ) was a " St . Laurent " - class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces from 1957 – 1994 . " Fraser " was the last survivor of the " St . Laurent " - class destroyer which were the first Canadian designed and built warships . Military career . " Fraser " was commissioned into the RCN on 28 June 1957 and initially carried the pennant number DDE 233 as a destroyer escort , based until 1965 at Esquimalt , British Columbia . She began conversion to a destroyer helicopter escort ( DDH ) in 1965 and was officially reclassed with pennant DDH 233 on 22 October 1966 . The DDH " Fraser " served repeatedly as a demonstration platform for new naval technology in the Canadian Navy . She demonstrated the Canadian " beartrap " helicopter haul - down system in 1967 during a visit to Washington , DC . In 1968 , " Fraser " was the first Canadian ship to carry the Experimental Towed Array Sonar System and was the first to test the NIXIE torpedo decoy system . " Fraser " was selected by the Canadian Forces for the Destroyer Life Extension ( DELEX ) project and completed this refit on 28 May 1982 . The destroyer was decommissioned from active service in the Forces on 5 October 1994 and placed in category C reserve . Purchase by Artificial Reef Society of Nova Scotia . " Fraser " was declared surplus in the late 1990s by the Canadian Forces and given to the Artificial Reef Society of Nova Scotia in 1998 . ARSNS had never considered sinking " Fraser " as an artificial reef diving attraction and she was towed to Bridgewater where she was stored for possible use as a museum ship . ARSNS had purchased the government wharf in Bridgewater on the east bank of the Lahave River , which became " Fraser " ' s home for close to 12 years . The society made the vessel available to for possible conversion to a museum ship , should funding be secured . The ship never opened as a museum , although guided tours were offered by appointment in 2003 and 2004 . During that period , some groups such as the Sea Cadets , LaHave River Tourism Association , Atlantic Lighthouse Council , Bridgewater Fire Department , and Katimavik used the ship for events and the wardroom hosted meetings with visiting politicians . Former crew members and their families were rarely turned away . The ship was also used for some years as the site for the annual Canada Day fireworks display in Bridgewater . In 1997 , the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognized the St . Laurent Class as being historically significant to Canadians and in 2000 installed a bronze plaque aboard HMCS " Fraser " which reads : The Government of Nova Scotia and the Town of Bridgewater were taken to court by the ARSNS over " Fraser " being assessed for commercial property taxes . ARSNS fought this litigation in Supreme Court and then Appeals Court , arguing that vessels could not be assessed as commercial property . Although the society was legally successful in its argument , the court challenge caused significant financial hardship and resulted in the vessel ' s exterior paint deteriorating considerably in the absence of funding over this 12 - year period . The vessel became an irritant to local residents whose waterfront properties faced the former warship and the " deplorable state " of the ship brought complaints from residents , municipal politicians , and naval veterans . The condition of " Fraser " became a local issue in the Nova Scotia ' s 2009 provincial election when signs appeared around Bridgewater criticizing ARSNS chair Rick Welsford who was running as a Liberal candidate for the neglect of the ship . Purchase by Government of Canada . After a year of negotiations and a proposal made to the Department of National Defence by the Artificial Reef Society of Nova Scotia , Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay announced in a press release on 30 January 2009 that DND had reached an agreement with the ARSNS to re - purchase the ship and transfer ownership of the warship back to the federal government . The release stated that " " DND may sink her to create an artificial reef , or scrap her , or move her to preserve her for heritage purposes . " At the time , DND indicated that it would purchase the vessel from ARSNS by 1 June 2009 . Rick Welsford , chairman of the Society , as well as being the ship ' s strongest supporter and a constant target of criticism relating to the vessel ' s appearance , stated in February 2009 that the ship could still be restored for less than the cost of scrapping . On the morning of 21 July 2009 , two MARCOM tugboats from CFB Halifax entered the Lahave River . While a Canadian Forces officer exchanged a cheque in the amount of $ 1 . 00 from the Government of Canada to the Artificial Reef Society of Nova Scotia , receiving a ceremonial key to the vessel , the 2 tugboats took " Fraser " in tow and returned her to Halifax Harbour in approximately 12 hours . " Fraser " was secured in the Bedford Basin pending further discussions over her fate ; she was subsequently moved to the Shearwater Jetty . Scrapping . On 27 August 2010 , DND announced that " Fraser " would be sold to the Marine Recycling Corporation and towed to MRC ' s facility in Port Colborne , Ontario for scrapping ; historic artifacts had been removed from the ship by DND and placed at the Maritime Command Museum at CFB Halifax . Later that day , ARSNS filed a lawsuit against DND in the Federal Court of Canada citing breach of contract . A clause in the December 2008 agreement between DND and ARSNS had stated that should DND decide to scrap the ship , the society would receive " first consideration " to present a proposal to turn it into an artificial reef and that DND must find the proposal acceptable . ARSNS stated that its claim exceeded $ 50 , 000 not including interest and court costs . As a result of the lawsuit , the Federal Court of Canada ordered that the former HMCS " Fraser " be arrested at its berth at Jetty Lima at HMC Dockyard Annex in Dartmouth . DND was given 30 days to file its defence . On Wednesday , 1 September 2010 the Federal Court of Canada quashed the arrest warrant , allowing DND to move the ship , however , the towing operation which was originally scheduled to begin on 2 September was interrupted by the passage of Hurricane Earl . On the morning of Tuesday , 7 September 2010 the former HMCS " Fraser " was taken under tow by the civilian tug " Tony MacKay " and departed Halifax Harbour . " Fraser " arrived at her destination in Port Maitland , Ontario on the afternoon of 19 September 2010 . The scrapping process should be complete as of March 2011 . At that time HMCS " Fraser " will cease to exist .