Canadian Patrol Frigate Project The Canadian Patrol Frigate Project ( CPFP ) was a procurement project undertaken by the Department of National Defence beginning in 1975 to find a replacement for the , , , and destroyers . Contract award . In 1983 , the federal government approved the budget for the design and construction of the first batch of six new frigates . To reflect the changing long term strategy of Maritime Command during the 1980s and 1990s , the " Halifax " - class frigates was designed to be more of a general purpose warship with particular focus on anti - submarine capabilities . The design of the " Halifax " class frigates reflected many advances in ship construction , such as a move to a prefabricated unit construction method , where the ship is assembled from prefabricated units in a drydock instead of the traditional keel - laying . Furthermore , the design of " Halifax " class frigates incorporated many new technical improvements . For example , these vessels were the first in the world to be equipped with the Integrated Machinery Control System ( IMCS ) , which allows for a very high degree of computer control for the machinery plant . Detailed design work for the CPFP began in 1985 after the original 6 - vessel contract was awarded to Saint John Shipbuilding Ltd . ( SJSL ) . The Department of National Defence requested that SJSL construct 3 vessels and sub - contract 3 vessels to MIL - Davie Shipbuilding . The CPFP was awarded to SJSL despite the fact that there were arguably more qualified overseas shipyards capable of performing the work . This was attributed to the Government of Canada ' s desire for the CPFP to provide industrial and economic benefits to Canada ' s shipbuilding industry . The end of the Cold War before the completion of the CPFP meant that these vessels ' abilities against submarines were less valuable than when they were designed . However , they have proved versatile in multiple mission roles and have recently formed an important part of Canada ' s contribution to anti - terrorism operations . Construction delays . The CPFP seemed to be too big for SJSL from the outset . Delays on the lead ship immediately set in , and it soon became clear that the original deadlines were not going to be met . In response to this , SJSL proposed to build more sections of the ship individually before sending them to its drydock in Saint John ; consequently , SJSL owner Irving Shipbuilding purchased several smaller shipyards in eastern Canada for constructing CPFP modules , with final assembly to take place in Saint John . This modular construction solution reduced costs and led to a higher - quality vessel ; however , the amount of engineering required increased drastically , and this was used to justify moving the delivery dates of " Halifax " and her sister ship , , further back . Following the construction assembly improvements and Irving Shipbuilding ' s investments in acquiring other properties for the project , the Department of National Defence awarded a further 6 vessels exclusively to SJSL in 1988 . Improvements for MARCOM . The CPFP evolved into the . The launch of the lead vessel HMCS " Halifax " ( FFH 330 ) in 1988 is credited with providing a new energy to Maritime Command ( MARCOM ) which was burdened with an antiquated fleet . MARCOM ' s older vessels were sometimes not seaworthy and only the Iroquois class destroyer s were up to any kind of modern standard . Despite some initial growing pains common to any new class of warships , the " Halifax " class was a potent modern naval platform and established itself as one of the world ' s premier warships of its type . These vessels were larger than most frigates and despite being initially conceived for anti - submarine warfare , evolved into MARCOM ' s premiere workhorse for multiple mission roles . Just as importantly , the commissioning of the " Halifax " relieved pressure on the Iroquois class , which MARCOM modernized under the Tribal Update and Modernization Project ( TRUMP ) to become anti - aircraft destroyers .