Credit: MCpl Barber, Staff Photographer, Standing NATO Maritime
Group HMCS IROQUOIS as the Flagship of the Standing NATO
Maritime Group 1 Fleet. (Fall 2006) HMCS IROQUOIS, commissioned
in 1972, is the first of the modern Tribal-Class Destroyers. She
has two sister ships in the Canadian Fleet: HMCS ATHABASKAN
based in Halifax, HMCS ALGONQUIN based in Esquimalt, BC. Her
third sister ship, the HMCS HURON, was decommissioned in 2003.
The Tribal-Class Destroyers are fitted with state-of-the-art
weapons, sensors, command-and-control systems, and propulsion
equipment. Together these systems make her capable of carrying
out a variety of tasks, aimed at protecting Canadian interests
in the oceans adjacent to the coastline, and beyond. However,
combat capability depends on more than modern equipment. It
requires dedicated people whose skills depend on constant
practice and development. Some 282 men and women of various
trades make up IROQUOIS' crew. To these sailors, IROQUOIS is not
merely a warship, but a home, an off