HMCS Iroquois was the lead ship of the s of the Royal Canadian Navy, also known as the Tribal class or the 280 class. The second vessel to carry the name, she carried the hull number DDG 280. Entering service in 1972 she was assigned to Maritime Forces Atlantic (MARLANT) and was homeported at CFB Halifax. Iroquois was deployed overseas for blockade and anti-terrorism duties, including participating in Operation Apollo in 2002–03. Taken out of service in 2014 and paid off in 2015. Iroquois was an area air defence destroyer. She served on MARLANT missions protecting Canada's sovereignty in the Atlantic Ocean and enforcing Canadian laws in its territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone. Iroquois was deployed on missions throughout the Atlantic and to the Indian Ocean; specifically the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea on anti-terrorism operations. She has also deployed on counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean Basin. The destroyer 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). Service history The destroyer's keel was laid down on 15 January 1969 by Marine Industries at their yard in Sorel, Quebec. The ship was launched on 28 November 1970 and Iroquois was commissioned on 29 July 1972 with the hull number DDH 280, the first of four Iroquois-class destroyers . In 1978, the destroyer took part in naval exercises off Portugal and Denmark. On 4 December 1983, the ship responded to the merchant vessel Ho Ming 5s SOS. Iroquois rescued the crew of the vessel, which was in danger of capsizing in gale-force winds. Iroquois was a flagship of STANAVFORLANT in 1978–79. On 1 November 1989 Iroquois began the Tribal Class Update and Modernization Project (TRUMP) refit, transforming her into a modern area air defence platform with state of the art weapons, sensors, and command and control systems. The refit was completed on 3 July 1992, upon which the ship's hull number changed to DDG 280. Iroquois deployed to the Adriatic Sea from 25 September 1993 to 25 April 1994 as part of the blockade force enforcing sanctions on Yugoslavia. During this period, Iroquois succeeded sister ship as flagship of STANAVFORLANT. While in the Adriatic, the vessels would board and inspect vessels travelling to Yugoslavia. Iroquois intercepted a vessel attempting to evade the blockade carrying tanks and ammunition. On 17 June 1995,