Athabaskan served on MARLANT missions protecting Canada's sovereignty in the Atlantic Ocean and enforcing Canadian laws in its territorial sea and
Exclusive Economic Zone. She was also deployed on missions throughout the Atlantic and to the Indian Ocean; specifically, the
Persian Gulf and
Arabian Sea after Iraq occupied Kuwait.
NATO missions in Atlantic Ocean Athabaskan 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). On 2–3 August 1999 STANAVFORLANT force undertook exercises in the Baltic Sea, where Polish
Mil Mi-14 helicopter landed upon
Athabaskan.
Iraq–Kuwait war in Persian Gulf In August 1990,
Athabaskan was hurriedly refitted with several advanced weapons and took part in
Operation Friction and in
Operation Desert Shield. The weapons included a
close-in weapon system (CIWS).
Athabaskan was appointed flagship of the Canadian Naval Task Group, which included the destroyer and supply ship . The task group served in the central Persian Gulf, with other coalition naval forces, through the fall of 1990. After
Operation Desert Storm began in January 1991, the task group undertook escort duties for hospital ships and other vulnerable naval vessels of the coalition. The detonated two Iraqi bottom-moored
influence mines (MANTAs) at the north end of the Persian Gulf and was seriously damaged.
Athabaskan was not assigned to the area, but the commanding officer of
Princeton specifically requested her assistance. Unlike most ships of her size,
Athabaskan could simultaneously operate two large
CH-124 Sea King helicopters, which could search out mines for long periods.
Athabaskan and her helicopters helped both ships avoid mines until the
minesweeper USS Adroit escorted them out of the minefield. As a gesture of solidarity,
Athabaskan winched over several cases of beer for the crew of
Princeton, since
United States Navy vessels were dry (officially without alcoholic beverages).
Athabaskan returned to her task group and remained on station in the Persian Gulf until after the war ended. After the hostilities were complete she was relieved by her
sister ship . The professionalism of
Athabaskan earned praise from
Princeton commanding officer, Captain Edward Hontz.
Disaster relief in U.S. , Florida as part of Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts On 2 September 2005,
Athabaskan was one of several MARLANT vessels and a
Canadian Coast Guard ship that were deployed to
Mississippi and
Louisiana to assist disaster relief efforts after
Hurricane Katrina. This was part of the larger
Canadian response to Hurricane Katrina.
Disaster relief in Haiti On 14 January 2010, as part of
Operation Hestia, following rapid outfitting
Athabaskan and were deployed to
Haiti to assist with disaster relief efforts after a
7.0 magnitude earthquake. This was as part of the larger multi-pronged Canadian
Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART). The crew of
Athabaskan primarily concentrated relief efforts in the city of
Léogâne where the crew assisted in triage efforts with the Canadian Medical Assistance Team, cleared rubble within Notre Dame Asylum, built three orphanages and lent aid to five others. Léogâne is a city of 135,000 that was slow to receive relief efforts and was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake. There were an estimated 20,000–30,000 casualties in the city.
NATO exercises After experiencing a series of engine failures and maintenance issues, the ship underwent repairs. The ship was repaired and set sail on 8 September 2015,
NATO naval exercises
Joint Warrior and Trident Venture with , , , and . However, the starboard cruise engine failed while crossing the Atlantic. The ship sailed to the
United Kingdom where she was joined by a mobile repair team which replaced the engine. In January 2016,
Athabaskan was outfitted with one of the Canadian Navy's first AN/USC-69(V3) antennas under the Short-Term Satellite Communications Upgrade (STSCU) Project. The installation was meant to increase the ship's bandwidth prior to sailing on joint exercises with American forces. In September 2016
Athabaskan was among the Canadian warships deployed to the NATO naval training exercise Cutlass Fury off the east coast of North America.
Fate In September 2016, the RCN announced that
Athabaskan would be
paid off in early 2017, leaving the navy without a platform capable of long-range air defence, at least until the introduction of the planned
Canadian Surface Combatant. After returning from her last port visit in Bermuda, the ship conducted two days sails for families and past crew members, on 7 and 8 March 2017, respectively. The vessel conducted a final sail past of Halifax Harbour on 10 March 2017, upon which she was paid off and the ship's company reassigned to other units. In February 2018 Marine Recycling Corporation secured a -million contract to
dismantle Athabaskan at its facility at
Sydney, Nova Scotia. ==Engine==