By: Alison Auld, THE CANADIAN PRESS

HALIFAX - Clutching a small bouquet of red roses and grinning from ear to ear, Leading Seaman Alex Moore raced down the gangway of HMCS Charlottetown to get his first glimpse of his newborn son.

The crewman was the first off the Canadian frigate Wednesday, moments after it sailed into its home port following a six-month counter-terrorism mission in the Persian Gulf.

As his mates cheered wildly from the warship's deck, Moore embraced his wife and, for the first time, cradled the infant in his arms.

"Look at him, he's so cute - he takes after my wife, clearly," he said, holding the three-month-old high above his head to show hundreds of sailors looking down on the reunion under a cloudless sky on the Halifax waterfront.

"It's spectacular. I feel awesome."

More than 800 other friends and family members waved miniature Canadian flags and banged thunder sticks as Welcome Home balloons bobbed in a steady breeze.

Dozens of children, many with the red Canadian maple leaf painted on their faces, ran to their fathers as they stepped of the frigate when it pulled in at around 10 a.m.

The vessel was one of 60 allied ships in the Gulf that are involved in searching for contraband and seeking out terrorists.

Navy commanders say the ongoing naval presence is vital in the area, despite criticism that the Canadian contingent has apprehended few terrorists since 2001.

The Halifax-class patrol frigate, with a Sea King helicopter aboard, participated in Operation Altair, part of Canada's contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom, the code-name for the American-led war on terror.

The Charlottetown's mission involved surveillance, boarding suspicious vessels and trying to gain intelligence on potential terrorist activity in a body of water that is key to the international trade of oil.

"It's been a very successful trip," said Cmdr. Patrick St-Denis, the frigate's captain.

"We were able to conduct over 103 approaches (and) nine operational boardings, leading to a discovery of over six tonnes of illegal cargo with links to terrorism."

St-Denis wouldn't reveal how the military knows the contraband is tied to terrorism, saying only that intelligence indicated links to the groups.

The vessel engaged in several high-profile operations, including using its Sea King to track a French cruise ship hijacked by pirates off Somalia last month.

It also seized almost four tonnes of hashish from a Pakistani vessel in mid-February after receiving intelligence that the small fishing boat was linked to terrorist activities.

About 20 crew members boarded the Al Moula Madad following a tip that the traditional sailing vessel was tied to unnamed terrorist groups and discovered a massive cache of the potent-smelling drug after peeling back decking.

Charlottetown was commanding eight coalition vessels and five aircraft off the coast of Pakistan, seizing a total of 16 tonnes of illegal cargo with its allies during 133 days in theatre.

The drug seizure was the largest for the coalition forces to date and the first one since a smaller operation in 2005.

The crew boarded another vessel in January, seizing a boatload of booze from smugglers and handing it over to Pakistani authorities.

Charlottetown deployed to the Arabian Sea last November to join the continuing U.S.-led campaign against terrorism, Operation Enduring Freedom.

"It shows the commitment of the coalition partners for the importance of the region - to protect the merchant traffic so (it is) not affected by illegal activities," St-Denis said.

Since the first Gulf War in 1991, the navy has sent ships to the region more than 30 times.

Last month, the 300 sailors aboard the Tribal-class destroyer HMCS Iroquois were dispatched for a six-month tour of the Gulf.

The destroyer joins the frigate HMCS Calgary and the supply vessel HMCS Protecteur as part of its mission.

The frigate's return wasn't the only one Wednesday as HMCS Corner Brook, a submarine, steamed into port after three months at sea.