On 28 April 1985, the warship shelled and sank the fishing trawler "Lady Marjorie" after it had been abandoned by its crew and became a hazard to navigation. Initially the decision was questioned, but "Nipigon" was later cleared by a Canadian Coast Guard report. In June 1985, "Nipigon", while participating in naval exercises, suffered structural damage after a stress crack sheared 215 rivets in the vessel's superstructure. The problem was not resolved until 1986. On 27 February 1987, her CH-124 helicopter rescued crewmen from the tug "Gulf Gale" which had caught fire off Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. The ship became the second to have a mixed-gender crew in the Canadian Forces in September 1987.