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by | Mar 19, 2018 | Rose

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Not to be confused with Miguel Malvar-class frigate.

The Malvar class is a ship class of patrol corvettes of the Philippine Navy and are currently its oldest class of corvettes. These ships were formerly used by the US Navy as Admirable-class minesweepers, and PCE-842-class and PCE(R)-848 class patrol craft, which were both based on the Admirable-class hull. In the Philippine Navy, the vessels have undergone upgrades and modifications, and have been re-categorized as corvettes. One ship, the ex-USN USS Quest was converted into a non-combatant Presidential Yacht by the Philippine Navy in 1948 as RPS Pag-asa (APO-21) (later on renamed as RPS Santa Maria, and as RPS/BRP Mount Samat)[4]

On 10 December 2021, the remaining two ships of the class were finally decommissioned. However, supertyphoon Odette hit the Philippines just six days after their decommissioning, and so BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) was pressed back into service "with a volunteer force composed mainly of its last crew" to serve as a temporary command post for relief operations in the severely effected Dinagat Islands.[5]

History

The PCE class of naval ships served with the United States Navy during the Second World War.

Out of the reserved US Navy units, six were transferred to the Philippines as part of the US Military Assistance Program (PS-28 to PS-33), while five were former South Vietnamese Navy units that escaped to the Philippines in 1975.

With 40 years of active duty with the Philippine Navy, ships of this class have been involved in local and international crisis, exercises, and incidents.

Technical details

Originally the ship was armed with one 3" (76mm) L/50 dual-purpose gun, two to six Bofors 40 mm guns, 1 Hedgehog depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks.[6]

The same configuration applied up until the late 1980s when the Philippine Navy removed most of its old anti-submarine weapons and systems, losing its already-limited ASW abilities, but installed three 20 mm Oerlikon guns and four 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, making them lighter and more suited for surface patrols.[2]

The ship was originally powered by two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, but these were replaced by two GM 12-567ATL diesel engines similar to her sister ships, with a combined rating of around 1,710 bhp (1,280 kW). These were then again replaced in the mid 1990s with two GM 12-278A diesels with a combined rating of around 2,200 bhp (1,600 kW) driving two propellers. The main engines can propel the 914-ton (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around 16 knots (30 km/h).[1]

Ships in class

Ship name Bow number Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Service Status
BRP Datu Tupas PS-18 [7] 14 November 1943 5 April 1976 1977 Patrol Force Used as parts hulk for sisterships.
BRP Miguel Malvar PS-19 1 March 1944 7 February 1977 10 December 2021 Offshore Combat Force Decommissioned
BRP Magat Salamat PS-20 [6] 19 March 1944 7 February 1977 10 December 2021 Offshore Combat Force Used as temporary command post in Dinagat Islands as reported in 2021 Dec 28[5]
BRP Sultan Kudarat PS-22 18 May 1943 22 July 1976 5 July 2019 [8] Offshore Combat Force Capsized at Sangley Point, Cavite
BRP Datu Marikudo PS-23 18 March 1944 5 April 1976 9 December 2010 [9] Patrol Force Sold for scrap; equipment stripped as spare parts
BRP Cebu PS-28 10 November 1943 2 July 1948 1 October 2019 Offshore Combat Force Capsized at Sangley Point, Cavite.
BRP Negros Occidental PS-29 24 February 1944 2 July 1948 9 December 2010 [9] Patrol Force Sold for scrap; equipment stripped as spare parts
RPS Leyte PS-30 20 June 1944 2 July 1948 1979 Patrol Force Grounded and lost in 1978.
BRP Pangasinan PS-31 24 April 1943 2 July 1948 1 March 2021 Offshore Combat Force Sunk as target for SINKEX phase of Exercise Balikatan 2023 on 26 April 2023.[10]
BRP Iloilo PS-32 3 August 1943 2 July 1948 September 2016 [11] Offshore Combat Force Weapons, machinery & electronics stripped for spare parts; hull awaiting disposal
RPS Samar PS-33 [12] 20 November 1943 24 May 1948 1960 Patrol Force After Decommissioning from Philippine Navy, she was transferred to the Bureau of Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1960.She was renamed RPS RESEARCH and served with BCGS until 1975 and eventually returned to the Philippine Navy and Probably Scrapped. Source: NAMRIA INFOMAPPER July 2001 issue and CDR Mark R Condeno

Gallery

  • BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19)
    BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19)
  • BRP Pangasinan (PS-31) at CARAT 2011-Philippines
    BRP Pangasinan (PS-31) at CARAT 2011-Philippines
  • RPS Samar (M-33) flying Philippine colors but still wearing U.S. Navy hull number circa 1948.
    RPS Samar (M-33) flying Philippine colors but still wearing U.S. Navy hull number circa 1948.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i DLSU N-ROTC Office. Naming and Code Designation of PN Vessels Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h GlobalSecurity.org PS Miguel Malvar Class Archived 22 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c Jane's Fighting Ships 2004-2005
  4. ^ NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive Quest (AM-281) Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b "WW2 corvette to serve as command post in Dinagat relief ops: Navy". Philippine News Agency. 28 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive. Gayety (MSF 239) ex-AM-239 Archived 2008-05-31 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ^ NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive. Shelter (MSF 301) Archived 2008-07-05 at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ "Work Boat World Maritime Security Vessel Orders and Deliveries Roundup – May 25, 2022". 25 May 2022.
  9. ^ a b "Philippine Navy in the News: 3 World War II barko ng Navy, pinagretiro na". 9 December 2010.
  10. ^ Sadongdong, Martin (26 April 2023). "AFP, US counterpart's live fire drill a success as mock vessel sinks off Zambales". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  11. ^ MaxDefense Philippines BRP GREGORIO DEL PILAR MISSES CONTINUOUS MAINTENANCE AVAILABILITY, EMPHASIZES NEED OF PHILIPPINE NAVY FOR MORE WARSHIPS Archived 2018-03-24 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ^ NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive. Project (AM 278) Archived 2008-05-02 at the Wayback Machine.

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