BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22)

The BRP "Sultan Kudarat" (PS-22) is one of several "Miguel Malvar" class Patrol Corvettes in service with the Philippine Navy. She is formerly an ex-USN Patrol Craft Escort based on the "Admirable" class minesweeper hull that were produced during World War II, and is now classified as a corvette protecting the vast waters of the Philippines. Along with other ex-World War II veteran ships of the Philippine Navy, she is considered as one of the oldest active fighting ships in the world today. ["Armed Forces of the Philippines Order of Battle. [http://www.hueybravo.net/Philippine%20Navy%20Main.htm Philippine Navy] .]

History

Commissioned in the US Navy as the USS "PCER-895" in 1944, she was renamed USS "Crestview" on 15 February 1956.

She was then transferred to the Republic of Vietnam on 29 November 1961. She served the Vietnamese Navy as "Dong Da II" (HQ-07) up until her escape to the Philippines in 1975, together with other South Vietnamese Navy ships and their respective crew. ["NavSource Online: Patrol Craft Escort Photo Archive. [http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/02895.htm Crestview (PCE 895) ex-PCE-895] .]

She was commissioned into the Philippine Navy and was renamed RPS (now BRP) "Sultan Kudarat" (PS-19). She is currently assigned with the Patrol Force of the Philippine Fleet. ["Philippine Fleet Official Website. [http://www.philfleet.mil.ph/ships.htm Commissioned Ships and Crafts] .]

Technical details

Originally the ship was armed with one 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun, three twin Bofors 40 mm guns, one Hedgehog depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks. ["NavSource Online: Patrol Craft Escort Photo Archive. [http://www.navsource.org/archives/11/02895.htm Crestview (PCE 895) ex-PCE-895] .]

The same configuration applies up until the late 1980s when the Philippine Navy removed most of her old anti-submarine weapons and systems, reconfigured her carried 40 mm guns to accommodate 20 mm guns, and added four 12.7 mm general purpose machine guns. This made her lighter and ideal for surface patrols, but losing her limited but already antiquated anti-submarine warfare capability.

The ship is powered by two GM 12-278A diesel engines, with a combined rating of around 2,200 bhp driving two propellers. The main engines can propel the 914 tons (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around convert|16|kn|km/h|0. ["DLSU N-ROTC Office. [http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/offices/sps/rotc/pdf/ms2/namingPNships.pdf Naming and Code Designation of PN Vessels] .]

There are slight difference between the BRP "Sultan Kudarat" as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her previous configuration was as a patrol craft escort, while the others are configured as minesweepers and patrol craft escort rescue ships.

Gallery

References

External links

* [http://timawa.net/forum Philippine Defense Forum]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/asiapac/philip.htm Philippine Navy @ Hazegray.org]
* [http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/offices/sps/rotc/pdf/ms2/namingPNships.pdf DLSU ROTC]
* [http://timawa.net/pn.htm Opus224's Unofficial Philippine Defense Page]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/12/02895.htm NavSource Online: Patrol Craft Escort Photo Archive]

ee also

* Philippine Navy