- Miguel Malvar class corvette
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RPS Samar (M-33 / PS-33) still wearing her USN hull number, circa 1948.Class overview Name: Miguel Malvar class Builders: Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Co.; Albina Engine and Machine Works; Willamette Iron and Steel Corp.; Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding; USA Operators: 
Philippine NavySucceeded by: Rizal-class corvette Active: 7[1] Lost: 1 Retired: 2 Preserved: 1 (under major repairs) General characteristics Class and type: Miguel Malvar class Type: Patrol Corvette Displacement: 640 tons (standard), 914 Tons (Full Load) Length: 184.5 ft (56.2 m) Beam: 33 ft (10 m) Draft: 9.75 ft (2.97 m) Installed power: 2,200 hp Propulsion: Main: 2 x GM 12-278A diesel engines
Auxiliary: 2 x GM 6-71 diesel engines with 100 kW gen and 1 x GM 3-268A diesel engine with 60 kW genSpeed: 16 Knots (maximum), Range: 6,600 nmi at 11 knots (20 km/h) Complement: 85 Sensors and
processing systems:- SPS-50 Surface Search Radar (on PS-23)
- SPS-21D Surface Search Radar (on PS-19 and PS-28)
- CRM-NIA-75 Surface Search Radar (on PS-29, PS-31, and PS-32)
- SPS-53A Surface Search Radar (on PS-20)
- RCA SPN-18 I/J-band Navigation Radar
[2]
Armament: - 1 x 3"/50 caliber gun (76 mm) Mk22
- 2 to 6 Bofors 40 mm gun (single or 1-3 twin)
- 3 × 20 mm Oerlikon guns
- 4 x 12.7 mm 50 cal machine guns
The Miguel 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 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 former USN USS Quest (AM-281) was supposedly a member of this class but was converted into a non-combatant Presidential Yacht by the Philippine Navy in 1948 as the RPS Pag-asa (APO-21) (later on renamed as RPS Santa Maria, and as RPS/BRP Mount Samat)[3]
Contents
History
The PCE class of naval ships were 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 where 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 local and international crisis, exercises, and incidents.
Technical details
Originally the ship was armed with one 3"/50 caliber 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.[4]
The same configuration applies up until the late 1980s when the Philippine Navy removed most of its old anti-submarine weapons and systems, and three 20 mm Oerlikon guns and four 12.7 mm general purpose machine guns were placed, making it lighter and ideal for surface patrols, but losing its limited anti-submarine warfare capability.
The ship is originally powered by two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, but was 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). This was 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 tons (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around 16 knots (30 km/h).[5]
Ships in Class
Bow number Ship name Launched Commissioned Service Status PS-18 [6] BRP Datu Tupas 14 November 1943 November 1975 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Fate unknown PS-19 BRP Miguel Malvar 1 March 1944 November 1975 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Active PS-20 [7] BRP Magat Salamat 19 March 1944 November 1975 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Active PS-22 BRP Sultan Kudarat 18 May 1943 November 1975 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Active PS-23 BRP Datu Marikudo 18 March 1944 5 April 1976 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Decommissioned PS-28 BRP Cebu 10 November 1943 July 1948 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Active PS-29 BRP Negros Occidental 24 February 1944 July 1948 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Decommissioned PS-30 RPS Leyte 20 June 1944 July 1948 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Grounded and lost in 1978. PS-31 BRP Pangasinan 24 April 1943 July 1948 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Active PS-32 BRP Iloilo 3 August 1943 July 1948 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Active PS-33 [8] RPS Samar 20 November 1943 24 May 1948 Philippine Navy Patrol Force Fate unknown, probably retired Gallery
References
- ^ Philippine Fleet Official Website. Commissioned ships and crafts.
- ^ Jane's Fighting Ships 2004-2005
- ^ NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive. Gayety (MSF 239) ex-AM-239.
- ^ DLSU N-ROTC Office. Naming and Code Designation of PN Vessels.
- ^ NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive.Shelter (MSF 301).
- ^ NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive.Gayety (MSF 239) ex-AM-239.
- ^ NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive.Project (AM 278).
External links
- Philippine Navy Official website
- Philippine Fleet Official Website
- Philippine Defense Forum
- Opus224's Unofficial Philippine Defense Page
See also
Miguel Malvar-class corvetteCebu · Datu Marikudo · Datu Tupas · Leyte · Iloilo · Magat Salamat · Miguel Malvar · Negros Occidental · Pag-asa · Pangasinan · Sultan Kudarat · List of ships of the Philippine Navy
Categories:- Corvette classes
- Miguel Malvar class corvettes
- Active corvettes of the Philippines
- SPS-50 Surface Search Radar (on PS-23)
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