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BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19)
Encyclopedia
BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19) is the lead ship
Lead ship
The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...
of the of corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
s of the Philippine Navy
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, literally, "Sea Force of the Philippines"....
. She was originally built as USS PCE(R)-852, a for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was acquired by the Philippine Navy in April 1976 and later on commissioned as Miguel Malvar after Miguel Malvar y Carpio
Miguel Malvar
Miguel Malvar y Carpio was a Filipino commander who served during the Philippine Revolution and subsequently during the Philippine–American War. He assumed command of the Philippine revolutionary forces during the latter conflict following the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo in 1901...
. The ship is . Along with other World War II-era ships of the Philippine Navy, Miguel Malvar is one of the oldest active fighting ships in the world today.
US Navy
Commissioned in the US Navy as the USS PCER-852 in 1944, she was first assigned in the Atlantic theatre of operations engaged in patrolling and training. On 1 August 1944, PCER-852 stood out of BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
bound for Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
with 26 prisoners of war—sailors from the German submarine U-505, captured in June by a “hunter-killer” group formed around escort carrier Guadalcanal (CVE-60).
Relocating to the Pacific theatre of operations, her duties included treatment of wounded sailors and soldiers, and ASW patrols during the invasion of the Philippines at Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
and Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
, and in the operations at Okinawa. During her six months in the war zone, her medical staff and crew handled over 1300 dead, critically wounded, and ships' survivors. After the war she was placed under the Atlantic Reserve Fleet but was not decommissioned.
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, and E-PCER-852 operated from that base.
For the next 18 years, the ship continued to do experimental work. By the early 1950s the nature of her test work expanded from infrared gear to include optical communications equipment, sonar apparatus, weather gear, and various other items of hardware. In addition to the Bureau of Ships, she did test work for both the Bureau of Ordnance and the Office of Naval Research. On 15 February 1956, the ship was named USS Brattleboro. She continued her experimental duties for nearly a decade after receiving her name. During that time, her zone of operations also expanded to include the coastal waters along the southeastern United States and thence into the West Indies. On 1 October 1965, Brattleboro was ordered to Philadelphia to begin inactivation. Decommissioned at Philadelphia and struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1965.
Republic of Vietnam Navy
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 1975, together with other South Vietnamese Navy ships and their respective crew.
Philippine Navy
After she was cleaned, repaired and made ready for service, she was formally acquired by the Philippine NavyPhilippine Navy
The Philippine Navy is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, literally, "Sea Force of the Philippines"....
on 5 April 1976. She underwent extensive overhaul and refitting of armaments, and was commissioned into the Philippine Navy
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, literally, "Sea Force of the Philippines"....
as RPS Miguel Malvar (PS-19).
Service with the Philippine Navy
She initially served the Philippine Navy as RPS Miguel Malvar (PS-19) until she was renamed to BRP Miguel Malvar effective 23 June 1980. Between 1990 and 1992 the Miguel Malvar underwent major overhaul, weapons and radar systems refit, and upgrade of communications gear.She is currently assigned with the Patrol Force of the Philippine Fleet, and is considered as one of the most decorated ship of the Navy.
Notable Operations / Exercises
On August 2011, the Miguel Malvar conducted rescue operations on a distressed vessel in the province of Tawi-TawiTawi-Tawi
Tawi-Tawi is an island province of the Philippines located in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao . The capital of Tawi-Tawi is Bongao. The province is the southernmost of the country sharing sea borders with the Malaysian State of Sabah and the Indonesian East Kalimantan province. To the...
. She rescued around 60 passengers from the wooden-hulled vessel M/L Virginia and towed the said ship to a pier in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi
Bongao, Tawi-Tawi
Bongao is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 58,174 people in 10,146 households.-History:...
.
Technical details
There are slight difference between the BRP Miguel Malvar as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her original configuration was as a rescue patrol craft escort (PCER), while the others are configured as patrol craft escorts (PCE) and minesweepers (Admirable classAdmirable class minesweeper
The Admirable class was the largest and one of the most successful classes of minesweepers the United States Navy ordered during World War II. Typically, the minesweeper detected and removed mines before the rest of the fleet arrived, thereby ensuring safe passage for the larger ships...
).
Armaments
Originally the Miguel Malvar was armed with one 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun, two single Bofors 40 mm gunBofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence...
s, four Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, one Hedgehog
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks.
During its overhaul and refit between 1990 to 1991, the Philippine Navy
Philippine Navy
The Philippine Navy is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, literally, "Sea Force of the Philippines"....
removed her old anti-submarine weapons and systems, and made changes in the armament set-up. Some sources claim the loss of its two Bofors 40mm cannons during the 1990-1991 overhaul and refit period, but photos http://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=14978.0 at of 2002 show the Bofors guns still present. Final armaments fitted to the ship are one Mk.22 3"/50-caliber gun, two single Bofors 40 mm cannons
Bofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence...
, three Mk.10 Oerlikon 20 mm cannons
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
, and four M2 Browning 12.7 mm/50 caliber machine guns. This made the ship lighter and ideal for surface patrols, but losing her limited anti-submarine warfare capability.
Electronics
Also during the refit the ship's SPS-21D surface search radar and RCARCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
SPN-18 navigation radar was replaced by a Raytheon
Raytheon
Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
AN/SPS-64(V)11 surface search and navigation radar system. Later modifications included the installation of a satellite communications system and GPS system standard to all Philippine Navy ships.
Machinery
The ship is powered by two GM 12-278A diesel engines with a combined rating of around 2200 bhp driving two propellerPropeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
s. The main engines can propel the 914 tons (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around 16 knots (31 km/h).