Miguel Malvar-class corvette

Miguel Malvar-class corvette
BRP Cebu (PS-28)
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 Navy
Succeeded by:	Rizal-class corvette
Active:	6
Lost:	1
Retired:	4
General characteristics
Class & 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 × GM 12-278A diesel engines Auxiliary: 2 × GM 6-71 diesel engines with 100 kW gen and 1 × GM 3-268A diesel engine with 60 kW gen
Speed:	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
Armament:	1 × 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 × 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 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 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)

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"/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.

The same configuration applied 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 installed, making it lighter and more suited for surface patrols, but losing its limited anti-submarine warfare capability.

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).

Ships in Class

Bow number	Ship name	Launched	Commissioned	Service	Status
PS-18	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	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 9 December 2010 [1]. Sold for scrap while her equipment stripped as spare part.
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 9 December 2010 [2]. Sold for scrap while her equipment stripped as spare part.
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	RPS Samar	20 November 1943	24 May 1948	Philippine Navy Patrol Force	Fate unknown, probably retired

Gallery

BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19)

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.

External links

• Philippine Navy Official website
• Philippine Fleet Official Website
• Philippine Defense Forum
• Opus224's Unofficial Philippine Defense Page

See also

• Philippine Navy