.gif)
BRP Datu Marikudo (PS-23)
Encyclopedia
BRP Datu Marikudo (PS-23) was a 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)-853, 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 renamed USS Amherst (PCE(R)-853) on 15 February 1956. In February 1970, Amherst was decommissioned and transferred to South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
for service in the Republic of Vietnam Navy
Republic of Vietnam Navy
The Republic of Vietnam Navy was the naval force of the former Republic of Vietnam from 1955 to 1975. The early fleet consisted of boats from France. After 1955 and the transfer of the armed forces to Vietnamese control, the fleet was supplied from the United States...
as RVNS Van Kiep II (HQ-14). She remained in South Vietnamese service until the collapse of that country in 1975. Van Kiep II was one of several ships that fled from South Vietnam to the Philippines. She was then commissioned into the Philippine Navy in 05 April 1976 and named in honor of Datu Marikudo. Along with other World War II-era ships of the Philippine Navy, Datu Marikudo was considered as one of the oldest active fighting ships in the world until her decommissioning.
History
PCER-853 entered the Navy yard in Hawaii and was still undergoing overhaul when Japan capitulated. In September 1945, the vessel steamed to the east coast of the United States and was placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Green Cove Springs, Fla.
She was then transferred to the Republic of Vietnam on 1970. She served the Vietnamese Navy as Van Kiep II (HQ-14) up until her escape to the Philippines
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.
She 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"....
and was renamed RPS (now BRP) Datu Marikudo (PS-23). Her last assignment was with the Patrol Force of the Philippine Fleet, She was programmed to have major repair as of 2007, but on 09 December 2010 she was decommissioned after she was found to be beyond economical repair and will be sold as scrap. Her equipments was stipped as spare for her operational sisterships.
Technical details
Originally the ship was armed with one 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun, two single Bofors 40 mm guns, six 20 mm guns, 1 Hedgehog depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks.The same configuration applies up until the late 1980s when 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 most of her old anti-submarine weapons and systems, and instead mounted one 40 mm gun mount, four 20 mm Oerlikon Mk10 guns, and four 12.7 mm general purpose machine guns. This made her lighter and ideal for surface patrols, but losing her limited but dated anti-submarine warfare capability.
The ship is powered by two GM 12-278A diesel engines similar to her sister ships, with a combined rating of around 2200 bhp driving two propeller
Propeller
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).
There are slight difference between the BRP Datu Marikudo as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her previous configuration was as a patrol craft escort, while there are others who were originally configured as minesweepers.