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BRP Diego Silang (PF-9)
Encyclopedia
BRP Diego Silang (PF-9) was an Andres Bonifacio class
frigate
of the Philippine Navy
in commission from 1976 to 1990. She and her three sister ships were the largest Philippine Navy ships of their time.
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Diego Silang was built in the United States
by Lake Washington Shipyard
at Houghton
, Washington, as the United States Navy
Barnegat-class
seaplane tender
USS Bering Strait (AVP-34)
. Commissioned
in July 1944, Bering Strait served in the Central Pacific during World War II
and on occupation duty in Japan
postwar. She was decommissioned in June 1946 and placed in reserve.
.jpg)
The U.S. Navy loaned Bering Strait to the United States Coast Guard
, which commissioned her in 1949 as the Casco-class
Coast Guard cutter
USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-382)
. Reclassified as a high endurance cutter
and redesignated WHEC-382 in 1966, she patrolled ocean stations in the Pacific Ocean
, for nearly 22 years, reporting weather
data and engaging in search-and-rescue and law-enforcement
operations. During the Vietnam War
, she served two tours off Vietnam
, in 1967-1968 and in 1970.
in 1971 and was commissioned into the Republic of Vietnam Navy
as the frigate
RVNS Tran Quang Khai (HQ-02)
. When South Vietnam collapsed at the end of the Vietnam War in April 1975, Tran Quang Khai fled to Subic Bay
in the Philippines
, packed with South Vietnamese refugee
s.
frigate RPS Diego Silang (PF-9). On June 1980 she was reclassified and renamed as BRP Diego Silang (PF-9), and served the Philippine Navy until her decommissioning on June 1985. She was again recommissioned afterwards as BRP Diego Silang (PF-14) and was finally decommissioned on April 1990.
.
. The ships were passed to the Philippine Navy with fewer weapons on-board and old surface search radars, and these were addressed later on by the Philippine Navy
through modernization programs, including the addition of a helicopter landing pad in 1979.
The single Mk.12 5"/38 caliber gun (127 mm) was Diego Silangs primary weapon. It was mounted in a Mark 30 Mod 0 enclosed base ring and had a range of up to 18200 yards (16,642.1 m) yards; the gun was a dual-purpose weapon, capable of anti-surface and anti-air warfare. She also carried two twin Mk.1 Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft
gun mounts, four Mk. 4 single 20-millimeterOerlikon
anti-aircraft gun mounts, four M2 Browning .50-caliber
(12.7-millimeter) general purpose machine guns, and two 81mm mortars.
A helicopter deck was added aft in 1979 by Hatch and Kirk, Inc. It could accommodate a MBB Bo 105C helicopter
used by the Philippine Navy for utility, scout, and maritime patrol purposes, although the ship had no capability to refuel or otherwise support visiting helicopters.
Radar system installed include the Sperry SPS-53 Surface Search & Navigation Radar replacing the previously installed AN/SPS-29D, while retaining both the AN/SPS-23 Navigation Radar and Mk.26 Mod.1 Fire Control Radar System.
Diego Silang was powered by two Fairbanks-Morse
38D diesel engine
s with a combined power of around 6,200 brake horsepower (4.63 megawatts) driving two propeller
s. The main engines could propel the 1,766-ton
-displacement
(standard load) ship at a maximum speed of around 18 knots (35 km/h). She had a maximum range of 8000 nautical miles (14,816 km) at an economical speed of 15.6 knots (31 km/h).
The Philippine Navy made plans to equip Diego Silang and her sister ships with new radar systems and long-range BGM-84 Harpoon
anti-ship cruise missile
s, but this upgrade did not materialize due to the worsening political and economic crisis in the Philippines in the mid-1980s.
Andres Bonifacio class frigate
The Andres Bonifacio class is a ship class of four frigates that served with the Philippine Navy from 1976 to the mid-1990s. These ships were formerly used by the US Navy as Barnegat-class small seaplane tenders and by the US Coast Guard as Casco class weather heavy endurance cutters...
frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
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"....
in commission from 1976 to 1990. She and her three sister ships were the largest Philippine Navy ships of their time.
Construction and United States Navy service 1944-1946
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Lake Washington Shipyard
Lake Washington Shipyard
Lake Washington Shipyards was a shipyard in Houghton, Washington on the shore of Lake Washington. Today the shipyards are the site of the lakeside Carillon Point business park...
at Houghton
Houghton, Washington
Houghton is one of the lakeside neighborhoods of the city of Kirkland, Washington. Consisting mostly of upscale, single-family homes, Houghton overlooks Lake Washington and is one of the wealthier districts of the Eastside suburbs of Seattle. The village was named for Willard Houghton, a local...
, Washington, as 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...
Barnegat-class
Barnegat class seaplane tender
|The Barnegat class was a large class of United States Navy small seaplane tenders built during World War II. Thirty were completed as seaplane tenders, four as motor torpedo boat tenders, and one as a catapult training ship.-Design:...
seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
USS Bering Strait (AVP-34)
USS Bering Strait (AVP-34)
USS Bering Strait was a United States Navy Barnegat-class small seaplane tender in commission from 1944 to 1946. She tended seaplanes during World War II in the Pacific in combat areas and earned three battle stars by war’s end....
. Commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
in July 1944, Bering Strait served in the Central Pacific 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...
and on occupation duty in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
postwar. She was decommissioned in June 1946 and placed in reserve.
United States Coast Guard service 1949-1971
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, which commissioned her in 1949 as the Casco-class
Casco class cutter
The Casco class was a large class of United States Coast Guard cutters in commission from the late 1940s through the late 1980s. They saw service as weather reporting ships in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans until the early 1970s, and some saw combat service during the Vietnam War.-Design:Between...
Coast Guard cutter
United States Coast Guard Cutter
Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...
USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-382)
USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-382)
USCGC Bering Strait , later WHEC-382, was a Casco-class United States Coast Guard cutter in service from 1948 to 1971.-Construction and U.S. Navy service:...
. Reclassified as a high endurance cutter
High endurance cutter
The designation of High endurance cutter was created in 1965 when the United States Coast Guard adopted its own designation system. High endurance cutters encompassed its largest cutters previously designated by the United States Navy as Coast Guard gunboats , Coast Guard destroyer escorts , and...
and redesignated WHEC-382 in 1966, she patrolled ocean stations in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, for nearly 22 years, reporting weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
data and engaging in search-and-rescue and law-enforcement
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
operations. During the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, she served two tours off Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, in 1967-1968 and in 1970.
Republic of Vietnam Navy service 1971-1975
Bering Strait was transferred to South VietnamSouth 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...
in 1971 and was commissioned into 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 the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
RVNS Tran Quang Khai (HQ-02)
RVNS Tran Quang Khai (HQ-02)
RVNS Tran Quang Khai was a South Vietnamese frigate of the Republic of Vietnam Navy in commission from 1971 to 1975. She and her six sister ships were the largest South Vietnamese naval ships of their time....
. When South Vietnam collapsed at the end of the Vietnam War in April 1975, Tran Quang Khai fled to Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
in 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...
, packed with South Vietnamese refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s.
Acquisition by the Philippines
On 22 May 1975 and 23 May 1975, a U.S. Coast Guard team inspected Tran Quang Khai and several other former Casco-class cutters which had been transferred to South Vietnam in 1971 and 1972 and, like Tran Quang Khai , fled to the Philippines in April 1975. One of the inspectors noted: "These vessels brought in several hundred refugees and are generally rat-infested. They are in a filthy, deplorable condition. Below decks generally would compare with a garbage scow." After Tran Quang Khai was cleaned, repaired, and made ready to return to service, the U.S. Navy transferred her to the Republic of the Philippines, with the formal transfer occurring on 5 April 1976.Philippine Navy service 1977-1990
The ship was acquired by the Philippine government on 5 April 1976, and was commissioned as 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"....
frigate RPS Diego Silang (PF-9). On June 1980 she was reclassified and renamed as BRP Diego Silang (PF-9), and served the Philippine Navy until her decommissioning on June 1985. She was again recommissioned afterwards as BRP Diego Silang (PF-14) and was finally decommissioned on April 1990.
Disposal
After finding her beyond economical repair, Diego Silang was discarded in July 1990 and probably scrapped. Some of her usable parts were made available for her sister ship BRP Andres Bonifacio (PF-7)BRP Andres Bonifacio (PF-7)
BRP Andres Bonifacio was a Philippine Navy frigate in commission from 1976 to 1985. She was one of six ex-United States Navy Barnegat-class small seaplane tenders/ex-United States Coast Guard Casco-class high endurance cutters received from the United States after the Vietnam War, two of which...
.
Technical details
There were changes made to the Andres Bonifacio class as compared to their original design during its service with the US Navy, US Coast Guard and the Republic of Vietnam NavyRepublic 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...
. The ships were passed to the Philippine Navy with fewer weapons on-board and old surface search radars, and these were addressed later on by 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"....
through modernization programs, including the addition of a helicopter landing pad in 1979.
The single Mk.12 5"/38 caliber gun (127 mm) was Diego Silangs primary weapon. It was mounted in a Mark 30 Mod 0 enclosed base ring and had a range of up to 18200 yards (16,642.1 m) yards; the gun was a dual-purpose weapon, capable of anti-surface and anti-air warfare. She also carried two twin Mk.1 Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft
Bofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence...
gun mounts, four Mk. 4 single 20-millimeterOerlikon
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...
anti-aircraft gun mounts, four M2 Browning .50-caliber
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
(12.7-millimeter) general purpose machine guns, and two 81mm mortars.
A helicopter deck was added aft in 1979 by Hatch and Kirk, Inc. It could accommodate a MBB Bo 105C helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
used by the Philippine Navy for utility, scout, and maritime patrol purposes, although the ship had no capability to refuel or otherwise support visiting helicopters.
Radar system installed include the Sperry SPS-53 Surface Search & Navigation Radar replacing the previously installed AN/SPS-29D, while retaining both the AN/SPS-23 Navigation Radar and Mk.26 Mod.1 Fire Control Radar System.
Diego Silang was powered by two Fairbanks-Morse
Fairbanks-Morse
Fairbanks Morse and Company was a manufacturing company in the late 19th and early 20th century. Originally a weighing scale manufacturer, it later diversified into pumps, engines, windmills, locomotives and industrial supplies until it was merged in 1958...
38D diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s with a combined power of around 6,200 brake horsepower (4.63 megawatts) 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 could propel the 1,766-ton
Ton
The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...
-displacement
Displacement (ship)
A ship's displacement is its weight at any given time, generally expressed in metric tons or long tons. The term is often used to mean the ship's weight when it is loaded to its maximum capacity. A number of synonymous terms exist for this maximum weight, such as loaded displacement, full load...
(standard load) ship at a maximum speed of around 18 knots (35 km/h). She had a maximum range of 8000 nautical miles (14,816 km) at an economical speed of 15.6 knots (31 km/h).
The Philippine Navy made plans to equip Diego Silang and her sister ships with new radar systems and long-range BGM-84 Harpoon
Boeing Harpoon
The Harpoon is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile system, developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas . In 2004, Boeing delivered the 7,000th Harpoon unit since the weapon's introduction in 1977...
anti-ship cruise missile
Cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
s, but this upgrade did not materialize due to the worsening political and economic crisis in the Philippines in the mid-1980s.
External links
- Philippine Navy Official website
- Philippine Fleet Official Website
- Philippine Defense Forum
- NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive: USCGC Bering Strait (WHEC-383) ex USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-383) (1948 - 1966) USS Bering Strait (AVP-43 (1944 - 1948)
- Hazegray World Navies Today: Philippines
- Naming and Code Designation of PN Ships
- United States Coast Guard Historians Office: Bering Strait, 1948 WAVP / WHEC-382 Radio Call Sign: NBYG
- U.S. Coast Guard Historians Office: McCulloch, 1946 WAVP / WHEC-386
- Department of the Navy: Naval Historical Center: Online Library of Selected Images: U.S. Navy Ships: USS Bering Strait (AVP-34), 1944-1948
- Gray, Randal, Ed. Conways All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1947-1982 Part II: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1983. ISBN 0-87021-919-7.
- Moore, John, Captain, RN, Ed. Janes Fighting Ships 1980-1981. New York: Janes Publishing, Inc., 1980. ISBN 0-531-03937-4.