.gif)
BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-8)
Encyclopedia
The BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-8) was an Andres Bonifacio class
frigate
of the Philippine Navy
in commission from 1977 to 1990. She was one of six ex-United States Navy
Barnegat-class
seaplane tender
s/ex-United States Coast Guard
Casco-class
high endurance cutter
s received from the United States
after the Vietnam War
, two of which were acquired to supply spare parts for the other four. She and her three commissioned sister ships were the largest Philippine Navy combat ships of their time.
_2.jpg)
Gregorio del Pilar was laid down in the United States
by Lake Washington Shipyard
at Houghton
, Washington, as the Barnegat class small seaplane tender
USS Wachapreague (AVP-56), but was converted prior to completion into the motor torpedo boat tender
USS Wachapreague (AGP-8)
. Commissioned
into the U.S. Navy in May 1944, she served during World War II
in the New Guinea campaign
, the Philippines campaign
, and the campaign
in Borneo
, and performed postwar service in Borneo. She was decommissioned
in May 1946.
.jpg)
In 1946, the U.S. Navy transferred Wachapreague to the United States Coast Guard
, which commissioned her as the Coast Guard cutter
USCGC McCulloch (WAVP-386)
. Reclassified as a high endurance cutter and redesignated WHEC-386 in 1966, McCulloch served for nearly 26 years, on patrol in ocean stations in the North Atlantic Ocean, reporting weather
data and engaging in search-and-rescue and law-enforcement
activities.
in 1972, she was commissioned as the patrol vessel RVNS Ngo Quyen (HQ-17)
. When South Vietnam collapsed at the end of the Vietnam War in late April 1975, Tran Binh Trong fled to Subic Bay
in the Philippines
, packed with South Vietnamese refugee
s. On 22 May 1975 and 23 May 1975, a U.S. Coast Guard team inspected Ngo Quyen and five of her sister ships, which also had 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."
RPS Gregorio del Pilar (PF-8), on 7 February 1977. On June 1980, she was renamed BRP Gregorio del Pilar, and served in the Philippine Navy until she was decommissioned in June 1985. She was again recommissioned afterwards as BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-12), and due to the ship's poor condition she was finally decommissioned on April 1990.
Gregorio del Pilar was discarded on July 1990 and probably sold as scrap.
. 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-inch/38-caliber (127 mm) gun was Andres Bonifacios 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 type, capable of both antisurface and antiair warfare. She also carried a two twin Mk. 1 Bofors
40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns and two single Mk.3 Bofors
40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns, four twin 20mm Oerlikon
cannons, four M2 Browning .50-caliber
(12.7-mm) general-purpose machine gun
s, and two 81mm mortars.
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.
Hatch and Kirk, Inc, added a helicopter
deck aft in 1979. Although the ship had no permanently assigned aircraft and could provide no servicing for visiting helicopters, the helicopter deck could accommodate a visiting MBB Bo 105C helicopter, used by the Philippine Navy for utility, scout, and maritime patrol purposes.
The ship 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-displacement
-ton
(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 upgrade the entire ship class with new radar
systems and the BGM-84 Harpoon
long-range anti-ship cruise missile
, but this did not materialize due to the worsening political and economic crisis in the Republic of 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 1977 to 1990. She was one of six ex-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:...
s/ex-United States Coast Guard
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...
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...
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...
s received from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after 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...
, two of which were acquired to supply spare parts for the other four. She and her three commissioned sister ships were the largest Philippine Navy combat 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 Barnegat class small 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 Wachapreague (AVP-56), but was converted prior to completion into the motor torpedo boat tender
Motor torpedo boat tender
Motor torpedo boat tender is a type of ship used by the U.S. Navy during World War II. The Motor torpedo boat tender's task was to act as a tender in remote areas for patrol boats and to provide the necessary fuel and provisions for the torpedo boats she was responsible for...
USS Wachapreague (AGP-8)
USS Wachapreague (AGP-8)
USS Wachapreague was a motor torpedo boat tender that served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946.-Construction and deployment:...
. 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...
into the U.S. Navy in May 1944, she served 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...
in the New Guinea campaign
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
, the Philippines campaign
Philippines campaign
Philippines campaign may refer to various military campaigns that have been fought in the Philippine Islands, including:-Spanish colonial period :...
, and the campaign
Military campaign
In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
in Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, and performed postwar service in Borneo. She was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
in May 1946.
United States Coast Guard service 1946-1972
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 as the 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 McCulloch (WAVP-386)
USCGC McCulloch (WAVP-386)
USCGC McCullough , later WHEC-386, was a Casco-class United States Coast Guard Cutter in service from 1946 to 1972. She was the fourth ship of the United States Revenue Cutter Service or United States Coast Guard to bear the name....
. Reclassified as a high endurance cutter and redesignated WHEC-386 in 1966, McCulloch served for nearly 26 years, on patrol in ocean stations in the North Atlantic Ocean, 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...
activities.
Republic of Vietnam Navy service 1972-1975
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 1972, she was commissioned as the patrol vessel RVNS Ngo Quyen (HQ-17)
RVNS Ngo Quyen (HQ-17)
RVNS Ngo Quyen was a South Vietnamese frigate of the Republic of Vietnam Navy in commission from 1972 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 late April 1975, Tran Binh Trong 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. On 22 May 1975 and 23 May 1975, a U.S. Coast Guard team inspected Ngo Quyen and five of her sister ships, which also had 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."
Philippine Navy service 1977-1990
After Ngo Quyen had been cleaned and repaired, the United States formally transferred her to the Republic of the Philippines on 5 April 1976, and was commissioned into the Philippine Navy as frigateFrigate
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"...
RPS Gregorio del Pilar (PF-8), on 7 February 1977. On June 1980, she was renamed BRP Gregorio del Pilar, and served in the Philippine Navy until she was decommissioned in June 1985. She was again recommissioned afterwards as BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-12), and due to the ship's poor condition she was finally decommissioned on April 1990.
Gregorio del Pilar was discarded on July 1990 and probably sold as scrap.
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-inch/38-caliber (127 mm) gun was Andres Bonifacios 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 type, capable of both antisurface and antiair warfare. She also carried a two twin Mk. 1 Bofors
Bofors
The name Bofors has been associated with the iron industry for more than 350 years.Located in Karlskoga, Sweden, the company originates from the hammer mill "Boofors" founded 1646. The modern corporate structure was created in 1873 with the foundation of Aktiebolaget Bofors-Gullspång...
40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns and two single Mk.3 Bofors
Bofors
The name Bofors has been associated with the iron industry for more than 350 years.Located in Karlskoga, Sweden, the company originates from the hammer mill "Boofors" founded 1646. The modern corporate structure was created in 1873 with the foundation of Aktiebolaget Bofors-Gullspång...
40mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns, four twin 20mm Oerlikon
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...
cannons, 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-mm) general-purpose machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
s, and two 81mm mortars.
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.
Hatch and Kirk, Inc, added a 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...
deck aft in 1979. Although the ship had no permanently assigned aircraft and could provide no servicing for visiting helicopters, the helicopter deck could accommodate a visiting MBB Bo 105C helicopter, used by the Philippine Navy for utility, scout, and maritime patrol purposes.
The ship 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-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...
-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...
(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 upgrade the entire ship class with new radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
systems and the 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...
long-range 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...
, but this did not materialize due to the worsening political and economic crisis in the Republic of the Philippines in the mid-1980s.
External Links
- Philippine Navy Official website
- Philippine Fleet Official Website
- Philippine Defense Forum
- Hazegray World Navies Today: Philippines
- Naming and Code Designation of PN Ships
- NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive: USS Wachapreague AVP-56 / AGP-8 USCGC McCulloch WAVP-386 / WHEC-386
- 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 Wachapreague (AGP-8, originally AVP-56), 1944-1946
- The Inventory of VNNs Battle Ships
- The Inventory of VNNs Battle Ships Part 2
- 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 1980-198`. New York: Janes Publishing Inc., 1980. ISBN 0-531-03937-4.