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BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22)
Encyclopedia
BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22) is 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-881, 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 on April 1976, and was commissioned later on as RPS Sultan Kudarat (PS-22). The ship is . Along with other World War II-era ships of the Philippine Navy, Sultan Kudarat is considered as one of the oldest active fighting ships in the world today.
History
Commissioned in the US Navy as USS PCE-895 in 1944, she was renamed USS Crestview (PCE-895) on 15 February 1956.She was then transferred to the Republic of Vietnam on 29 November 1961. She served the Vietnamese Navy as RVNS Dong Da II (HQ-07) 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 formally acquired by the Philippine Navy on 5 April 1976 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"....
on 27 July 1976 and was renamed RPS Sultan Kudarat (PS-22). She was renamed to BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22) in June 1980 using a new localized prefix.
Between 1990 and 1991 the Sultan Kudarat 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.
Technical details
There are slight difference between the BRP Sultan Kudarat as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her previous configuration was as a as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her previous configuration was as a patrol craft escort (PCE), while the others are configured as rescue patrol craft escort (PCER) 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...
) ships.
Armaments
Originally the ship was armed with one Mk.26 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun, three single Bofors 40 mm guns, one Hedgehog depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks. Changes were made during its transfer to the South Vietnamese Navy, as it appears in photos show the removal of her anti-submarine weapons, and addition of four Mk.10 Oerlikon 20 mm gunsOerlikon 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...
. This made the ship lighter and ideal for surface patrols, but losing her limited anti-submarine warfare capability. The same configuration applies when she was transferred to 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"....
up until around 1990-1991.
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"....
made some changes in the armament set-up. Some sources claim the loss of its three Bofors 40mm cannons during the 1990-1991 overhaul and refit period, but photos http://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=15933.15 at of 2009 show the Bofors guns still present. Final armaments fitted to the ship are one Mk.26 3"/50-caliber gun (fore), three 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...
(aft), four 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...
(2 each on bridge wings), and four M2 Browning 12.7 mm/50 caliber machine guns (2 besides main bridge, 2 aft near the lower Bofors gun tub).
Electronics
Also during the refit the ship's 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...
CRM-NIA-75 surface search radar and RCA
RCA
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 an additional Furuno
Furuno
The Furuno Electric Company was founded in Nagasaki, Japan in 1938. The company sells marine electronics and has subsidiaries in the USA, Europe and China.-1940s:...
navigation radarhttp://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=15933.15, long range and 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).
Recent photoshttp://www.timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=15933.15 show that air-conditioning was also installed on the Sultan Kudarat.