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BRP Magat Salamat

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History
Philippines
NameMagat Salamat
NamesakeMagat Salamat is the Datu of Tondo in the late 16th century, and is one of the sons of Rajah Lakandula, a native ruler of Tondok (a large part of which is now Tondo, Manila) when the Spanish colonization of the Philippines began.
OperatorPhilippine Navy
Acquired5 April 1976
Commissioned7 February 1977[1]
ReclassifiedPatrol Corvette
StatusIn service with the Philippine Navy.
South Vietnam
NameChi Lăng II
OperatorRepublic of Vietnam Navy
Acquired17 April 1962
Out of service1975
FateEscaped to the Philippines in 1975 after the fall of South Vietnam.
United States
NameGayety
Ordered1942
BuilderWinslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding
Laid down14 November 1943
Launched19 March 1944
Commissioned23 September 1945
Decommissioned1 March 1954
RenamedUSS Gayety (MSF-239)
ReclassifiedFleet Minesweeper
FateTransferred to Republic of Vietnam Navy on 17 April 1962.
General characteristics
Class and typeTemplate:Sclass- (in Philippine Navy service)
TypePatrol Corvette
Displacement914 Tons (Full Load)
Length184.5 ft (56.2 m)
Beam33 ft (10 m)
Draft9.75 ft (2.97 m)
Installed power2,200 hp (1,600 kW)
Propulsion
  • Main: 2 × GM 12-278A diesel engines
  • Auxiliary: 2 × GM 6-71 diesel engines with 100KW gen and 1 × GM 3-268A diesel engine with 60KW gen
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) (maximum),
Range6,600 nmi (12,200 km; 7,600 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Complement85
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 Surface Search / Navigation Radar[2]
  • Furuno Navigation Radar
Armament

The BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) is one of several Miguel Malvar class of Patrol Corvettes in service with the Philippine Navy. She was originally built as the USS Gayety (AM-239), an Admirable-class minesweeper with a similar hull to the Template:Sclass- produced during World War II. Along with other ex-World War II veteran ships of the Philippine Navy, she is considered as one of the oldest active fighting ships in the world today.[3]

History

US Navy

Commissioned in the US Navy as the USS Gayety (AM-239) in 1945, she was assigned in the Pacific theatre of operations, specifically around the Japanese home islands providing minefield sweeping and anti-submarine warfare patrols in the Ryukyus and off Okinawa. She suffered a near-miss from a 500-pound bomb and was damaged, although she was quickly put back to fighting shape. After the war she was decommissioned on June 1946 and placed under the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

Gayety was recommissioned on 11 May 1951 as a training ship, and was again decommissioned on 1 March 1954, and re-entered Atlantic Reserve Fleet. As part of the reserves, she was reclassified as MSF-239 on 7 February 1955.[4][5]

Republic of Vietnam Navy

She was then transferred to the Republic of Vietnam on 17 April 1962. She served the Vietnamese Navy as RVN Chi Lăng II (HQ-08) up until her escape to the Philippines in 1975, together with other South Vietnamese Navy ships and their respective crew.[5][6]

Philippine Navy

She was formally acquired by the Philippine Navy on 5 April 1976, and was commissioned into the Philippine Navy on 7 February 1977 and was renamed RPS Magat Salamat (PS-20).[1] She was renamed to BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) in June 1980 using a new localized prefix.[7]

Between 1996 and 1997 the Magat Salamat underwent major overhaul, weapons and radar systems refit, and upgrade of communications gear.[8]

She is currently assigned with the Patrol Force of the Philippine Fleet,[9] under the jurisdiction of Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao.[10]

Notable Deployments / Exercises

On February 2011, the Magat Salamat, together with BRP Felix Apolinario (PG-395), BRP Teotimo Figuracion (PG-389), and other Philippine Navy ships and units participated in Exercise PAGSISIKAP 2011 held in Davao Gulf.[10]

The Magat Salamat will be one of the participating ships in the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2012 - Philippines exercises from 2 July to 10 July 2012.[11]

Technical details

There are slight difference between the BRP Magat Salamat as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her previous configuration was as a minesweeper (Admirable class) while the others are configured as rescue patrol craft escort (PCER) and patrol craft escort (PCE) ships.[2]

Armaments

Originally the ship was armed with one 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun, one twin Bofors 40 mm guns, six single 20 mm gun mounts, one Hedgehog depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks.[5] Changes were made during its transfer to the South Vietnamese Navy, as it appears in photos show the removal of her anti-submarine weapons, removal of two Oerlikon 20 mm guns, and addition of single Bofors 40 mm guns.[5] 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 in 1975 up until around 1996-1997.

During its overhaul and refit between 1996 to 1997,[8] the Philippine Navy made some changes in the armament set-up. Some sources claim the loss of its Bofors 40mm cannons during the 1990-1991 overhaul and refit period,[2] but photos [1] at of 2011 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 (aft), four Mk.10 Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (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).[2]

Electronics

Also during the refit the ship's Sperry SPS-53A surface search radar and RCA SPN-18 navigation radar[8] was replaced by a Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 surface search and navigation radar system.[2] Later modifications included the installation of an additional Furuno navigation radar [2], long range and satellite communications system, and GPS system standard to all Philippine Navy ships.

Machinery

The ship is originally powered by two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, but was replaced by two GM 12-567ATL diesel engines, then later by two GM 12-278A diesel engines, with a combined rating of around 2,200 bhp (1,600 kW) driving two propellers. The main engines can propel the 914 tons (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around 16 knots (30 km/h).[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "6 new ships boost RP navy fleet". Philippine Daily Express. 8 February 1977. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e GlobalSecurity.org PS Miguel Malvar Class
  3. ^ Armed Forces of the Philippines Order of Battle. Philippine Navy
  4. ^ Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Gayety page.
  5. ^ a b c d NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive. Gayety (MSF 239) ex-AM-239.
  6. ^ VMAF MAMN. The Inventory of VNN's Battle Ships
  7. ^ Philippine Navy Information Manual 1995 - Adoption of Pilipino Translation of "Bapor ng Republika ng Pilipinas"
  8. ^ a b c Saunders, Stephen: Jane's Fighting Ships 107th Edition 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Ltd, 2004.
  9. ^ Philippine Fleet Official Website. Commissioned Ships and Crafts
  10. ^ a b "Fleet-Marine assets see action in Exercise Pagsisikap 2011" (PDF). Philippine Navy Navy Today Vol.003-11 No.2. February 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  11. ^ "Philippine, US naval exercises slated in Mindanao Sea". Inquirer.net. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  12. ^ DLSU N-ROTC Office. Naming and Code Designation of PN Vessels.

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