BRP Quezon (PS-70)

History
United States
Name: Vigilance
Ordered: 1942
Builder: Associated Shipbuilding Corp.
Laid down: 28 November 1942 as HMS Exploit (BAM-24)
Launched: 5 April 1943
Commissioned: 28 February 1944
Decommissioned: 30 January 1947
Struck: 1 December 1966
Fate: Transferred to Philippine Navy in 1967.
History
Philippines
Name: Quezon
Namesake: Manuel L. Quezon (1878 - 1944) was the first Filipino president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines under U.S. occupation rule in the early period of the 20th century.
Operator: Philippine Navy
Commissioned: 19 August 1967
Status: in active service
General characteristics
Class and type: Rizal class
Type: Patrol Corvette
Displacement: 890 tons standard, 1,250 tons full load
Length: 221.67 ft (67.57 m)
Beam: 32.67 ft (9.96 m)
Draft: 10.75 ft (3.28 m)
Installed power: 5,800 shp (4,300 kW)
Propulsion: 2 × EMD 16V-645C Diesel Engines[1]
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) (maximum)[1]
Range: 5,000 mi (4,300 nmi; 8,000 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement: 80
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Raytheon SPS-5C G/H-band Surface Search Radar
  • Raytheon SPS-64(V)11 Radar
  • DAS 3 I-band Navigation Radar
  • SQS-17B hull-mounted Sonar (high frequency)
  • Mk52 GFCS for 3"/50 guns
  • Mk51 GFCS for 40 mm guns[2]
Armament:
  • 2 × 3"/50 caliber gun Mk.22 dual purpose guns
  • 2 × Mk.1 Mod2 Twin 60 caliber Bofors 40 mm gun
  • 2 × Twin Oerlikon 20 mm 70 caliber guns
  • 4 × M2 Browning 12.7mm 50 caliber heavy machine guns

The BRP Quezon (PS-70) is one of two Rizal class ships in service with the Philippine Navy. She was formerly a USN Auk class minesweeper produced during World War II, and is now classified as a patrol corvette protecting the vast waters of the Philippines. 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

USS Vigilance (AM-324) was originally laid down for the Royal Navy under the lend-lease program as HMS Exploit (BAM-24). However the United States Navy decided to keep the ship and renamed her Vigilance (AM-324) on 23 January 1943.

as USS Vigilance circa 1946

Commissioned in the US Navy in 1944, her first duties included screening of transport convoys between Pearl Harbor and the Marshall Islands and local escort duties between Guam, Peleliu, and Ulithiat. She also did minesweeping duties and anti-submarine patrols near Okinawa, was able to assist in anti-aircraft duties with other vessels, and assisting in firefighting and treatment of wounded from USS Whitehurst (DE-634) and USS England (DE-635). She was able to shoot a number of attacking Japanese aircraft during this period. She continued on minesweeping and patrol duties in Leyte, Philippine Islands, and in the Japanese home islands before and after Japan surrendered. With her service during World War II, she was awarded with three battle stars.[4]

She was then transferred to the Philippines on 19 August 1967 and was commissioned to the Philippine Navy as the RPS (now BRP) Quezon (PS-70), and together with her sister ship, was one of the Navy's main warships during the 1960s up to the present.[5]

She was stricken from the navy in late 1994, but was overhauled at the Cavite Naval Dockyard and returned to service in 1995. Some of her weapons were also removed, mainly its anti-submarine equipment due to lack of spare parts. This includes the five Mk6 depth charge projectors and two depth charge racks. This move totally removed her anti-submarine warfare capabilities, which were outdated. Quezon completed a rehabilitation overhaul in April 1996 by Hatch & Kirk, wherein she was fitted with a remanufactured EMD 645C diesel engines, rehabilitation works, and equipping the ship with state-of-the-art safety equipment on deck and engine room with all digital control panels.[1] Recent upgrades includes a satellite radio dish for communications.[6][7]

Present Status

Her current classification is Patrol Corvette. She is currently assigned to the Patrol Force of the Philippine Navy.[8]

Notable Deployments and Operations

Exercises

On 10 April 2007, Quezon, together with BRP Artemio Ricarte and BRP Bienvenido Salting, took part in a 10-day naval exercises with the Malaysian Navy dubbed "MALPHI LAUT 2007". Malaysian vessels that took part include KD Kedah, KD Laksamana Tan Pusmah, and KD Yu.[9]

On 19–23 July 2011, BRP Quezon together with BRP Bacolod City (LC-550) was part of Amphibious Exercise PAGSISIKAP 2011 held in Manila Bay.[10]

Deployments

BRP Quezon represented the Philippines in the Indonesian Fleet Review and Sail Bunaken 2009 festival, an international sea event held in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.[11]

BRP Quezon together with BRP Dagupan City (LC-551) were sent to Singapore and Malaysia from November to December 2009 for an overseas training cruise for students from the Naval Education and Training Command and the Fleet Training Center, and as part of the Philippine contingent at Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibit (LIMA) in Malaysia.[12]

Gallery

References

  1. 1 2 3 Philippine Panorama - 26 November 1995 Repowering Old Ships To Make Them Good As New by Randy V. Urlanda
  2. ↑ Jane's Fighting Ships 2004-2005
  3. ↑ Armed Forces of the Philippines Order of Battle. Philippine Navy.
  4. ↑ Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Vigilance page.
  5. ↑ NavSource Online Vigilance (MSF 324).
  6. ↑ Jane's Fighting Ships 2002-2003.
  7. ↑ The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 15th Edition - page 550
  8. ↑ Philippine Fleet Official Website. Commissioned ships and crafts.
  9. ↑ Manila Standard Today (11 April 2007). RP, Malaysia Navies start war games.
  10. ↑ "Amphibious EXERCISE PAGSISIKAP 2011". Philippine Navy News. 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  11. ↑ The Jakarta Post (August 16, 2009) 10 Foreign Warships Enter N. Sulawesi
  12. ↑ Navyspeak @ Blogspot Navy Honors Contingent to Malaysian Exhibit

External links


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