The BRP ''Datu Sikatuna'' (PF-5) was one of the three ex-USN s that served with the

Philippine Navy The Philippine Navy (PN) ( tgl, Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas, , Sea Army of the Philippines) ( es, Armada de Filipinas, , Ejército del Mar de las Filipinas) is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has an e ...

, the others being and .

History

Commissioned in the US Navy as the in 1943, she was mostly assigned at the Atlantic theatre doing escort duties for transatlantic convoys. She served in the Pacific theatre in the middle of 1945, and received the unconditional surrender of all Japanese forces in the northern Palaus, which was received by the Americans in the wardroom on board ''Amick'' in September 1945. ''Amick'' was reassigned back to the Atlantic Fleet in December 1945 and remained in semi-active status until her decommissioning in May 1947.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

She was transferred to the Japanese government as JDS ''Asahi'' (DE-262) on 14 June 1955. Together with her sistership JDS ''Hatsuhi'' (DE-263), they became one of the first warships of the newly organized

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

. As newer ships became available to the JMSDF, both ships were decommissioned and returned to the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

in June 1975.''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'
"''Amick''" page

Philippine Navy

Remained laid-up in Japan, she was transferred to the Philippine government on 13 September 1976 and was sold as Excess Defense Article on 23 December 1978. As a

ship, she was named RPS ''Datu Sikatuna'' (PS-77), and was towed to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

for an extensive refit in 1979. During this period

also turned over 2 of their own ex-USN ''Cannon'' class ships to the US Navy in 1977, namely the ''Kyong Ki'' (DE-71) / USS ''Muir'' (DE-770) and ''Kang Won'' (DE-72) / USS ''Sutton'' (DE-771). These were also turned-over by the US to the Philippine government, which were later on cannibalized for use as parts hulk to upgrade and repair the ''Datu Sikatuna'' and her sistership ''Rajah Humabon'', and provide both ships with additional guns and improve her machinery. With these upgrades, she was formally commissioned to the

in 1980, and formed the backbone of the Philippine Fleet together with 2 of her sister ships and other ex-US Navy destroyer escorts. She was reclassified as BRP ''Datu Sikatuna'' (PF-5) in July 1980, now using the "BRP" ship naming standard and carrying a "

Frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

" classification, and served until 1989, when she was decommissioned and scrapped.Wertheim, Eric: ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 15th Edition'', page 550. Naval Institute Press, 2007. She became a parts hulk for the remaining ship of her class, the BRP ''Rajah Humabon'' (PF-11).

References

External links

Philippine Navy Official website

Philippine Defense Forum

Naming and Code Designation of PN Ships
{{DEFAULTSORT:Datu Sikatuna (PF-5) Datu Kalantiaw-class frigates Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1943 ships