The Offshore Patrol (OSP) also known as the Mosquito Fleet was a small naval branch of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, intended for
inshore
A shore or a shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In physical oceanography, a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past a ...
defense of the
Commonwealth of the Philippines
The Commonwealth of the Philippines ( es, Commonwealth de Filipinas or ; tl, Komonwelt ng Pilipinas) was the administrative body that governed the Philippines from 1935 to 1946, aside from a period of exile in the Second World War from 1942 ...
. It was active from February 9, 1939 to June 30, 1946. The OSP became part of the
United States Army Forces in the Far East
United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Estados Unidos sa Malayong Silangan/HKEUMS''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Fuerzas del Ejército de los Estados Unidos en el Lejano Oriente'') ...
(USAFFE) on July 26, 1941, with General
Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
as Commander. During the
Japanese invasion of the Philippines
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
, the Patrol engaged in limited naval operations along the coastlines of
Bataan
Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entir ...
and
Corregidor
Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
, against the tight enemy blockade, to bring much-needed provisions to the beleaguered Filipino and American troops during the
battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
. Undaunted by enemy superiority, the ubiquitous patrol boats fought with zeal, courage and heroism, hitting Japanese warships with torpedoes when given the opportunity. The unit relied on speed and surprise to attack larger vessels at close range.
During the course of the war, the unit was cited for gallantry by General MacArthur for actions against three of nine Japanese dive bombers going to attack shore installations in Bataan.
After World War II, the OSP continued until June 30, 1946, dissolving concurrently with the USAFFE in the lead-up to the
Philippines's independence. The OSP was transformed into the Philippine Naval Patrol (PNP). This small unit was the first independent Philippine naval force that fully understood the doctrine of naval warfare. The OSP's veterans eventually became the nucleus that shaped the beginnings of the modern
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 ...
.
History
The OSP was called for by the
Philippine National Assembly
The National Assembly of the Philippines ( tl, Kapulungáng Pambansâ ng Pilipinas, es, Asamblea Nacional de Filipinas) refers to the legislature of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1941, and of the Second Philippine Republic ...
in its
National Defense Act of 1935
{{Infobox legislation
, long_title = An Act to provide National Defense of the Philippines, penalizing certain violations thereof, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes
, citation Commonwealth Act No. 1, territorial_extent = Philip ...
that Offshore Patrol on 11 January 1936. Its guidelines were defined by Executive Order No. 11 as follows:
"The Off-Shore Patrol shall comprise all marine equipment and personnel acquired by the Philippine Government and assigned either in peace or war to the control of the Chief of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
(PA). It shall have such duties and powers as may be described by the Chief of Staff, PA."
This act called for the creation, by 1946, of a force of thirty-six fast
torpedo boats
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of se ...
(PT) as part of the
Philippine Army
The Philippine Army (PA) ( Tagalog: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas''; in literal English: ''Army of the Ground of the Philippines''; in literal Spanish: ''Ejército de la Tierra de la Filipinas'') is the main, oldest and largest branch of the ...
. These were to be British-designed torpedo boats, with a speed of forty-one knots; they were to be armed with two torpedo tubes and built by British shipbuilders. Only two of the boats were delivered by 1939, at which point the war in Europe curtailed any further supply. By October 1941, a third torpedo boat had been assembled locally. The squadron was attached to
United States Army Forces in the Far East
United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Hukbong Katihan ng Estados Unidos sa Malayong Silangan/HKEUMS''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Fuerzas del Ejército de los Estados Unidos en el Lejano Oriente'') ...
(USAFFE), which had assumed overall control of military forces in the Philippines; and added two additional patrol boats (non-torpedo).
The first commanding OSP officer was Major Rafael Ramos, a
Philippine Nautical School
The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy ( fil, Akademiya sa Bapor Pangkalakalan ng Pilipinas) also referred to by its acronym PMMA) is a maritime higher education institution operated by the Philippine government in San Narciso, Zambales. Student ...
(PNS) graduate known to Philippine President
Manuel L. Quezon
Manuel Luis Quezon y Molina, (; 19 August 1878 – 1 August 1944), also known by his initials MLQ, was a Filipino lawyer, statesman, soldier and politician who served as president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 until his dea ...
on April 15, 1938. Ramos was the first chief to start recruiting OSP personnel. In June 1938, he was relieved by Captain Jose V. Andrada, a
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...
graduate (Class of 1930), who originally assisted Ramos but was determined to be better qualified. Major Ramos was sent to the United States to study at
Quartermaster School
The Quartermaster School (QMS) is a subordinate command of the United States Army's Combined Arms Support Command and is located at Fort Lee, Virginia.
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Description
On a buff lozenge shaped field with rounded points, 2 ...
.
[Alcaraz, Ramon]
"The Untold Saga of the Philippine Army's PT Boats"
Q-Boats: Heroes of the Off-Shore Patrol, Sea Classics, Vol. 36, Issue 7, July 2003, Retrieved February 13, 2016. He was supported by other Annapolis graduates, among them: Lt. Alfredo Pecson (USNA 1933) as Executive Officer, Lt. Rafael Pargas (USNA 1935), and Lt. Marcelo Castillo (USNA 1938). The OSP was later joined by Lt. Enrique L. Jurado (USNA 1934) as Base Commander, and Lt. Carlos Albert (USNA 1938) as instructors.
[Ramos, Fidel V.]
"Enhancing security: The Philippine-American Memorial"
Manila Bulletin, July 12, 2014, Retrieved February 14, 2016.
Shortly after his appointment, Capt. Andrada announced his volunteer recruiting program and began personally interviewing interested candidates. By the end of 1938,
USNA
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is ...
graduates: Lt. Alfredo Peckson (1933), Lt. Marcelo Castillo (1938);
PMA graduates: Lieutenants Nestor Reinoso (1934), Alberto Navarette (1935), Simeon Castro (1935), Juan Maglayan (1937), Alfonso Palencia (1938), Santiago Nuval (1938),
Emilio Liwanag (1938), nine officers, and twenty-five enlisted men had joined the OSP. They were all trained on seamanship, navigation and gunnery in sessions that were conducted with the USNA graduates as instructors at OSP headquarters in Muelle del Codo, Port Area, Manila. On February 9, 1939, the first OSP class graduated; Capt. Andrada marked it as the birth date of the Offshore Patrol.
[
On December 4, 1941, Captain Enrique L. “Henry” Jurado (1911 – Oct. 19, 1944), a ]USNA
The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy is ...
graduate (Class of '34), became the officer-in-command of the OSP, just before the Pearl Harbor attack
The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
.["They were Expendable Too: The Torpedo Boats of the Offshore Patrol"]
The Bataan Campaign, February 17, 2014, Retrieved February 9, 2016. Jurado took over as OSP Commander as Capt. Andrada became Commander of the Coast Artillery Battalion, Fort Wint
Fort Wint was part of the harbor defenses of Manila and Subic Bays built by the Philippine Department of the United States Army between 1907 and 1920 in response to recommendations of the Taft Board prior to the non-fortification clause of the Wa ...
, Corregidor
Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
.[
The OSP was a close-knit unit composed of men in their late teens or twenties, more than sixty men overall. They were divided into two main groups: shore and sea duty.][Jurado, Gene, Page ]
Wartime Coastal Patrol - December 1941
Oroso Family Website, June 24, 2008, Retrieved August 5, 2011.
Offshore Patrol torpedo boat designs
The PT-boats of the Offshore Patrol were to be , with a beam. They were to have three 12-cylinder engines, and a speed of . Their armament was to consist of two 21in (533 mm) torpedo, depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
s, and light antiaircraft guns.[Morton, Louis. The War in the Pacific: Fall of the Philippines. 1953. Washington D.C.: Government Printing House, Retrieved 2012-08-13.]
US Military Advisor to the Commonwealth of the Philippines
The Commonwealth of the Philippines ( es, Commonwealth de Filipinas or ; tl, Komonwelt ng Pilipinas) was the administrative body that governed the Philippines from 1935 to 1946, aside from a period of exile in the Second World War from 1942 ...
General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...
states, "A small fleet of such vessels will have distinct effect in compelling any hostile force to approach cautiously."
Torpedo and patrol boats of the Offshore Patrol
The Offshore Patrol craft were berthed at "Muele del Codo" ( Engineer Island) in Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...
's Port Area.[ During the Japanese campaign against Bataan they operated out of Sisiman Bay.]["Sisiman Cove" in U.S. Naval references of the time, but now geographically known a]
"Sisiman Bay"
just to the east of Mariveles. The American navy PT boats, Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three
Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three (MTBRon 3) was a United States Navy squadron based at Cavite, Philippines, from September 1941 to mid-April 1942. It was commanded by Lieutenant John D. Bulkeley and made up of six motor torpedo boats: ''PT-31'' ...
, under Lt. Bulkeley were also in the same bay but alongside the requisitioned tug ''Trabajador'' serving as a tender.
The squadron consisted of five boats:
*3 Torpedo boats
** PT '' Q-111 Luzon'' - commanded by Captain Alberto Navarette
** PT '' Q-112 Abra'' - Lieutenant Ramon A. Alcaraz
** PT ''Q-113 Agusan'' - Lieutenant Santiago Nuval
*2 Motor launches put into service at Bataan.
** PB Q-114 ''Danday'' - Lieutenant Abraham Campo
** PB ''Q-115 Baler'' - Lieutenant Carlos Albert
See also
* Military History of the Philippines
* United States Asiatic Fleet
The United States Asiatic Fleet was a fleet of the United States Navy during much of the first half of the 20th century. Before World War II, the fleet patrolled the Philippine Islands. Much of the fleet was destroyed by the Japanese by Februar ...
Footnotes
References
{{reflist
External links
Philippine Navy Official Web Site
Military history of the Philippines during World War II
Military units and formations of the Philippine Army in World War II
Naval units and formations
Commonwealth of the Philippines