RPS ''Rajah Soliman'' (D-66) was a destroyer escort/

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 ...

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 ...

between 1960 and 1964. A , it was originally named during its previous service with the United States Navy. It was the first destroyer escort to be operated by the Philippine Navy, and is the only member of its class ever operated by the service. ''Rajah Soliman'' was also the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of the Philippine Navy during its time in commission, which ended with the sinking of the vessel in 1964.

Acquisition and service

The ex- was transferred to the Philippine Navy on 31 October 1960, as a loan under the terms of the Military Assistance Program; on 21 April 1961, the ship was sold outright to the Philippines. ''Rajah Soliman'' served as the Philippine Navy's

during her service life. In June 1964, the ship entered a refit period at the Bataan National Shipyard, located in Mariveles, Bataan, for repairs to her engine.

Sinking, raising, and disposal

On 29 June 1964, Typhoon Winnie, also known as Typhoon Dading, hit the

Bataan Peninsula 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 ...

; the

storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...

associated with the cyclone struck ''Rajah Soliman'', which was at the time docked at the shipyard's pier. The storm battered the ship's

superstructure A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships. Aboard ships and large boats On water craft, the superstruct ...

and

starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

side against the pier, causing ''Rajah Soliman'' to capsize and sink at the dock. The effects of the storm also caused the wreck to fill with mud, sand and other debris. After the storm, an attempt to salvage the ship was made by the Philippine Navy; the attempt failed as a result of the necessary equipment not being available. The United States Navy agreed to salvage the ship as a training exercise, and between December 1964 and January 1965, two U.S. Navy salvage ships, and , used the parbuckle salvage technique to raise ''Rajah Solimans wreck from the harbor floor. After the vessel had been successfully raised, it was towed to the Ship Repair Facility at

Subic Naval Base Naval Base Subic Bay was a major ship-repair, supply, and rest and recreation facility of the Spanish Navy and subsequently the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines. The base was 262 square miles, about the size of Singapore. Th ...

, located nearby. A survey of the raised ''Rajah Soliman'' found that the ship had been damaged beyond economical repair. Designated for disposal, the

hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk' ...

was sold for scrapping on 31 January 1966 to Mitsubishi International Corp.

References

{{1964 shipwrecks Frigates of the Philippine Navy Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Philippine Navy 1943 ships Maritime incidents in 1964