The BRP ''Rajah Humabon'' (PS-11) was a former

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

of the

United States 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 ...

and a former

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 an ...

of 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 ...

. She was the last

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

-era destroyer escort/frigate active in her fleet, and one of the oldest active warships in the world, until 15 March 2018 when she was formally decommissioned after 75 years. She was one of three ex-USN s that served the

, the others being BRP ''Datu Sikatuna'' (PF-5/PS-77) and BRP ''Datu Kalantiaw'' (PS-76).

History

United States Navy

Commissioned in the US Navy as the in 1943, she was mostly assigned at the Atlantic theatre doing patrols and anti-submarine missions. She was credited of having destroyed a German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

, off the coast of Rhode Island, on 9 May 1945. She served in the Pacific theatre in the middle of 1945 until she was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 10 December 1945. For her service during

, she was awarded with one battle star.

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force

She was transferred to the Japanese government as JDS ''Hatsuhi'' (DE-263) on 14 June 1955. Together with her sistership JDS ''Asahi'' (DE-262), 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 (IJ ...

. 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 ...

in June 1975.

Philippine Navy

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

ship, she was named RPS ''Rajah Humabon'' (PS-78), 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 and modernization 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) / and ''Kang Won'' (DE-72) / . 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 ''Rajah Humabon'' and her sistership ''Datu Sikatuna''. With these upgrades, she was formally commissioned to the

on 27 February 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 renamed and reclassified as BRP ''Rajah Humabon'' (PF-6) effective 23 June 1980,''Philippine Navy Information Manual 1995'' - Adoption of Pilipino Translation of "Bapor ng Republika ng Pilipinas" now using the "BRP" ship prefix in lieu of "RPS" and following a new standard classifying it as 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 an ...

", and served until 1993 when she was retired. But due to pressing needs, she was later called back into service in 1995 after being overhauled at the Cavite Naval Dockyard by Hatch & Kirk Inc., and was formally recommissioned in January 1996 as BRP ''Rajah Humabon'' (PF-11) with a new hull number. Another minor refit between 1995 and 1996 saw changes in the ship's weapons, sensors and engine systems. Her anti-submarine weapons and equipment were removed due to lack of spare parts. The removed equipment includes the

EDO Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

SQS-17B hull-mounted sonar, a Mk.9 depth charge rack, six Mk.6 depth charge projects aft and a Hedgehog Mk.10 anti-submarine projectors forward, as well as Mk.38 anti-submarine torpedoes in two triple tube amidships. The loss of these items totally removed her anti-submarine warfare capabilities, which was outdated by modern standards. But it was reported in 2005 that her fore Hedgehog ASW is still operational, together with her 8

K-gun 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 hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use h ...

Mk6 depth charge projectors and SQS-17B sonar,Saunders, Stephen: ''Jane's Fighting Ships 107th Edition 2004-2005''. Jane's Information Group Ltd, 2004. although recent photos do not show the depth charge projectors on its usual location. She had been experiencing hull problems, but was repaired with the assistance of the crew of the

's ship USS ''Salvor'' during CARAT 2002 dive training operations held in

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the Manila, capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between t ...

.''Manokski's ORBAT @ Hueybravo''
BRP Rajah Humabon page
Additional electronic upgrades were made, including the installation of a

Furuno (commonly known as Furuno) is a Japanese electronics company whose main products are marine electronics, including marine radar systems, fish finders, and navigational instruments. The company also manufactures global positioning systems a ...

Satellite Communication system and a mast-mounted

FLIR Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, typically used on military and civilian aircraft, use a thermographic camera that senses infrared radiation. The sensors installed in forward-looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal ...

package.''Jane's Fighting Ships'' 105th Edition 2002-2003. The ship's code designation was changed based on a new classification, name, number and categorization of PN ships, crafts, aircraft, and ground equipage dated April 2016. Based on this change, the ship's designation was changed from PF-11 to PS-11. As of May 2010 she was part of the Philippine Navy contingent for the RP-US Balikatan 2010 exercises, and continued to operate from the

's main naval base in

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southw ...

and visits the Navy Headquarters 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 populated ...

. She was assigned to the Patrol Force of the Philippine Fleet. She then operated as a ceremonial ship to welcome foreign ships docking in Manila Bay. She was decommissioned on March 15, 2018 and was planned to be part of the Philippine Navy museum in

Sangley Point Naval Station Sangley Point was a communication and hospital facility of the United States Navy which occupied the northern portion of the Cavite City peninsula and is surrounded by Manila Bay, approximately eight miles southwest of Manila, th ...

. However, on October 30, 2022 she capsized and sank in a storm while moored at Cavite.

Technical details

Armaments

Although fairly well-armed, most of her weapon systems are manually operated and are of

origin. The three Mk.22

3"/50 caliber gun The 3"/50 caliber gun (spoken "three-inch fifty-caliber") in United States naval gun terminology indicates the gun fired a projectile in diameter, and the barrel was 50 calibers long (barrel length is 3 in × 50 = ). Different guns (identifi ...

s, the ship's primary weapons, have a range of up to and are also capable of being used as limited anti-aircraft weapon. The guns were directed by a Mk.52 gun fire control system with a Mk.41 rangefinder, but this appears to be non-operational. She also carries a total of three twin Mk.1 Bofors L/60 40 mm anti-aircraft guns directed individually by Mk.51 gun fire control system, six Mk.4

20 mm Oerlikon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models empl ...

cannons, and four M2 Browning 50 caliber machine guns.Wertheim, Eric: ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 15th Edition'', page 550. Naval Institute Press, 2007. All anti-submarine weapons were removed as of 1996.

Machinery

The ship is powered by two EMD 16-645E7 turbo-blown diesel engines with a combined power of around driving two

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

s. The main engines can propel the 1,620 ton (full load) ship at a maximum speed of around . It has a range of at a speed of . It replaced the original four EMD 16-278A diesel engines during the ship's overhaul in 1996.''Philippine Panorama - 26 November 1995 Repowering Old Ships To Make Them Good As New by Randy V. Urlanda''

Electronics

The ship is equipped with a

Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...

AN/SPS-64(V)11 short range surface search and navigation radar and a

navigation radar, replacing the SPS-5 surface search radar and the RCA/GE Mk.26 navigation radar. Previously equipped with an

AN/SQS-17B hull-mounted sonar, it is said to be deleted in 1996 due to lack of spare parts and obsolescenceFriedman, Norman: ''The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapons Systems 1997-1998'', page 628. US Naval Institute Press, 1997. although it was reported to be still present in 2004.

Notable operations

Deployments

On 17 June 2011 the ''Rajah Humabon'' was sent for patrols around the

Scarborough Shoal Scarborough Shoal, also known as Bajo de Masinloc (in Spanish), Panatag Shoal ( fil, Kulumpol ng Panatag, lit=serene cluster), Huangyan Island (Mandarin zh, c=黄岩岛, p=Huáng Yán Dǎo, l=yellow rock island), and Democracy Reef, are two ro ...

after China announced that its biggest maritime patrol vessel, the '' Haixun 31'', will be sent to the area on its way to Singapore.

International

On 2 February 2000, the ''Rajah Humabon'' fired warning shots at two Chinese fishing boats near

. According to Navy chief Vice Admiral Luisito Fernandez, the ''Rajah Humabon'' was forced to fire warning shots to avert a collision with two Chinese fishing boats and only after the Chinese boats refused to respond to radio contact, loudspeaker, sirens, and flashing lights. On 22 June 2002, ''Rajah Humabon'' together with BRP ''Rizal'' visited

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

for a goodwill visit.

Exercises

The ''Rajah Humabon'', together with BRP ''Leopoldo Regis'' (PG-847), BRP ''Dagupan City'' (LC-551), BRP ''Artemio Ricarte'' (PS-37), , and were part of the naval component of the US-RP Balikatan 2009 bi-lateral exercises held in April 2009. Again ''Rajah Humabon'', together with BRP ''Dagupan City'' (LC-551), and BRP ''Apolinario Mabini'' (PS-36), USS ''Essex'' (LHD-2), and USS ''Denver'' (LPD-9) were part of the naval phase of the US-RP Balikatan 2010 (BK10) bi-lateral exercises held in March 2010. On 14 to 16 August 2012, the Naval Forces Northern Luzon (NFNL) conducted a small-scale Naval Exercise code-named SAGEX 02-12 at the waters of

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Ph ...

. BRP ''Rajah Humabon'' together with BRP ''Gregorio del Pilar'' and BRP ''Liberato Picar'' participated under Naval Task Force (NTF) 11. The exercise includes

patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as law enforcement officers, military personnel, or security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology From French ''patrouiller'', from Old Fren ...

, simulated tracking of targets and interdiction and capped by live firing exercises. ''Rajah Humabon'', together with BRP ''Gregorio del Pilar'' participated in the sea phase exercises with the US Navy during the Balikatan 2013 from 5 to 17 April 2013.

In popular culture

*BRP ''Rajah Humabon'' was among the Philippine Navy ships who battled invading People's Liberation Army - Navy ships in

Dale Brown Dale Brown (born 2 November 1956) is an American writer and aviator known for aviation techno-thriller novels. At least thirteen of his novels have been ''New York Times'' Best Sellers. Early life Brown was born in Buffalo, New York, and was ...

's 1991 novel ''Sky Masters''. In this novel, she was classified as a ''PF'' class frigate, and was equipped with a four-shot Mk141

Harpoon A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, sealing, and other marine hunting to catch and injure large fish or marine mammals such as seals and whales. It accomplishes this task by impaling the target ani ...

missile launcher.Brown, Dale: ''Sky Masters''

Gallery

File:BRP Rajah Humabon (PF-11) anchored at Manila Bay on May 19, 2008.JPG, BRP Rajah Humabon (PF-11) anchored at Manila Bay on May 19, 2008 File:US Navy 090421-N-0120A-206 The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), center, steams in formation.jpg, BRP ''Rajah Humabon'', together with Philippine & U.S. Navy ships during naval phase of Balikatan 2009 bi-lateral exercises held in April 2009 File:US Navy 090421-N-9950J-022 U.S. Navy and Armed Forces of the Philippines Navy ships are underway during exercise Balikatan 2009.jpg, BRP ''Rajah Humabon'' during naval phase of Balikatan 2009 bi-lateral exercises, April 2009. File:Balikatan 2009-057.jpg, The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) leads ships formation during photo exercise (PHOTOEX) with Philippines Navy ships during Balikatan 2009 (BK09) File:US_Navy_100314-N-0120A-659_U.S._Navy_ships_and_The_Republic_of_Philippines_navy_ships_cruise_in_formation_while_taking_part_in_exercise_Balikatan_2010_(BK_10).jpg, BRP Rajah Humabon (far right) together with other Philippine and US Ships during Balikatan 2010 sea-phase exercises (BK10)

References

Notes

External links

Philippine Navy Official websitePhilippine Defense ForumNaming and Code Designation of PN Ships
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajah Humabon (Pf-11) Datu Kalantiaw-class frigates Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1943 ships Frigates of the Philippines