BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16)
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BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' (PS-16) is the second ship of the ''Gregorio del Pilar''-class
offshore patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...
s 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 e ...
. From 1968 to 2012, she was known as and served the
United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
as a
high endurance cutter The designation of high endurance cutter (WHEC) was created in 1965 when the United States Coast Guard adopted its own designation system. High endurance cutters encompass the largest cutters previously designated by the United States Navy as gu ...
. She was decommissioned on 30 March 2012 and acquired by the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
under the ''Excess Defense Articles'' and the
Foreign Assistance Act The Foreign Assistance Act (, et seq.) is a United States law governing foreign aid policy. It outlined the political and ideological principles of U.S. foreign aid, significantly overhauled and reorganized the structure U.S. foreign assistance p ...
. She is named after Commodore Ramon Alcaraz, a Filipino Naval officer and World War II hero best known for receiving a
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for heroism and gallantry during
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He is also known for being one of the first officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to criticize the Marcos dictatorship; and for the concept proposal which would make him the "father" of the Philippine Marine Corps. She was originally designated as "''PF-16''" from 2012 to mid-2016. Then the Navy adopted a new code designation system leading to her being redesignated as "''FF-16''". In February 2019, the Navy downgraded the status of the entire class from
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 ...
to patrol ship and redesignated her as "''PS-16''".


Design

The ship was designed with a high level of habitability and provides fairly comfortable accommodations, including air conditioning.


Propulsion

''Ramon Alcaraz'' employs the shipboard application of aircraft gas turbine jet engines with the use of controllable pitch propellers. She is equipped with two
Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...
gas turbines and can propel the ship at speeds up to . ''Ramon Alcaraz'' also has two Fairbanks-Morse
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
s, capable of driving the ship economically at for up to without refueling. A retractable/rotatable bow propulsion unit provides manoeuvrability in tight situations.


Armament

Prior to turn-over to the Philippine Navy, the ship was armed with a Mk.75 Oto Melara 76 mm Compact main gun, two Mk.38 25 mm Bushmaster chain guns at midships, and a Phalanx CIWS system aft. The CIWS and chain guns were removed prior to its turn-over, with the Mk.75 gun remaining. The Philippine Navy then purchased two new Mk.38 Mod.2 25 mm Bushmaster Autocannons to replace the mounts removed by the US Coast Guard. These were already installed as of January 25, 2015.


Flight support

''Ramon Alcaraz'' has a flight deck and hangar capable of handling helicopters. A newly acquired naval helicopter (an AgustaWestland AW109 Power) made its shipboard deployment on May 21, 2014.


Modernization

The Philippine Navy plans to modernize the entire ship of the class, with an initial program to upgrade the ship's sensors, and another program to improve its weapon systems. Several systems were acquired through US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Foreign Military Financing (FMF), which includes the BAE Systems Mk. 38 Mod. 2 machine gun system (already installed), the SAAB AN/SPS-77 Sea Giraffe AMB 3D air/surface search radar, and the
FLIR Systems Teledyne FLIR LLC (an acronym for "forward-looking infrared"), a subsidiary of Teledyne Technologies, specializes in the design and production of thermal imaging cameras and sensors. Its main customers are governments and in 2020, approximately 3 ...
SeaFLIR 230 Electro-Optical/Infra-Red Camera. Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy will launch a program to acquire, install and integrate several other sensors into the ship, as part of the Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program. Among those to be acquired are new Combat Management System (CMS), Hull Mounted Sonar (HMS), and a Radar Electronic Support Measures (R-ESM). Future upgrades are planned to install defensive and offensive missile systems, as well as torpedo weapon system, although funding is still being secured and might only be included in the next phase of the Navy's modernization program. In 2020 October 14, Navy chief Giovanni Carlo Bacordo revealed the completion of the ''3D modeling program'' for the entire ship class' cabling systems to be used for their electronic upgrades (CMS + 4 sensors).


History


US Coast Guard service and transfer to the Philippine Navy

The ship was first launched in 1968 and served for decades as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter ''Dallas'' (WHEC-716) before being given to the Philippines. The ship was scheduled to be transferred to the Philippines as an excess defense article through the
Foreign Assistance Act The Foreign Assistance Act (, et seq.) is a United States law governing foreign aid policy. It outlined the political and ideological principles of U.S. foreign aid, significantly overhauled and reorganized the structure U.S. foreign assistance p ...
via a "hot transfer" in May 2012. The ''Dallas'' was formally decommissioned on 30 March 2012, and the US Coast Guard removed the ship's guns and other equipment. On 6 May 2012 during the 70th commemoration of the Fall of Bataan, President Benigno Aquino III announced the naming of the ex-USCGC ''Dallas'' to BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' (PF-16) in honor of the World War II hero and officer of the Philippine Navy. Commodore Ramon "Monching" Alcaraz commanded one of the Philippine Offshore Patrol's Q-boat Q-112 ''Abra'' during World War II which shot down 3 Japanese aircraft. The ex-''Dallas'' was formally transferred to the Philippine government on 22 May 2012 during a ceremony at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Pier Papa in North Charleston,
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
. The ship was turned over to its Filipino crew, with Capt. Ernesto Baldovino as its first commanding officer. The ship's crew had been in the US for several weeks prior to the transfer for training aboard other ''Hamilton''-class ships operated by the US Coast Guard. ''Ramon Alcaraz'' was scheduled to be refitted at the expense of the Philippine Navy prior to sailing to the Philippines. The ship's transfer cost was pegged at Php 450 million (around US$10 million as of 2012), while operation costs will be similar to its sister ship, . An additional US$5 million was allocated for installation of additional equipment, different from her sister ship ''Gregorio del Pilar''. The ship will have better fire control and weapons systems than ''Gregorio del Pilar''. The ship was originally expected to leave Charleston, South Carolina for the Philippines in January 2013 but it was delayed. The ship finally departed Charleston harbor at 10:00 AM on 10 June 2013. She reached the Atlantic-side entrance of the Panama Canal and crossed its entire stretch on 17 June. ''Ramon Alcaraz'' continued her journey across the Pacific Ocean and was scheduled for port visits at
Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (JBPHH) is a United States military base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is Joint Base, an amalgamation of the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base and the United States Navy's Naval Station Pearl ...
in
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, and at
Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
. before reaching Manila by 3 August 2013. On August 1, 2013, ''Ramon Alcaraz'' entered Philippine waters. Her official arrival ceremony was held Subic Bay on August 6. On November 22, 2013, she was commissioned as BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' (PF-16) at Pier 15 in Manila's South Harbor. After commissioning, she sailed to Tacloban City to transport about 200 tons of relief goods, water purification systems, and navy personnel who helped with relief efforts following
Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. On making landfall, Haiyan devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines. It is one of the ...
. Around mid-2016, the Philippine Navy started calling the ship in its new code designation FF-16, together with its sister ship BRP ''Gregorio del Pilar'' which was re-designated as FF-15, and the upcoming BRP ''Andres Bonifacio'' designated as FF-17. In March 2017, the Philippine Navy sent the ''Ramon Alcaraz'' to patrol the
Benham Rise The Benham Rise, officially known as Philippine Rise, is an extinct volcanic ridge located in the Philippine Sea approximately east of the northern coastline of Dinapigue, Isabela. The rise has been known to the people of Catanduanes as Kalip ...
, which is part of Philippine territorial waters, after a Chinese survey ship was sighted in the area for several days.


Middle East and Indian Ocean deployment

In January 2020, Naval Task Force (NTF) 82, which was composed of BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' and the landing dock BRP ''Davao del Sur'', were deployed to the Middle East to repatriate
overseas Filipino workers Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is a term often used to refer to Filipino migrant workers, people with Filipino citizenship who reside in another country for a limited period of employment. The number of these workers was roughly 1.77 million be ...
there during the 2019-2020 Persian Gulf crisis between the
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and
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. The two naval ships arrived in Muscat,
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
on February 6 after a layover in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, but tensions in the Gulf region have already eased by that date and were told by Philippine Navy officials to stay put. They left Oman on April 21 and arrived in
Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
on May 6. They picked up some 200,000 pieces of
personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, elec ...
(PPEs) donated by a Filipino donor who sources masks from India. They also picked up Filipinos stranded by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. On the evening of May 7, 2020, a fire broke out in the engine room of the BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' shortly after it left the port of Cochin, India. The fire, which lasted for 10 minutes, was extinguished by the crew members. Two enlisted men suffered second degree burns and were airlifted to a naval hospital in Cochin for “extensive medical attention". The ship stayed in Cochin for an additional 21 days and, with the help of the US Naval Sea Systems Command, conducted assessment and minor repair to ensure functionality and safety of the proplusion system for the trip back to the Philippines, where additional repairs will be done. On May 27, 2020, the two ships left Cochin after the minor repairs were completed. They arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 29 to pick up 12 stranded Filipino overseas workers and tourists. They left the port of Colombo midnight of May 31 for their voyage back to the Philippines. The two ships joined the country in celebrating its 122nd Independence Day as both entered Manila Bay on Friday, June 12. Philippine Navy chief, VAdm. Giovanni Bacordo, said the BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' underwent major checks and repairs from the fire damage since it arrived last June 12. The repairs were conducted by US Naval Sea Systems Command personnel, local contractors, and crew members aboard. When the repairs were completed, the ship conducted sea trials from September 8 to 9, 2020 off the waters of Zambales according to Navy public affairs officer Lt. Cdr. Maria Christina Roxas. The sea trial conducted all the systems and machinery tests that were probably affected during the fire incident. The BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' was deemed ready for deployment by Philippine Navy following its successful sea trials.


Notable operational deployments


Exercises

*The ship, together with its sister ship participated in joint naval maneuvers as part of ''CARAT 2014 Philippines'' from June 26 to July 1, 2014. It was scheduled to conduct exercises on gunnery, combined air, surface, anti-submarine operations at sea. *The ship, together with a naval AW109E helicopter (serial PNH-431), traveled to Northern Australia as a major participant in the ''KAKADU 2014'' Multi-lateral Naval Exercises hosted by the Australian Defence Force from August 25 to September 12, 2014. The ship's crew also participated in boarding training with the Australian Navy before the actual sea-phase of the exercises. *During the first week of May 2018, the BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' participated in the ''Exercise Balikatan 34-2018'' with US Forces together with the . *In the third week of May 2018, the BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' conducted joint training with
HMAS Anzac (FFH 150) HMAS ''Anzac'' (FFH 150) is the lead ship of the ''Anzac''-class frigates in use with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). Entering Australian service in 1996, the frigate operated as part of the INTERFET peac ...
around the waters of Negros Island for ''Exercise Lumbas 2018'', a joint Maritime Training Activity between the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Philippine Navy. *In the second week of July 2018, the BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' participated in the ''Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Sama Sama'' at Naval Station Ernesto Ogbinar in
Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...
with the US Navy (USN) along with the Landing Platform Dock. The USN sent the USNS Millinocket (T-EPF-3) Transport Ship, USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) Salvage Ship and a P-8 Poseidon Aircraft for the exercise. *During the third week of July 2018, the BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' participated in a ''Maritime Security Activity (MSA)'' with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the waters around
Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...
along with the . The RAN sent the vessels HMAS Ararat and HMAS Wollongong for the activity which consists of Ship Training Activities, Maritime Patrols, Maritime Security Threat discussions, among others. *From August to September 2018, the BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' participated again in ''KAKADU 2018'' held in Darwin,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
which is a biennial event and is the largest maritime exercise hosted by Australia. The 2018 version of the exercise included 3,000 personnel, 23 ships, 1 submarine and 21 aircraft from 28 nations. The Alcaraz participated in various maritime activities there including firing its Oto Melara 76 mm caliber main gun in a live fire exercise. *In May 2019, the ship participated in a 10-day coordinated Sea Patrol and Exercise in the
Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea ( fil, Dagat Sulu; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; Chavacano: ''Mar de Sulu''; Cebuano: ''Dagat sa Sulu''; Hiligaynon: ''Dagat sang Sulu''; Karay-a: ''Dagat kang Sulu''; Cuyonon: ''Dagat i'ang Sulu''; ms, Laut Sulu) is a body o ...
and Celebes Sea with the KRI ''Pandrong'' (801) of the Indonesian Navy. The exercise aimed to improve interoperability and strengthen the capability to secure the seas.


Search and rescue

*In February 2019, the BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' fetched two Filipino Fishermen from Parola Island in the Southeast Asia Sea who were earlier reported to have jumped from ''FV Thanksgiving 5'' after experiencing maltreatment from the head of the crew. The Fishermen were then rescued by the Vietnam People's Navy and later bought to
Parola Island Northeast Cay, also known as Parola Island ( fil, Pulo ng Parola, lit=Island of heLighthouse; Mandarin ; vi, Đảo Song Tử Đông), with a land area of , is the fifth largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands and the third largest ...
. The Fishermen were able to return safely to their families in
Occidental Mindoro Occidental Mindoro ( tl, Kanlurang Mindoro), officially the Province of Occidental Mindoro, is a province in the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. The province occupies the western half of the island of Mindoro. Its capital is Mambura ...
."NAVFORWEST receives 2 Pinoy Fishermen rescued by Vietnamese Navy"
/ref>


Gallery

File:Philippine frigates with USS John S. McCain (DDg-56) in June 2014.JPG, BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' (PF-16) with and US Navy during CARAT Philippines 2014. File:BRP Ramon Alcaraz and BRP Tarlac at MTA Sama-Sama 2018 002.jpg, BRP ''Tarlac'' (LD-601) and BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' (PS-16) sail in formation during the at-sea portion of Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Sama Sama 2018. File:Balikatan 2019 US Forces Conduct Combined VBSS Drills Image 6 of 6.jpg, BRP ''Ramon Alcaraz'' in VBSS operations during Balikatan 2019.


See also

* List of ships of the Philippine Navy


References


External links


Philippine Navy Official websiteNaming and Code Designation of PN Ships
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) Ships built in Bridge City, Louisiana Hamilton-class cutters of the Philippine Navy 1966 ships