USCGC Castle Rock (WAVP-383)
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USS ''Castle Rock'' (AVP-35) was a
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 ...
''Barnegat''-class small
seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...
in commission from 1944 to 1946 which saw service in the late months of
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 ...
. After the war, she was in commission in 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 the
Coast Guard cutter United States Coast Guard Cutter is the term used by the U.S. Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. They are or greater in length and have a permanently assigned crew with accommodations aboard. They carry the ship prefix USCGC. History ...
USCGC ''Castle Rock'' (WAVP-383), later WHEC-383, from 1948 to 1971, seeing service in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
during her Coast Guard career. Transferred to
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
in 1971, she served in the
Republic of Vietnam Navy The Republic of Vietnam Navy (RVNN; ; ''HQVNCH'') was the naval branch of the South Vietnamese military, the official armed forces of the former Republic of Vietnam (or South Vietnam) from 1955 to 1975. The early fleet consisted of boats fro ...
as the
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 ...
RVNS ''Trần Bình Trọng'' (HQ-05) and fought in the
Battle of the Paracel Islands The Battle of the Paracel Islands (Chinese: 西沙海战, Pinyin: Xisha Haizhan;Vietnamese: Hải chiến Hoàng Sa) was a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam in the Paracel Islands on January 19, 1974. The ...
in 1974. When South Vietnam collapsed at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, ''Trần Bình Trọng'' fled to 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 ...
, where she served in 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 1979 to 1985 as the frigate RPS (later BRP) ''Francisco Dagohoy'' (PF-10).


Construction and commissioning

''Castle Rock'' was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...
on 12 July 1943 at
Houghton Houghton may refer to: Places Australia * Houghton, South Australia, a town near Adelaide * Houghton Highway, the longest bridge in Australia, between Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland * Houghton Island (Queensland) Canada * Houghton Townshi ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, by the
Lake Washington Shipyard Lake Washington Shipyards was a shipyard in the northwest United States, located in Houghton, Washington (today Kirkland) on the shore of Lake Washington, east of Seattle. Today, the shipyards are the site of the lakeside Carillon Point busines ...
, and was launched on 11 March 1944, sponsored by Mrs. R. W. Cooper. She commissioned on 8 October 1944.


U.S. Navy service


World War II

''Castle Rock'' stood out of
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, on 18 December 1944 bound for
Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...
,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
, and
Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...
, where she arrived on 28 January 1945. Assigned to escort
convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
s between
Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...
,
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 ...
, and
Ulithi Atoll Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest i ...
until 20 March 1945, ''Castle Rock'' then took up duties of tending
seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...
s at Saipan. Her seaplanes carried out varied air operations, including
reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
, search, and
antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typic ...
activities, while ''Castle Rock'' herself also performed local escort duties.


Post-World War II

On 28 November 1945, ''Castle Rock'' sailed from Saipan for Guam, where she embarked a group assigned to study
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese defenses on
Chichi Jima , native_name_link = , image_caption = Map of Chichijima, Anijima and Otoutojima , image_size = , pushpin_map = Japan complete , pushpin_label = Chichijima , pushpin_label_position = , pushpin_map_alt = , ...
and Truk. This continued until 5 January 1946, when ''Castle Rock'' returned to seaplane tender operations at Saipan. ''Castle Rock'' left Saipan on 9 March 1946, arriving at
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, California, on 27 March 1946. She was decommissioned there on 6 August 1946


United States Coast Guard service

''Barnegat''-class ships were very reliable and seaworthy and had good habitability, and the Coast Guard viewed them as ideal for ocean station duty, in which they would perform weather reporting and
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
tasks, once they were modified by having a
balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or light so ...
shelter added aft and having
oceanographic Oceanography (), also known as oceanology and ocean science, is the scientific study of the oceans. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of topics, including ecosystem dynamics; ocean currents, waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics ...
equipment, an oceanographic
winch A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attache ...
, and a hydrographic winch installed. After World War II, the U.S. Navy transferred 18 of the ships to the Coast Guard, in which they were known as the ''Casco''-class cutters. The U.S. Navy loaned ''Castle Rock'' to the Coast Guard on 16 September 1948. After undergoing conversion for use as a weather-reporting ship, she was commissioned into Coast Guard service as USCGC ''Castle Rock'' (WAVP-383) on 18 December 1948 at
Mare Island Navy Yard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates th ...
, Vallejo, California.


North Atlantic and Caribbean

''Castle Rock'' was stationed at
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
, after her commissioning. Her primary duty was to serve on ocean stations in the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
to gather
meteorological Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...
data. While on duty in one of these stations, she was required to patrol a 210-square-mile (544-square-kilometer) area for three weeks at a time, leaving the area only when physically relieved by another Coast Guard cutter or in the case of a dire emergency. While on station, she acted as an aircraft check point at the
point of no return The point of no return (PNR or PONR) is the point beyond which one must continue on one's current course of action because turning back is dangerous, physically impossible or difficult, or prohibitively expensive. The point of no return can be a ...
, a relay point for messages from ships and aircraft, as a source of the latest weather information for passing aircraft, as a floating oceanographic laboratory, and as a search-and-rescue ship for downed aircraft and vessels in distress, and she engaged in
law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
operations. In March 1956, ''Castle Rock'' towed the
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are u ...
''Sunnavik'' from south of Halifax,
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, to safety. ''Castle Rock'' reported to Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
, for service during the
blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are le ...
of Cuba during the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
in 1962. ''Castle Rock'' took part in the
United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast Gu ...
cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...
cruise in May 1961, May 1963 and again in August 1965. These cadet cruises were in company with the Coast Guard Training (barque) sailing ship, the CGC Eagle and at least one other Coast Guard cutter. On 1 May 1966, ''Castle Rock'' was reclassified 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 ...
and redesignated WHEC-383. On 26 September 1966 her period on loan to the Coast Guard ended when she was stricken from the
Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
and transferred permanently to the Coast Guard. ''Castle Rock'' was stationed at
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, beginning in 1967, with the same duties she had as during her years at Boston. On 22 and 23 February 1967 she rescued eight people from the sinking
fishing vessel A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing. The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was es ...
''Maureen and Michael'' southwest of
Cape Race Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", mea ...
,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.


Vietnam War service

''Castle Rock'' was assigned to Coast Guard Squadron Three in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
in 1971. While on an R & R visit from South Vietnam, she suffered an engineering casualty and sank at her pier in
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, but returned to duty with the squadron upon completion of repairs. ''Castle Rock'' arrived in Vietnam on 30 July 1971. Coast Guard Squadron Three was tasked to operate in conjunction with U.S. Navy forces in
Operation Market Time Operation Market Time was the United States Navy, Republic of Vietnam Navy and Royal Australian Navy operation begun in 1965 to stop the flow of troops, war material, and supplies by sea, coast, and rivers, from North Vietnam into parts of Sout ...
, the interdiction of
North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
ese arms and
munition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weapo ...
s traffic along the coastline of South Vietnam during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
. The squadron's other Vietnam War duties included fire support for ground forces, resupplying Coast Guard and Navy
patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...
s, and search-and-rescue operations. ''Castle Rock'' served in this capacity until 21 December 1971.


Honors and awards

''Castle Rock'' was awarded two
campaign star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...
s for her Vietnam War service, for: *Consolidation I 9 July 1971 – 30 November 1971 *Consolidation II 1 December 1971 – 21 December 1971


Decommissioning

After her
antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typic ...
equipment had been removed, the Coast Guard decommissioned ''Castle Rock'' in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
on 21 December 1971, the day her Vietnam War tour ended.


Republic of Vietnam Navy service

On 21 December 1971, ''Castle Rock'' was transferred to South Vietnam, which commissioned her into the
Republic of Vietnam Navy The Republic of Vietnam Navy (RVNN; ; ''HQVNCH'') was the naval branch of the South Vietnamese military, the official armed forces of the former Republic of Vietnam (or South Vietnam) from 1955 to 1975. The early fleet consisted of boats fro ...
as the
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 ...
RVNS ''Trần Bình Trọng''.Alternative spellings encountered include ''Tran Vinh Trong'' (see Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images at http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-c/avp35.htm ) (HQ-05)Per ''Janess Fighting Ships 1973-1974'', p. 592, "HQ" is an abbreviation for "Hai Quan",
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...
for "Navy", used for all
Republic of Vietnam Navy The Republic of Vietnam Navy (RVNN; ; ''HQVNCH'') was the naval branch of the South Vietnamese military, the official armed forces of the former Republic of Vietnam (or South Vietnam) from 1955 to 1975. The early fleet consisted of boats fro ...
ships.
This article assumes that the authoritative ''Janes Fighting Ships 1973-1974'', p. 592, is correct about the ships lineage (i.e., that she was the former USS ''Castle Rock'' (AVP-35) and USCGC ''Castle Rock'' (WAVP-383/WHEC-383) and was designated HQ-05 in South Vietnamese service. However, extensive confusion exists on these points in print and on the Web. The United States Coast Guard Historians Office (see http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/CastleRock1948.asp ) agrees that ''Trần Bình Trọng'' was the former ''Castle Rock'', but does not mention her South Vietnamese "HQ" designation. NavSource.org agrees with ''Janes'' that ''Castle Rock'' became ''Trần Bình Trọng'' (HQ-05) in its entry on ''Castle Rock'' (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/43/4335.htm ) but in its entry on / USCGC ''Chincoteague'' (WAVP-375/WHEC-375) (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/43/4324.htm ) also states that it was ''Chincoteague'' that became ''Trần Bình Trọng'' (HQ-05). ''Conways All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1947-1982 Part II: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations'', p. 369, agrees with ''Janes'' and the Navsource.org ''Castle Rock'' entry that ''Trần Bình Trọng'' was the former ''Castle Rock'', but disagrees with the other sources by citing ''Trần Bình Trọng''s designation in South Vietnamese service as HQ-17, a designation that ''Jane'', p. 592, the Inventory of VNNs Battle Ships Part 2 (see Part 2 at http://www.vnafmamn.com/VNNavy_inventory2.html ), and NavSource.org (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/43/4356.htm ) all say was assigned to . To complete the confusion, the Inventory of VNNs Battle Ships Part 1 (see Part 1 at http://www.vnafmamn.com/VNNavy_inventory.html ) claims that ''Trần Bình Trọng'' (HQ-05) was the former ''Chincoteague'', agreeing with the NavSource.org ''Chincoteague'' entry but not with the other sources, and in its Part 2 (see Part 2 at http://www.vnafmamn.com/VNNavy_inventory2.html ) contradicts all the other sources in whole or in part by stating that ''Castle Rock'' became ''Ngô Quyền'' (HQ-17). The ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' entry for the ship (see http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c4/castle_rock.htm ) apparently was written before the ship was transferred to South Vietnam and has not been updated, and therefore makes no mention at all of her South Vietnamese service. was a South Vietnamese
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 ...
of the Republic of Vietnam Navy in commission from 1971 to 1975. She and her six sister ships – all former ''Barnegat''- and ''Casco''-class ships transferred to South Vietnam in 1971 and 1972 and known in the Republic of Vietnam Navy as the s – were the largest warships in the South Vietnamese inventory, and their 5-inch (127-millimeter) guns were South Vietnam's largest naval guns.


Service history

''Trần Bình Trọng'' and her sisters fought alongside U.S. Navy ships during the final years of the Vietnam War, patrolling the South Vietnamese coast and providing gunfire support to South Vietnamese forces ashore.


The Battle of the Paracel Islands

Possession of the
Paracel Islands The Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands () and the Hoang Sa Archipelago ( vi, Quần đảo Hoàng Sa, lit=Yellow Sand Archipelago), are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. The archipelago includes about 130 small coral ...
had long been disputed between South Vietnam and the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. With South Vietnamese forces stationed on the islands drawing down because they were needed on the Vietnamese mainland in the war with North Vietnam, China took advantage of the situation to send forces to seize the islands. On 16 January 1974, the South Vietnamese frigate spotted Chinese forces ashore on the islands. Both ''Lý Thường Kiệt'' and the Chinese ordered one another to withdraw, and neither side did. Reinforcements arrived for both sides over the next three days, including ''Trần Bình Trọng'', which appeared on the scene on 18 January 1974 with the commander of the Republic of Vietnam Navy,
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Hà Văn Ngạc, aboard. By the morning of 19 January 1974, the Chinese had four
corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
s and two
submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...
s at the Paracels, while the South Vietnamese had ''Trần Bình Trọng'', ''Lý Thường Kiệt'', the frigate , and the
corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
on the scene. ''Trần Bình Trọng'' landed South Vietnamese troops on Duncan Island (or Quang Hoa in
Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...
), and they were driven off by Chinese gunfire. The South Vietnamese ships opened fire on the Chinese ships at 10:24 hours, and the 40-minute
Battle of the Paracel Islands The Battle of the Paracel Islands (Chinese: 西沙海战, Pinyin: Xisha Haizhan;Vietnamese: Hải chiến Hoàng Sa) was a military engagement between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam in the Paracel Islands on January 19, 1974. The ...
ensued. ''Nhật Tảo'' was sunk, and the other three South Vietnamese ships all suffered damage; not equipped or trained for open-ocean combat and outgunned, the South Vietnamese ships were forced to withdraw. Chinese losses were more difficult to ascertain, but certainly most or all of them suffered damage and one or two may have sunk. The Chinese seized the islands the next day, and they have remained under the control of the People's Republic of China ever since.


Flight to the Philippines

When South Vietnam collapsed at the end of the Vietnam War in late April 1975, ''Trần Bình Trọng'' became a ship without a country. She fled to
Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...
in the Philippines, packed with South Vietnamese
refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
s. On 22 and 23 May 1975, a U.S. Coast Guard team inspected ''Trần Bình Trọng'' and five of her sister ships, which also had fled to the Philippines in April 1975. One of the inspectors noted: "These vessels brought in several hundred refugees and are generally rat-infested. They are in a filthy, deplorable condition. Below decks generally would compare with a garbage scow."


Philippine Navy service

After ''Trần Bình Trọng'' had been cleaned and repaired, the United States formally transferred her to the
Republic of 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 ...
on 5 April 1976. She was commissioned into 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 ...
as the frigate RPS ''Francisco Dagohoy'' (PF-10)This article assumes that the authoritative ''Janes Fighting Ships 1980-1981'', p. 370, is correct about ''Francisco Dagohoy''s lineage (i.e., that she was the former USS ''Castle Rock'' (AVP-35), USCGC ''Castle Rock'' (WAVP-383/WHEC-383), and ). The United States Coast Guard Historians Office (see http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/CastleRock1948.asp ) and ''Conways All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1947-1982 Part II: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations'', p. 356, agree with ''Janes'' that ''Francisco Dagohoy'' was the former ''Castle Rock'' and ''Trần Bình Trọng''. However, extensive confusion exists on the Web. NavSource.org in its entry for ''Castle Rock'' (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/43/4335.htm ) also agrees with ''Janes'' that ''Trần Bình Trọng'' (HQ-05) became ''Francisco Dagohoy'' but in its entry for and USCGC ''Chincoteague'' (WAVP-375/WHEC-375) (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/43/4324.htm ) also states that it was ''Chincoteague'' that became ''Trần Bình Trọng'' and ''Francisco Dagohoy''. Meanwhile, the Inventory of VNNs Battle Ships Part 1 (see Part 1 at http://www.vnafmamn.com/VNNavy_inventory.html ) claims that ''Trần Bình Trọng'' was the former ''Chincoteague'' and became yet another Philippine Navy ship, , and in its Part 2 (see Part 2 at http://www.vnafmamn.com/VNNavy_inventory2.html ) says that ''Castle Rock'' became an entirely different South Vietnamese ship, , before becoming ''Francisco Dagohoy''. The ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' entries for ''Castle Rock'' (see http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c4/castle_rock.htm ) and ''Chincoteague'' (see http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c8/chincoteague.htm ) apparently were written before the ships were transferred to South Vietnam or the Philippines and have not been updated, and therefore make no mention at all of their South Vietnamese or Philippine Navy service. on 23 June 1979. In June 1980 she was reclassified and renamed BRP ''Francisco Dagohoy'' (PF-10). She and three other ''Barnegat''- and ''Casco''-class ships were known as the s in Philippine service and were the largest Philippine Navy ships of their time.


Modernization

The ''Andrés Bonifacio''-class frigates were passed to the Philippine Navy with fewer weapons aboard than they had had during their U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast guard careers and with old surface search
radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
s installed. The Philippine Navy addressed these shortfalls through modernization programs. In Philippine service, ''Francisco Dagohoy'' retained her South Vietnamese armament, consisting of a single Mark 12 5"/38 caliber (127-mm) gun, a dual-purpose weapon capable of anti-surface and
anti-air Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
fire, mounted in a Mark 30 Mod 0 enclosed base ring with a range of up to yards; two twin Mark 1 Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft
gun mount A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, pr ...
s, four Mk. 4 single 20-millimeter Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun mounts, four M2 Browning .50-
caliber In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel Gauge (firearms) , bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the f ...
(12.7-millimeter) general-purpose
machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...
s, and two 81-mm mortars.''DLSU N-ROTC Office''
Naming and Code Designation of PN Vessels
.
However, in 1979 Hatch and Kirk, Inc., added a helicopter deck aft which could accommodate a Philippine Navy
MBB Bo 105 The Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo 105 is a light, twin-engine, multi-purpose helicopter developed by Bölkow of Ottobrunn, West Germany. It was the first light twin-engine helicopter in the world, and the first rotorcraft that could perform a ...
C
helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
for utility, scouting, and
maritime patrol {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008 Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities. Maritime patrol refers to ac ...
purposes, although the ship had no capability to refuel or otherwise support visiting helicopters. The Sperry SPS-53 surface search and navigation radar also was installed, replacing the AN/SPS-23 radar, although the ship retained both its AN/SPS-29D air search radar and its Mark 26 Mod 1
Fire Control Fire control is the practice of reducing the heat output of a fire, reducing the area over which the fire exists, or suppressing or extinguishing the fire by depriving it of fuel, oxygen, or heat (see fire triangle). Fire prevention and control ...
Radar System. The Philippine Navy made plans to equip ''Francisco Dagohoy'' and her sister ships with new radar systems and long-range BGM-84
Harpoon A harpoon is a long spear-like instrument and tool used in fishing, whaling, seal hunting, 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 t ...
anti-ship
cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhe ...
s, but this upgrade did not materialize due to the worsening political and economic crisis in the Philippines in the mid-1980s.Harpoon Database Encyclopedi
AVP-10 Barnegat class


Service history

''Francisco Dagohoy'' served in the Philippine Navy until she was decommissioned along with two other ''Andrés Bonifacio''-class frigates in June 1985.''NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive''

.
Unlike her two decommissioned sister ships, ''Francisco Dagohoy'' was never re-activated. She was discarded in March 1993 and probably scrapped.


Notes


References

*

* ttp://www.navsource.org/archives/09/43/4335.htm NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive USS Castle Rock (AVP-35) USCGC Castle Rock (WAVP-383 WHEC-383)br>United States Coast Guard Historians Office: ''Castle Rock'', 1948 AVP-35; WAVP / WHEC-383United States Coast Guard Historian's Office: ''Mackinac'', 1949 WHEC-371United States Coast Guard Historian's Office: Gresham, 1947 AGP-9; AVP-57; WAVP / WHEC / WAGW-387 ex-USS Willoughby Radio call sign: NODBUnited States Coast Guard Historian's Office: ''McCulloch'', 1946 WAVP / WHEC-386



Philippine Navy Official website



Philippine Defense Forum



Naming and Code Designation of PN Ships
* Chesneau, Roger. ''Conways All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946''. New York: Mayflower Books, Inc., 1980. . *Gardiner, Robert. ''Conway's All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1947-1982, Part I: The Western Powers''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1983. . * Gray, Randal, Ed. ''Conways All the Worlds Fighting Ships 1947-1982 Part II: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations''. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1983. . * Moore, John, Captain, RN, FRGS, Ed. ''Janes Fighting Ships 1973-1974''. London: Janes Yearbooks, 1973. No ISBN number. * Moore, John, Captain, RN, Ed. ''Janes Fighting Ships 1980-1981''. New York: Janes Publishing, Inc., 1980. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Castle Rock (AVP-35) World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Barnegat-class seaplane tenders Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the United States Coast Guard Ships of the United States Coast Guard Cold War patrol vessels of the United States Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Republic of Vietnam Navy Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Philippine Navy Casco-class cutters Vietnam War patrol vessels of the United States 1944 ships Alaska-related ships Weather ships Trần Quang Khải-class frigates Vietnam War frigates of South Vietnam Ships of the Philippine Navy Ships built at Lake Washington Shipyard