BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20)

BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) is one of several Miguel Malvar class of patrol corvettes in service with the Philippine Navy. She was originally built as USS Gayety (AM-239), an Admirable-class minesweeper with a similar hull to the PCE-842-class patrol craft produced during World War II. Along with other ex-World War II veteran ships of the Philippine Navy, she is considered one of the oldest active fighting ships in the world today.[3]

BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20)
History
United States
Name: Gayety
Ordered: 1942
Builder: Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding
Laid down: 14 November 1943
Launched: 19 March 1944
Commissioned: 23 September 1945
Decommissioned: 1 March 1954
Reclassified: Fleet Minesweeper, MSF-239
Fate: Transferred to Republic of Vietnam Navy on 17 April 1962.
South Vietnam
Name: Chi Lăng II
Acquired: 17 April 1962
Out of service: 1975
Fate: Escaped to the Philippines in 1975
Philippines
Name: Magat Salamat
Namesake: Magat Salamat
Acquired: 5 April 1976
Commissioned: 7 February 1977[1]
Reclassified: Patrol Corvette
Status: In service with the Philippine Navy.
General characteristics
Class and type: Miguel Malvar-class corvette (in Philippine Navy service)
Type: Patrol Corvette
Displacement: 914 Tons (Full Load)
Length: 184.5 ft (56.2 m)
Beam: 33 ft (10 m)
Draft: 9.75 ft (2.97 m)
Installed power: 2,200 hp (1,600 kW)
Propulsion:
  • Main: 2 × GM 12-278A diesel engines
  • Auxiliary: 2 × GM 6-71 diesel engines with 100KW gen and 1 × GM 3-268A diesel engine with 60KW gen
Speed: 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) (maximum),
Range: 6,600 nmi (12,200 km; 7,600 mi) at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Complement: 85
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 Surface Search / Navigation Radar[2]
  • Furuno Navigation Radar
Armament:

History

US Navy

Commissioned in the US Navy as USS Gayety (AM-239) in 1945, she was assigned in the Pacific theatre of operations, specifically around the Japanese home islands providing minefield sweeping and anti-submarine warfare patrols in the Ryukyus and off Okinawa. 27 May 1945 She suffered a near-miss from a 500-pound bomb and was damaged with several casualties who were buried at Zamami shima, Okinawa, although she was quickly put back into fighting shape. After the war she was decommissioned on June 1946 and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

Gayety was recommissioned on 11 May 1951 as a training ship, and was again decommissioned on 1 March 1954, and re-entered Atlantic Reserve Fleet. As part of the reserves, she was reclassified as MSF-239 on 7 February 1955.[4][5]

Republic of Vietnam Navy

She was then transferred to the Republic of Vietnam on 17 April 1962. She served the Vietnamese Navy as RVN Chi Lăng II (HQ-08) up until her escape to the Philippines in 1975, together with other South Vietnamese Navy ships and their respective crew.[5][6]

Philippine Navy

She was formally acquired by the Philippine Navy on 5 April 1976, and was commissioned into the Philippine Navy on 7 February 1977 and was renamed RPS Magat Salamat (PS-20).[1] She was renamed to BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) in June 1980 using a new localized prefix.[7]

Between 1996 and 1997 Magat Salamat underwent major overhaul, weapons and radar systems refit, and upgrade of communications gear.[8]

She is currently assigned with the Patrol Force of the Philippine Fleet,[9] under the jurisdiction of Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao.[10]

Notable deployments / exercises

On February 2011, Magat Salamat, together with BRP Felix Apolinario, BRP Teotimo Figuracion, and other Philippine Navy ships and units participated in Exercise PAGSISIKAP 2011 held in Davao Gulf.[10]

Magat Salamat was one of the participating ships in the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2012 - Philippines exercises from 2 to 10 July 2012.[11]

Technical details

There are slight difference between BRP Magat Salamat as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her previous configuration was as a minesweeper (Admirable class) while the others are configured as rescue patrol craft escort (PCER) and patrol craft escort (PCE) ships.[2]

Armaments

Originally the ship was armed with one 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun, one twin Bofors 40 mm guns, six single 20 mm gun mounts, one Hedgehog depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks.[5] Changes were made during its transfer to the South Vietnamese Navy, as it appears in photos show the removal of her anti-submarine weapons, removal of two Oerlikon 20 mm guns, and addition of single Bofors 40 mm guns.[5] This made the ship lighter and ideal for surface patrols, but losing her limited anti-submarine warfare capability. The same configuration applies when she was transferred to the Philippine Navy in 1975 up until around 1996–1997.

During its overhaul and refit between 1996 and 1997,[8] the Philippine Navy made some changes in the armament set-up. Some sources claim the loss of its Bofors 40 mm cannons during the 1990-1991 overhaul and refit period,[2] but photos at of 2011 show the Bofors guns still present. Final armaments fitted to the ship are one Mk.26 3"/50-caliber gun (fore), three single Bofors 40 mm cannons (aft), four Mk.10 Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (two each on bridge wings), and four M2 Browning 12.7 mm/50 caliber machine guns (two besides main bridge, two aft near the lower Bofors gun tub).[2]

Electronics

Also during the refit the ship's Sperry SPS-53A surface search radar and RCA SPN-18 navigation radar[8] was replaced by a Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 surface search and navigation radar system.[2] Later modifications included the installation of an additional Furuno navigation radar , long range and satellite communications system, and GPS system standard to all Philippine Navy ships.

Machinery

The ship is originally powered by two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, but was replaced by two GM 12-567ATL diesel engines, then later by two GM 12-278A diesel engines, with a combined rating of around 2,200 bhp (1,600 kW) driving two propellers. The main engines can propel the 914 tons (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around 16 knots (30 km/h).[12]

References
  1. "6 new ships boost RP navy fleet". Philippine Daily Express. 8 February 1977.
  2. GlobalSecurity.org PS Miguel Malvar Class
  3. Armed Forces of the Philippines Order of Battle. Philippine Navy Archived 12 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Gayety page.
  5. NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive. Gayety (MSF 239) ex-AM-239.
  6. VMAF MAMN. The Inventory of VNN's Battle Ships
  7. Philippine Navy Information Manual 1995 - Adoption of Pilipino Translation of "Bapor ng Republika ng Pilipinas"
  8. Saunders, Stephen: Jane's Fighting Ships 107th Edition 2004-2005. Jane's Information Group Ltd, 2004.
  9. Philippine Fleet Official Website. Commissioned Ships and Crafts
  10. "Fleet-Marine assets see action in Exercise Pagsisikap 2011" (PDF). Philippine Navy Navy Today Vol.003-11 No.2. February 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  11. "Philippine, US naval exercises slated in Mindanao Sea". Philippine Daily Inquirer. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  12. DLSU N-ROTC Office. Naming and Code Designation of PN Vessels Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine.
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