BRP ''Miguel Malvar'' (PS-19) is the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of the of corvettes of the Philippine Navy. She was originally built as USS Brattleboro ''PCE(R)-852'', a for 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 ...

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 opposing ...

. In 1966 she was transferred to South Vietnam for service 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 RVNS ''Ngọc Hồi'' (HQ-12). She was acquired by the Philippine Navy in April 1976 and later on commissioned as ''Miguel Malvar'' after Miguel Malvar y Carpio. The ship is . Along with other World War II-era ships of the Philippine Navy, ''Miguel Malvar'' is one of the oldest active fighting ships in the world today.

History

US Navy

Commissioned in the US Navy as the USS Brattleboro ''PCER-852'' in 1944, she was first assigned in the Atlantic theatre of operations engaged in patrolling and training. On 1 August 1944, ''PCER-852'' stood out of

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

bound for Norfolk, Virginia with 26 prisoners of war—sailors from the German submarine , captured in June by a “hunter-killer” group formed around escort carrier . Relocating to the Pacific theatre of operations, her duties included treatment of wounded sailors and soldiers, and ASW patrols during the invasion of the Philippines at

Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is Mindanao ...

and Lingayen Gulf, and in the operations at

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. During her six months in the war zone, her medical staff and crew handled over 1300 dead, critically wounded, and ships' survivors. After the war she was placed under the

Atlantic Reserve Fleet The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and s ...

but was not decommissioned. Early in 1946, however, she was converted into an experimental ship to test infrared equipment for the Bureau of Ships. She had her armament removed and her hospital facilities converted to work spaces for test equipment. At that time, she was redesignated E-PCER-852. She completed the conversion in May 1946. In September 1947, the Bureau of Ships shifted the infrared test program to the

Naval Underwater Sound Laboratory The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons ...

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

with E-PCER-852 operating from that base. For the next 18 years, the ship continued to do experimental work. By the early 1950s the nature of her test work expanded from infrared gear to include optical communications equipment, sonar apparatus, weather gear, and various other items of hardware. In addition to the Bureau of Ships, she did test work for both the Bureau of Ordnance and the Office of Naval Research. On 15 February 1956, the ship was named ''USS Brattleboro''. She continued her experimental duties for nearly a decade after receiving her name. During that time, her zone of operations also expanded to include the coastal waters along the southeastern United States and thence into the West Indies. On 1 October 1965, ''Brattleboro'' was ordered to Philadelphia to begin inactivation. Decommissioned at Philadelphia and struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1965.''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships''
''Brattleboro'' page
.

Republic of Vietnam Navy

She was then transferred to the

Republic of 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 t ...

on 11 July 1966. She served the

as ''Ngọc Hồi'' (HQ-12) up until her escape 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 ...

in 1975, together with other South Vietnamese Navy ships and their respective crew.''NavSource Online: Patrol Craft Escort Photo Archive''
''Brattleboro'' (EPCE[R] 852) ex-''PCE(R)-852''
.

Philippine Navy

After she was cleaned, repaired and made ready for service, she was formally acquired by the Philippine Navy on 5 April 1976, and was commissioned together with other ex-RVN ships on 7 February 1977. She underwent extensive overhaul and refitting of armaments, and was commissioned into the Philippine Navy as RPS ''Miguel Malvar'' (PS-19). She initially served the Philippine Navy as RPS ''Miguel Malvar'' (PS-19) until she was renamed to BRP ''Miguel Malvar'' effective 23 June 1980.''Philippine Navy Information Manual 1995'' - Adoption of Pilipino Translation of "Bapor ng Republika ng Pilipinas" Between 1990 and 1992 the ''Miguel Malvar'' underwent major overhaul, weapons and radar systems refit, and upgrade of communications gear. She was assigned with the Patrol Force of the Philippine Fleet, and is considered as one of the most decorated ship of the Navy. 120707-N-HI414-217

On August 2011, the ''Miguel Malvar'' conducted rescue operations on a distressed vessel in the province of

Tawi-Tawi Tawi-Tawi, officially the Province of Tawi-Tawi ( tl, Lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi; Tausug: ''Wilaya' sin Tawi-Tawi''; Sinama: ''Jawi Jawi/Jauih Jauih''), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim ...

. She rescued around 60 passengers from the wooden-hulled vessel M/L ''Virginia'' and towed the said ship to a pier in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. The ''Miguel Malvar'' was one of the participating ships in the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2012 - Philippines exercises from 2 July to 10 July 2012. In July 2018, the BRP ''Miguel Malvar'' represented the Philippine Navy in a ''Trilateral Maritime Patrol (TMP)'' meeting with the Royal Malaysian Navy ships and KD ''Todak'' at the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) in

Sabah Sabah () is a state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indonesia to the south. The Federal Territory o ...

. In September 2018, the crew of the BRP ''Miguel Malvar'' rescued and evacuated at least 50 families from a huge fire that broke out near the Pier where the ship was docked in

Bongao Bongao, officially the Municipality of Bongao, is a 2nd class municipality and capital of the province of Tawi-Tawi, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 116,118 people. History Evidence of human presence in Bong ...

. Two teams from the ship was sent to combat the fire until firemen arrived. The fire started at 2:30 am and lasted for three (3) hours, burning down several buildings and houses. In December 2020, the ship responded to a distress call and rescued 33 People off the Coast of Langahan Island, Tawi-Tawi after their vessel, the ''M/L Utoh Salon'' damaged its engine shaft and went adrift for several hours. The BRP ''Malvar'' then towed the vessel and bought its occupants back to Tawi-Tawi. ''Miguel Malvar'' was decommissioned alongside her sister ship ''Magat Salamat'' on 10 December 2021, in a ceremony at Naval Base Heracleo Alano.

Technical details

There are slight difference between the BRP ''Miguel Malvar'' as compared to some of her sister ships in the Philippine Navy, since her original configuration was as a rescue patrol craft escort ( PCER), while the others are configured as patrol craft escorts ( PCE) and minesweepers ( ''Admirable'' class).

Armaments

Originally the ''Miguel Malvar'' was armed with one 3"/50 caliber dual purpose gun, two single

Bofors 40 mm gun Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...

s, four

Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 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 em ...

s, one

Hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introductio ...

depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks. During its overhaul and refit between 1990 and 1991,Saunders, Stephen: ''Jane's Fighting Ships 107th Edition 2004-2005''. Jane's Information Group Ltd, 2004. the Philippine Navy removed her old anti-submarine weapons and systems, and made changes in the armament set-up. Some sources claim the loss of its two Bofors 40mm cannons during the 1990-1991 overhaul and refit period,. Final armaments fitted to the ship are one Mk.22 3"/50-caliber gun, two single Bofors 40 mm cannons, three Mk.10

s, and four M2 Browning 12.7 mm/50 caliber machine guns. This made the ship lighter and ideal for surface patrols, but losing her limited anti-submarine warfare capability.''GlobalSecurity.org'
PS Miguel Malvar Class

Electronics

Also during the refit the ship's SPS-21D surface search radar and

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

SPN-18 navigation radar was replaced by 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 surface search and navigation radar system. Later modifications included the installation of a satellite communications system and GPS system standard to all Philippine Navy ships.

Machinery

The ship is powered by two GM 12-278A diesel engines with a combined rating of around driving two propellers. The main engines can propel the 914 tons (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around .DLSU N-ROTC Office
''Naming and Code Designation of PN Vessels''
.

Gallery

File:120708-N-KB052-311.jpg, BRP ''Iloilo'' (PS-32), BRP ''Pampanga'' (SARV-003), BRP ''Miguel Malvar'' (PS-19), BRP ''Salvador Abcede'' (PG-114) and USCGC ''Waesche'' (WMSL-751) join USS ''Vandegrift'' (FFG-48) for a photo exercise (PHOTOEX) during CARAT 2012-Philippines File:BRP Salvador Abcede (PG 114), BRP Miguel Malvar (PS 19), and BRP IloIlo (PS 32); PCG Pampanga (SARV 003); and USS Vandegrift (FFG 48).jpg, BRP ''Salvador Abcede'' (PG-114), BRP ''Miguel Malvar'' (PS-19), BRP ''Iloilo'' (PS-32), BRP ''Pampanga'' (SARV-003), and USS ''Vandegrift'' (FFG-48) for a photo exercise (PHOTOEX) during CARAT 2012-Philippines

References

External links

Philippine Defense Forum

DLSU ROTC

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miguel Malvar (PS-19) PCE(R)-848-class patrol craft Ships built in Chicago 1944 ships Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Republic of Vietnam Navy PCE(R)-848-class patrol craft of the Philippine Navy Miguel Malvar-class corvettes Corvettes of the Philippines