MANILA: The country’s newly commissioned warship BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) started its voyage from Guam to its new home yesterday morning.
In a statement, the Philippine Embassy in Washington said that the Philippine Navy’s new Hamilton-class cutter purchased by the Philippines in May 2012 is currently manned by 14 officers and 74 crew members,
Navy Captain Ernesto Baldovino is at the helm of the ship, which reportedly acquired new guns including anti-submarine missiles and devices which it was being refurbished in the US base, the statement said. The ship test-fired its newly-installed weapons in Florida, which included a 76-mm Oto Melara auto-cannon and two Mark 38 25-mm automatic cannons.
Philippine Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Gregory Fabic said that the Alcaraz took stopovers at San Diego, California, Hawaii and Guam before heading to the Philippines.
“She will be repainted haze gray and christened anew before being deployed,” Fabic added.
He said that the ship is currently running at its most economical 12 knots, even though it was earlier designed to run at 29 knots.
The Navy is expecting the Alcaraz to arrive in the country in early August and will start to be in service by September. The warship’s acquisition and refurbishment also cost the country $15.15m. Another one of the country’s newly purchased warship, the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar, arrived in Manila last December and placed in ervice early this year. THE PHILIPPINE STAR
