The Malvar class was a ship class of patrol corvettes of the Philippine Navy whose last class members were decommissioned in 2021. These ships were formerly used by the US Navy as s, and and PCE(R)-848 class patrol craft, which were both based on the Admirable-class hull. In the Philippine Navy, the vessels have undergone upgrades and modifications, and have been re-categorized as corvettes. One ship, the ex-USN was converted into a non-combatant Presidential Yacht by the Philippine Navy in 1948 as RPS Pag-asa (APO-21) (later on renamed as RPS Santa Maria, and as RPS/BRP Mount Samat)

In 2021 December 10, the remaining two ships of the class were finally decommissioned. That event was supposed to mark the end of the era of using WW2 combatant ships in the Philippine Navy, but supertyphoon Odette hit the Philippines just 6 days after their decommissioning, and so the Philippine Navy was forced to briefly reactivate BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) "with a volunteer force composed mainly of its last crew" to serve as a temporary command post for the duration of the relief operations in the severely affected Dinagat Islands.

History The PCE class of naval ships served with the United States Navy during the Second World War.

Out of the reserved US Navy units, six were transferred to the Philippines as part of the US Military Assistance Program (PS-28 to PS-33), while five were former South Vietnamese Navy units that escaped to the Philippines in 1975.

With 40 years of active duty with the Philippine Navy, ships of this class have been involved in local and international crisis, exercises, and incidents.

In 2021 December 10, the last two Malvar-class corvettes, Magat Salamat and Miguel Malvar were decommissioned in a ceremony at Naval Base Heracleo Alano. That event was supposed to mark the end of the era of using WW2 combatants because the remaining WW2-era vessels left during that time are the five armed transport-types (3 LCUs & 2 LSTs). However, 15 days after her formal retirement, the Philippine News Agency reported that Magat Salamat would be briefly be reactivated "as a temporary command post for the duration of the relief operations in the Dinagat Islands which were severely devastated by Typhoon Odette," "with a volunteer force composed mainly of its last crew" to serve as a temporary command post for the duration of the relief operations in the severely affected Dinagat Islands.

Technical details Originally the ship was armed with one 3" (76mm) L/50 dual-purpose gun, two to six Bofors 40 mm guns, 1 Hedgehog depth charge projector, four depth charge projectiles (K-guns) and two depth charge tracks.

The same configuration applied up until the late 1980s when the Philippine Navy removed most of its old anti-submarine weapons and systems, losing its already-limited ASW abilities, but installed three 20 mm Oerlikon guns and four 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, making them lighter and more suited for surface patrols.GlobalSecurity.org PS Miguel Malvar Class

The ship was originally powered by two Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines, but these were replaced by two GM 12-567ATL diesel engines similar to her sister ships, with a combined rating of around . These were then again replaced in the mid 1990s with two GM 12-278A diesels with a combined rating of around driving two propellers. The main engines can propel the 914-ton (full load) ship to a maximum speed of around .DLSU N-ROTC Office. Naming and Code Designation of PN Vessels .

Ships in class Ship nameBow numberLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedServiceStatusBRP Datu TupasPS-1814 November 19435 April 19761977Patrol ForceUsed as parts hulk for sisterships.BRP Miguel MalvarPS-191 March 19447 February 197710 December 2021Offshore Combat ForceDecommissionedBRP Magat SalamatPS-20 19 March 19447 February 197710 December 2021Offshore Combat ForceBriefly reactivated as temporary command post in Dinagat Islands as reported in 2021 Dec 28BRP Sultan KudaratPS-2218 May 194322 July 19765 July 2019 Offshore Combat ForceCapsized at Sangley Point, CaviteBRP Datu MarikudoPS-2318 March 19445 April 19769 December 2010 Patrol ForceSold for scrap; equipment stripped as spare partsBRP CebuPS-2810 November 19432 July 19481 October 2019 Offshore Combat ForceCapsized at Sangley Point, Cavite.BRP Negros OccidentalPS-2924 February 19442 July 1948 9 December 2010 Patrol ForceSold for scrap; equipment stripped as spare partsRPS LeytePS-3020 June 19442 July 1948 1979Patrol ForceGrounded and lost in 1978.BRP PangasinanPS-3124 April 19432 July 1948 1 March 2021Offshore Combat ForceSunk as target for SINKEX phase of Exercise Balikatan 2023 on 26 April 2023.BRP IloiloPS-32 3 August 19432 July 1948 September 2016 MaxDefense Philippines BRP GREGORIO DEL PILAR MISSES CONTINUOUS MAINTENANCE AVAILABILITY, EMPHASIZES NEED OF PHILIPPINE NAVY FOR MORE WARSHIPS .Offshore Combat ForceWeapons, machinery & electronics stripped for spare parts; hull awaiting disposalRPS SamarPS-33 20 November 194324 May 1948 1960Patrol ForceAfter Decommissioning from Philippine Navy, she was transferred to the Bureau of Coast and Geodetic Survey in 1960.She was renamed RPS RESEARCH and served with BCGS until 1975 and eventually returned to the Philippine Navy and Probably Scrapped. Source: NAMRIA INFOMAPPER July 2001 issue and CDR Mark R Condeno

Gallery

References

External links Philippine Navy Official website

Philippine Defense Forum Opus224's Unofficial Philippine Defense Page