BRP Ramon Alcaraz now enroute to Guam

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 17): BRP Ramon Alcaraz now enroute to Guam

The Philippine Navy announced Wednesday the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), its second Hamilton-class cutter in service, has left Hawaii Tuesday (Wednesday a.m. PHL time) for its Guam port call.

"(Alcaraz) departed Hawaii around 5 a.m.," PN spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic said.

The spokesman would not disclose when the ship is expected to drop anchor in Guam "for operational security."

Neither would he disclose when the ship will reach Manila.

He added the ship's crew members successfully completed refueling and provisioning needed for its Guam voyage.

Hawaii to Guam is around 3,828 miles or around 6,160 kms.

The Filipino frigate arrived in Hawaii last July 13 (Philippine time) and was given a warm welcome by the Filipino community there.

During its stay in Hawaii, the crew headed by Capt. Ernesto Baldovino toured the USS Arizona Memorial.

Also, five enlisted personnel of the BRP Ramon Alcaraz took their oath of re-enlistment.

These included EN2 Regidor Labrador, EN3 Tomas Ciruelos Jr., EN3 Ernesto Cabahug, S2YN Erica Celemin and EN3 Marlon Martonito.

The Filipino frigate docked at Hawaii last July 13.

The BRP Ramon Alcaraz left San Diego, California for its Hawaii port call last July 6 (Philippine time).

The Filipino frigate docked at San Diego, California for re-fueling and re-provisioning last June 28 (US time).

BRP Ramon Alcaraz successfully concluded its Panama Canal crossing last June 18 (US time).

With this achievement, Alcaraz becomes the first Filipino warship to cross the historic waterway under her own power.

The Philippine frigate departed Charleston, South Carolina last June 10

The 82-km Panama Canal connects the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean.

It cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade.

The ship's top speed is placed between 29 to 31 knots.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=544989