BRP Ramon Alcaraz due in August

From Malaya (Jun 10): BRP Ramon Alcaraz due in August

THE military’s second Hamilton-class cutter is due to depart for the Philippines from Charleston, South Carolina this week after more than a year of refurbishing and training.

Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Gerald Fabic said  Ambassador Jose Cuisia will visit the ship, to be known as BRP Ramon Alcaraz, prior to its departure. Also, there will be a Mass before the ship sets sail for the Philippines.

Fabic would not say the specific date of the ship’s departure from Charleston due to “operational security.” He said: “From Charleston, she will go to San Diego, passing through the Panama Canal.

He said the ship will travel at a speed of 12 knots, which he said is the “most economical speed.”

Off Florida, the ship will be test-firing her main armament, a 76 mm Oto Melara gun.
Fabic said the ship will have port visits in San Diego, Hawaii and Guam for re-provisioning and rest for the Filipino crew. The voyage will take about two months.

The former US Coast Guard ship was turned over to Filipino authorities in May last year and was subsequently   refurbished while its crew received training. The government spent $15 million to acquire the ship.

The Philippine government spent   $10 million to acquire its first Hamilton-class cutter, now known as BRP Gregorio del Pilar, from the US in 2011. The ship has been deployed to the West Philippine Sea or South China Sea.

“It’s more upgraded than BRP Gregorio del Pilar,” said Fabic of BRP Ramon Alcaraz. He said that while the two ships sport a 76-mm gun, Alcaraz “has additional guns that BRP Gregorio del Pilar doesn’t have.”

Asked what are the additional guns are, Fabic again invoked  operational security.

Fabic said when BRP Ramon Alcaraz arrives in the Philippines in the first week of August, it will undergo dry-docking for repainting. Its color will be changed to gray to match the Navy color, from its current color which is white.

Fabic said Alcaraz is expected to be commissioned in September.

“It’s a capability upgrade. Definitely, it’s an additional asset to the Philippine Navy.

BRP Ramon Alcaraz is a weather high-endurance cutter so it’s designed for high seas and it can last for 45 to 60 days without going back to shore,” he said.

“Most of our ships are smaller and can only last one week to 10 days at sea but BRP Ramon Alcaraz, along with BRP Gregorio del Pilar, can sail farther and longer. This means longer patrol at high seas within our 200-mile EEZ (exclusive economic zone),” he added.

Officials earlier hinted that Alcaraz would also be deployed to protect the country’s interest in the West Philippine Sea, where the disputed Spratly Islands are. The islands are being claimed also by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam.

The defense department is in the process of acquiring two brand new frigates to further improve the military’s capability in protecting territorial waters. The government has earmarked P18 billion for the acquisition of the two frigates.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/news/nation/33149-brp-ramon-alcaraz-due-in-august