Philippine Navy

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The Philippine Navy (PN) is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas.

Philippine Navy ships are prefixed BRP (Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas; in English, "Ship of the Republic of the Philippines").

Mission

The mission of the Philippine Navy is to organize, train, equip, maintain, develop and deploy forces for prompt and sustained naval and maritime operations in the accomplishment of the AFP mission. The Navy's mission is supported by its core values of honor, dedication, patriotism, solidarity, leadership, and professionalism.

History

Early History

Philippine Revolution (1896-1899) and First Philippine Republic (1899-1901)

The need of a naval force was illustrated when the Filipino revolutionaries included a provision in the Biak-na-Bato Constitution authorizing the government to license privateers to attack enemy (i.e., Spanish) vessels.

In the English version of the same constitution, it was stipulated that after the army was organized, another such force should be created for the protection of the coasts of the Philippines and its seas, with a Secretary of the Navy being appointed to head this force.

During the Philippine Revolution, General Emilio Aguinaldo formed the Revolutionary Navy, consisting of the pinnace Magdalo and several steam launches, captured from the Spanish. The Navy refitted these for war and moved troops, arms, and supplies to the provinces. The Navy played a major role during the raid against the Spanish garrison and magazine on Bacoor Bay, the first amphibious assault by the Revolutionary Navy.

The fleet was later reinforced by armed merchant ships, including the Taaleño, the Balayan, the Bulusan, and the Purisima Concepcion, which were donated to the Navy. Another significant addition was the 800-ton steamer Compania de Filipinas, which belonged to the Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas and was seized by the Cuban Vicente Catalan, who hoisted the Filipino flag on the ship and proclaimed himself Admiral of the Filipino Navy. The Germans then objected to the flying of the Filipino flag and the French, who claimed that they owned the ship, demanded its return.

Aguinaldo continued deploying the navy to various islands of the country to engage the Spanish forces and rally the Filipinos. On June 23, 1898, Aguinaldo officially established the Ministry of Foreign Relations and placed the bureaus of diplomacy, navy, and commerce under it.

On September 26, 1898, as tensions with the United States of America grew after the fall of Manila, Aguinaldo appointed Pascual Ledesma as the first Director of the Navy. In October 1898, U.S. Navy Commodore George Dewey began seizing vessels flying the Philippine flag. On January 21, 1899, the Malolos Constitution was passed and made the President of the new First Philippine Republic the commander-in-chief of the Army and the Navy and transferred the Bureau of the Navy from the Ministry of Foreign Relations to the Department of War, which thereafter became known as the Department of War and the Navy.

Dewey also began a naval blockade to prevent Aguinaldo's forces from conducting further operations, resulting in the complete destruction of Philippine Republic naval forces by 1901.

American Colonial Government (1901-1941)

The American colonial government in the Philippines created the Bureau of the Coast Guard and Transportation, which aimed to maintain peace and order, transport Philippine Constabulary troops throughout the archipelago, and to guard against smuggling and piracy. The Americans employed many Filipino sailors in this bureau and in the Bureaus of Customs and Immigration, Island and Inter-Island Transportation, Coast and Geodetic Survey, and Lighthouses.

The Americans also reopened the former Spanish colonial Escuela Nautica de Manila, which was renamed the Philippine Nautical School, adopting the methods of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. The U.S. Naval Academy accepted its first Filipino midshipman in 1919, and Filipinos were able to enlist in the U.S. Navy, just as they were formerly able to do in the Spanish Navy.

World War II (1941-1945)

In 1935, the Commonwealth Government passed the National Defense Act, which aimed to ensure the security of the country. This was criticized because it placed the burden of the defense of the Philippines on ground forces, which in turn, was formed from reservists. It discounted the need for a Commonwealth air force and navy, and naval protection was provided by the United States Asiatic Fleet.

When World War II began, the Philippines practically had no naval forces after the United States withdrew the Asiatic Fleet after Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Philippines had to rely on its Offshore Patrol, composed of high-speed Thorneycroft Coast Motor Boat (CMB) 55-foot and 65-foot torpedo boats, to repel Japanese attacks from the sea.

During the course of the war, surviving units of the Offshore Patrol conducted hit-and-run attacks against the occupying Japanese forces.

Contemporary History (1946-present)

In 1945, after the liberation of the Philippines, the Offshore Patrol was reactivated and was strengthened in 1947 after President of the Philippines Manuel Roxas issued Executive Order No. 94. This order elevated the Patrol to a major command that was equal with the Army, Constabulary, and Air Force. The Patrol was renamed the Philippine Naval Patrol, with Jose Andrada as its first commodore and chief.

In 1950, Secretary of Defense Ramon Magsaysay created a Marine battalion with which to carry out amphibious attacks against the Communist Hukbalahap movement. The next year, President Elpidio Quirino issued Executive Order No. 389, re-designating the Philippine Naval Patrol as the Philippine Navy. It was to be composed of all naval and Marine forces, combat vessels, auxiliary craft, naval aircraft, shore installations, and supporting units that were necessary to carry out all functions of the service.

In the succeeding decades, the Philippine Navy organized the following units (aside from the Marines):

Naval Shore Establishment
Naval Operating Forces
Philippine Coast Guard
Home Defense Command
Military Sealift and Terminal Command

By the 1960s, the Philippine Navy was one of the best-equipped navies in Southeast Asia. Many of the countries in the region that had gained independence between World War II and the 1960s, such as Indonesia, sought assistance from the Philippine Navy in organizing their own navies. In 1967, the maritime law enforcement functions of the Navy were transferred to the Philippine Coast Guard.

For most of the succeeding decades, the government had to shift its attention towards the Communist insurgency. This focus forced the government to strengthen the Philippine Army and the Philippine Air Force. Naval operations were confined to troop transport, naval gunfire support, and blockade.

Organization

The Philippine Navy is administered through the Department of National Defense (DND). Under the AFP structure, the Chief of Staff, AFP (CSAFP), a four-star general, is the most senior military officer. The senior naval officer is the Flag Officer-in-Command (FOIC), usually with a rank of vice-admiral. He or she, along with his or her Air Force and Army counterparts, is junior only to the CSAFP. The FOIC is solely responsible for the administration and operational status of the Navy.

Currently the Navy establishment is actually composed of two (2) type commands, the Philippine Fleet and Philippine Marine Corps (PMC). It is further organized into six (6) Naval Operational Commands, six (6) Naval Support Commands, and four (4) Naval Support Units. Considering the vastness of the territorial waters that the Navy has to protect and defend, optimal deployment of naval resources is achieved through identification of suitable locations where the presence of these units are capable of delivering responsive services.

The Philippine Fleet, or simply the "Fleet", is under the direct command of the FOIC while the Marine Corps is answerable to the Commandant, PMC (CPMC). However, due to the fact that the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) is a large part of the Philippine Navy, the FOIC retains much administrative control over the PMC.

Fleets

The Philippine Navy has only one fleet, the Philippine Fleet. The terms "Philippine Navy" and "Philippine Fleet" are interchangeable. As a type command, the Fleet has four (4) major units: the Ready Force, Assault Craft Force, Patrol Force, and Service Force; one (1) support group, the Fleet Support Group; and two (2) special units, the Naval Air Group and Naval Special Warfare Group.

Marines

The Philippine Marine Corps is organized into three (3) active-duty Marine Brigades (comprising a total of ten (10) Marine battalions); the 4th Marine Brigade (Reserve); the Combat Service and Support Brigade; the Marine Security and Escort Group; and various support and independent units.

Inventory

Ships in Service

Frigate

Rajah Humabon Class

PF 11 BRP Rajah Humabon

Corvettes

Jacinto Class Armed with Boeing Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile

PS 35 BRP Emilio Jacinto
PS 36 BRP Apolinario Mabini
PS 37 BRP Artemio Ricarte

Quezon Class

PS 70 BRP Quezon
PS 74 BRP Rizal

Magat Salamat Class

PS 20 BRP Magat Salamat

Miguel Malvar Class

PS 19 BRP Miguel Malvar
PS 22 BRP Sultan Kudarat
PS 23 BRP Datu Marikudo
PS 28 BRP Cebu
PS 29 BRP Negros Occidental
PS 31 BRP Pangasinan
PS 32 BRP Iloilo

Patrol Craft

Mariano Alvarez Class

PS 38 BRP Mariano Alvarez

Aguinaldo Class

PG 140 BRP Mariano Alvarez
PG 141 BRP Antonio Luna

Kagitingan Class

PG 101 BRP Kagitingan
PG 102 BRP Bagong Lakas
PG 104 BRP Bagong Silang

Tomas Batillo Class

PG 110 BRP Tomas Batillo
PG 111 BRP Boni Serrano
PG 112 BRP Bienvenido Salting
PG 114 BRP Salvador Abcede
PG 115 BRP Ramon Aguirre
PG 116 BRP Nicolas Mahusay

Conrado Yap Class

PG 844 BRP Jose Artiaga
PG 847 BRP Leopoldo Regis
PG 851 BRP Apollo Tiano
PG 853 BRP Sulpicio Fernandez

Jose Andrada Class

PG 370 BRP Jose Andrada
PG 371 BRP Enrique Jurado
PG 372 BRP Alfredo Peckson
PG 374 BRP Simeon Castro
PG 375 BRP Carlos Albert
PG 376 BRP Heracleo Alano
PG 377 BRP Liberato Picar
PG 378 BRP Hilario Ruiz
PG 379 BRP Rafael Pargas
PG 380 BRP Estor Reinoso
PG 381 BRP Dioscoro Papa
PG 383 BRP Ismael Lomibao
PG 384 BRP Leovigildo Gantioqui
PG 385 BRP Federico Martir
PG 386 BRP Filipino Flojo
PG 387 BRP Anastacio Cacayorin
PG 388 BRP Manuel Gomez
PG 389 BRP Teotimo Figoracion
PG 390 BRP Jose Loor Sr.
PG 392 BRP Juan Magluyan
PG 393 BRP Florencio Inigo
PG 394 BRP Alberto Navarette
PG 395 BRP Felix Apolinario
PG 396 BRP Abraham Campo

Amphibious Ships

ex-WW2 LST 512-1152 Class

LT 86 BRP Zamboanga del Sur
LT 87 BRP South Cotabato
LT 501 BRP Laguna
LT 504 BRP Lanao del Norte
LT 507 BRP Benguet
LT 516 BRP Kalinga Apayao

Bacolod City Class

LC 550 BRP Bacolod City
LC 551 BRP Dagupan City

Auxilliary Ships

AT 25 BRP Ang Pangulo (Presidential Yacht)
AT 291 BRP Subanon
AT 293 BRP Bagobo
AS 71 BRP Mangyan
AW 33 BRP Lake Buluan
AW 34 BRP Lake Paoay
AF 72 BRP Lake Taal
AF 78 BRP Lake Buhi

Aircraft

Fixed-wing

Beechcraft C-12J Huron
Britten-Norman Islander
Douglas A-4F Skyhawk
Grumman A-6E Intruder
Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II
Lockheed C-130H Hercules

Helicopters

Aérospatiale Super Frelon
Bell AH-1J SuperCobra
Bell UH-1H Iroquois
Bell 412
Sikorsky MH-60 Knight Hawk
Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk

@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 ====Corvettes====
-'''''Jacinto'' Class'''
+'''''Jacinto'' Class''' Armed with Boeing Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile
 *PS 35 BRP ''Emilio Jacinto''
 *PS 36 BRP ''Apolinario Mabini''