Malvar-class corvette

Not to be confused with Miguel Malvar-class frigate.
Class overview
NameMalvar class
BuildersPullman Standard Car Manufacturing Co.; Albina Engine and Machine Works; Willamette Iron and Steel Corp.; Winslow Marine Railway and Shipbuilding; US
Operators Philippine Navy
Succeeded byRizal class
Active0
Lost1
Retired9
General characteristics
Type
  • Patrol corvette (as originally transferred)
  • Gun corvette (later, upon removal of all ASW ability)
Displacement
  • 914 tons (full load)
  • 640 tons (standard)
Length184.5 ft (56.2 m)
Beam33 ft (10 m)
Draft
Installed power
  • 3 gens[1]
  • 2 × GM6-71 diesel engines with 100KW gen
  • 1 × GM3-268A diesel engine with 60KW gen
Propulsion
  • 2 × GM12-278A diesel engines [1] with a combined 2,200 hp (1,600 kW)
  • (previous) 2 × GM12-567ATL diesel engines
  • (original) 2 × Cooper Bessemer GSB-8 diesel engines
Speed
Range6,600 nmi at 11 knots (20 km/h)
Complement85
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Raytheon AN/SPS-64(V)11 nav & surface-search radar (1990-1992 refits: PS-19, PS-22, PS-31, & PS-32) (1992-1993 refits: PS-23 & PS-28)[2]
  • SPS-50 Surface Search Radar (on PS-23)
  • SPS-21D Surface Search Radar (on PS-19 and PS-28)
  • CRM-NIA-75 Surface Search Radar (on PS-29, PS-31, and PS-32)
  • SPS-53A Surface Search Radar (on PS-20)
  • RCA SPN-18 I/J-band Navigation Radar
  • [3]
  • Sonar (either removed during 1990-1993 overhaul & refits[3] or 1980s;[2] if not in the 1960s for the 5 ships that arrived in 1975)
Armament
  • SuW-AAW[1][2]
  • 1 × 76mm L/50 (3-inch 50-caliberLong) dual-purpose cannon on a Mk.22 mount
  • Bofors 40mm AA rapid-fire cannons (in 1 of ff config):
    • 3 × twin-barrel[1]
    • 2 × single-barrel[1]
    • 3 × single-barrel (claimed from some photo sources)
    • none at all (transferred to PhMC for their ground-based AA weapons)[2]
  • Oerlikon 20 mm AA rapid-fire cannons: 3[2] or 4 units[1])
  • 4 × M2 Browning 50cal (12.7 mm) heavy machine guns
  • A number of 30cal medium machine guns
  • Removed Armaments
  • 4 of 1st 6 ships transferred in 1948: Either during the 1990-1993 overhaul & refits[3] Or the 1980's [2])
  • Last 5 ships arrived in 1975: Either during 1960's before their transfer to RVNN Or (except maybe PS-18) along with 4 of the 1st 6 ships
  • ASW
  • 1 × Hedgehog antisubmarine mortar projector
  • 4 × K-gun depth charge projectors
  • 2 × depth charge rails
  • SuW-AAW
  • Bofors 40mm twin-barrel AA rapid-fire cannons (either only certain ships[1] or all the remaining ships [2])
  • MCM gears (from the 3 minesweeper-variant hulls Admirable-class)

The Malvar class is a ship class of patrol corvettes of the Philippine Navy and are currently its oldest class of corvettes. These ships were formerly used by the US Navy as Admirable-class minesweepers, and PCE-842-class 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 USS Quest 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)[4]

In 2021 December 10, the remaining two ships of the class were finally decommissioned, and so the remaining WW2-era vessels left during that time are the five armed transport-types (3 LCUs & 2 LSTs). That event was supposed to mark the end of the era of using WW2 combatants but supertyphoon Odette hit the Philippines just 6 days after their decommissioning, and so BRP Magat Salamat (PS-20) was forced again into service "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.[5]

But to begin with, the replacements for all the WW2-era vessels was originally planned for the 2000s under the 1995-2010 Philippine Military Modernization Law, however this law was largely ignored for various reasons, including overdependence on the US via their 1951 MDT and 1998 VFA, among others. Some Filipinos blamed the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis as the core reason but in actuality the Philippine economy grew by 5.2% in 1997, only contracted -0.6% in 1998, and then quickly rebounded 3.1% in 1999, and onwards; it even weathered the Global Financial crisis of 2007-2008 where, by 2009, most countries were on the negative while the Philippines managed at 1.1%, while 7.15% and 4.15% in 2007 and 2008, respectively. The modernization law expired in 2010 February 23 without even a single hint of reviving it during that time. The Philippines only thought of reviving it when the Scarborough Shoal standoff erupted in 2012 April 8.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Cite error: The named reference PHNavyAssetsDesignation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Cite error: The named reference malvarclass_globalsecurityorg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c Jane's Fighting Ships 2004-2005
  4. ^ NavSource Online: Mine Warfare Vessel Photo Archive Quest (AM-281) Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "WW2 corvette to serve as command post in Dinagat relief ops: Navy". Philippine News Agency. 28 December 2021.