BRP Diego Silang (PF-9)

History
Philippines
Name	Diego Silang
Namesake	Filipino revolutionary Diego Silang y Andaya (1730-1763)
Builder	Lake Washington Shipyard, Houghton, Washington
Laid down	6 June 1943
Launched	15 January 1944
Completed	July 1944
Acquired	5 April 1976
Commissioned	5 April 1976
Decommissioned	April 1990
Renamed	BRP Diego Silang (PF-9) June 1980 - 1985; BRP Diego Silang (PF-14) 1987 - 1990;
Fate	Discarded July 1990; probably scrapped
Notes	Served as United States Navy seaplane tender USS Bering Strait (AVP-34) (1944-1946);; Served as U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-382), later WHEC-382, (1949-1971);; Served as South Vietnamese Navy frigate RVNS Trần Quang Khải (HQ-02) (1971-1975);
General characteristics
Class and type	Andrés Bonifacio-class frigate
Displacement	1,766 tons (standard); 2,800 tons (full load);
Length	311.65 ft (94.99 m)
Beam	41.18 ft (12.55 m)
Draft	13.66 ft (4.16 m)
Installed power	6,200 horsepower (4.63 megawatts)
Propulsion	2 × Fairbanks Morse 38D8 1/8 diesel engines
Speed	18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) (maximum)
Range	8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h)
Sensors and ; processing systems	Sperry SPS-53 Surface Search Radar; Westinghouse AN/SPS-29 Air Search Radar; Mk.26 Mod.1 Fire Control System; Mk.52 Mod.3 Gun Director;
Armament	1 × Mk.12 5"/38 caliber gun (127 mm) dual purpose gun; 2 × Mk.1 Twin Bofors L/60 40 mm AA guns; 2 × Mk.3 Single Bofors L/60 40 mm AA guns; 4 × Twin Oerlikon 20 mm cannon; 4 × M2 Browning .50-caliber (12.7 mm) general purpose machine guns; 2 × 81 mm Mortars;
Aircraft carried	None permanently assigned; helipad could accommodate one MBB Bo 105 Helicopter
Aviation facilities	Helipad; no support capability

BRP Diego Silang (PF-9)^[2] was an Andrés Bonifacio-class frigate of the Philippine Navy in commission from 1976 to 1990. She and her three sister ships were the largest Philippine Navy ships of their time.

^ ^a ^b ^c Jane's Fighting Ships 1982-1983
^ This article assumes that the authoritative Jane's Fighting Ships 1980-1981, p. 370, is correct about the ship's lineage (i.e., that she was the former USS Bering Strait (AVP-34), USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-382/WHEC-382), and RVNS Trần Quang Khải (HQ-02). However, some confusion exists. The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (see http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b5/bering-strait-i.htm), the Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images (see http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-b/avp34.htm), the United States Coast Guard Historian's Office (see http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/BeringStrait1948.asp), NavSource.org (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/43/4334.htm) and Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1982 Part II: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations, p. 356, all agree with Jane's that Diego Silang was the former Trần Quang Khải and Bering Strait. However, the Inventory of VNN's Battle Ships Part 2 (see Part 2 at http://www.vnafmamn.com/VNNavy_inventory2.html Archived 2015-02-23 at the Wayback Machine) claims that Diego Silang was the former RVNS Lý Thường Kiệt (HQ-16), which it in turn claims was the former Bering Strait.

[Janes19821983-1] Jane's Fighting Ships 1982-1983

[2] This article assumes that the authoritative Jane's Fighting Ships 1980-1981, p. 370, is correct about the ship's lineage (i.e., that she was the former USS Bering Strait (AVP-34), USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-382/WHEC-382), and RVNS Trần Quang Khải (HQ-02). However, some confusion exists. The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (see http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b5/bering-strait-i.htm), the Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images (see http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-b/avp34.htm), the United States Coast Guard Historian's Office (see http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/BeringStrait1948.asp), NavSource.org (see http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/43/4334.htm) and Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1982 Part II: The Warsaw Pact and Non-Aligned Nations, p. 356, all agree with Jane's that Diego Silang was the former Trần Quang Khải and Bering Strait. However, the Inventory of VNN's Battle Ships Part 2 (see Part 2 at http://www.vnafmamn.com/VNNavy_inventory2.html Archived 2015-02-23 at the Wayback Machine) claims that Diego Silang was the former RVNS Lý Thường Kiệt (HQ-16), which it in turn claims was the former Bering Strait.

[1]

[2]

History

Philippines
Name	Diego Silang
Namesake	Filipino revolutionary Diego Silang y Andaya (1730-1763)
Builder	Lake Washington Shipyard, Houghton, Washington
Laid down	6 June 1943
Launched	15 January 1944
Completed	July 1944
Acquired	5 April 1976
Commissioned	5 April 1976
Decommissioned	April 1990
Renamed	BRP Diego Silang (PF-9) June 1980 - 1985 BRP Diego Silang (PF-14) 1987 - 1990
Fate	Discarded July 1990; probably scrapped
Notes	Served as United States Navy seaplane tender USS Bering Strait (AVP-34) (1944-1946); Served as U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Bering Strait (WAVP-382), later WHEC-382, (1949-1971); Served as South Vietnamese Navy frigate RVNS Trần Quang Khải (HQ-02) (1971-1975)
General characteristics
Class and type	Andrés Bonifacio-class frigate
Displacement	1,766 tons (standard) 2,800 tons (full load)
Length	311.65 ft (94.99 m)
Beam	41.18 ft (12.55 m)
Draft	13.66 ft (4.16 m)
Installed power	6,200 horsepower (4.63 megawatts)
Propulsion	2 × Fairbanks Morse 38D8 1/8 diesel engines
Speed	18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) (maximum)
Range	8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km) at 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h)
Sensors and processing systems	Sperry SPS-53 Surface Search Radar^[1] Westinghouse AN/SPS-29 Air Search Radar^[1] Mk.26 Mod.1 Fire Control System^[1] Mk.52 Mod.3 Gun Director
Armament	1 × Mk.12 5"/38 caliber gun (127 mm) dual purpose gun 2 × Mk.1 Twin Bofors L/60 40 mm AA guns 2 × Mk.3 Single Bofors L/60 40 mm AA guns 4 × Twin Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 4 × M2 Browning .50-caliber (12.7 mm) general purpose machine guns 2 × 81 mm Mortars
Aircraft carried	None permanently assigned; helipad could accommodate one MBB Bo 105 Helicopter
Aviation facilities	Helipad; no support capability