Philippine Navy is Expecting to Acquire One More Hamilton Class Ship

06 Agustus 2015

From twelve Hamilton class cutter, six already retired and transferred to the Philippines, Bangladesh and Nigeria. The remaining twelve, the oldest is USCGC Boutwell (WHEC-719) which commissioned in 1968  and the youngest is USCGC Midgett (WHEC-726) which commissioned in 1972 (photo : pdff)

BRP-Gregorio del Pilar docks in Zamboanga

THE BRP-Gregorio del Pilar, one of the two patrol frigates of the Philippine Navy, arrived Tuesday in Zamboanga City as part of its port visits to different parts of the country.

Navy Captain Vincent Sibala, commanding officer of BRP-Gregorio del Pilar or Patrol Frigate (PF)-15, said the port visit is part of the ship’s routine patrol.

Sibala said BRP-Gregorio del Pilar will stay in the city for a week. The next port of call is Davao City.

He added that BRP-Gregorio del Pilar is expected to be upgraded especially its censors equipment.

The ship is one of the two PN’s frigates with the West Philippine Sea as its mainstay. It is manned by 100 personnel, including three female officers and a nurse.

Sibala said the Philippine Navy is expecting to acquire one more similar type of vessel to further boost its capability.

The BRP-Gregorio del Pilar is a high-endurance Hamilton-class cutter named the USCGC Hamilton and has served with the US Coast Guard

(SunStar)