Four years ago, in January 2019, news reports came out that the United States Army would divest its Maritime Capability beginning with 18 of its 35 large Runnymede Class Landing Craft Utilities and one of its 8 Frank S Besson Class Landing Support Vessels (LSVs), 2 of which were already in service with the Philippine Navy as the Bacolod City…
INTRODUCTION Submarine Warfare and Anti-Submarine Warfare is no stranger to the world’s Second largest archipelago as its waters were witness to the various naval battles of the last Pacific War between Submarines of the United States Navy against that of Imperial Japan and/or the other way around with the former during the Battle of Palawan Passage in October 1944 with…
From the past to the present, in common naval parlance, the Flagship is usually where the Admiral has its Flag. Throughout time, the Flagship is also noted for its armaments, speed, and capability. Sometimes the Flagship is also the lead ship of a Navy’s particular class of vessel specifically if it is the most well-armed or the biggest in its…
INTRODUCTION: THE TIES THAT BIND. In August 1947, a naval mission was organized by the U.S. Navy in Subic Bay Naval Base to bring in former Auxiliary Motor Minesweepers (AM) of the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy to form the nucleus of the Korean Naval Defense Corps being activated under the supervision of the U.S. Coast Guard. The Korean Naval…
People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil—soil consecrated in the blood or our two peoples. We have come dedicated and committed to the task of destroying every vestige of enemy control over your daily lives, and of restoring upon a foundation of indestructible strength, the liberties of…
A colleague posted about having seen the movie Midway, just released last week, and suggested that it is a good movie to watch. While on a 4-day layover at SBMA, part of a long-planned participation in Anvaya Cove’s annual Pawikan Cup, I decided to check it out and behold! It was playing at Ayala Mall’s Harbor Point at the former…
“The goal of the AFP Modernization Program reads: the Philippines has the longest coast line in the world next to Indonesia and Canada. The sea is extremely significant from an international, navigational, economic, geopolitical and strategic perspective. There is an urgent need to develop a modern and adequately equipped force that will ensure maritime and air space security.” – National…
Lingayen Gulf, where the famous Hundred Islands National Park lies, is one of the nation’s historical bodies of water. It not only provides a source of livelihood, from fishing to tourism to the coastal cities and municipalities of Pangasinan province but also an ideal venue for naval exercises including amphibious landings. Lingayen town is the provincial capital and lends its…
In the Mar-Apr 2016 (MR16-2) issue, I wrote about the sinking of SS Corregidor on 17-December-1941 that resulted in the death of my late father, an Army Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers on that fateful night, as he sailed on the SS Corregidor to rejoin his unit in Davao. He was the Assistant City Engineer and was called to…
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii — Just days before the 76th anniversary of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, marine researchers have found and explored the undersea wreckage of the U.S. ship that was the first to fire upon a Japanese vessel that day. On 01-Dec-2017, the crew of the research vessel Petrel sent an underwater drone 650 feet below to explore…
“An enemy of my enemy is a friend.” –An Arab Saying “There are no eternal friends, nor permanent enemies, only eternal and permanent interests.” –Lord Palmerston Last September 2017, two heads of states — President of the United States Donald Trump and President of North Korea Kim Jong-un hurled invectives at each other and issued statements threatening to launch an…