Balikatan blunder: World War-era warship sinks before missile strikes during US- Philippines war games
A US World War II-era warship, corvette BRP Miguel Malvar, which was the target of a joint annual US-Philippines military exercise 'Balikatan', sunk prematurely before missiles could strike it, owing to rough sea conditions.
The ship quietly sunk in the South China Sea. Following the mishap, the drill was cancelled.
"The decommissioned vessel BRP Miguel Malvar took on water while being positioned approximately 30 nautical miles west of San Antonio, Zambales before sinking at 7:20 a.m. at its intended location for the maritime strike," Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. John Percie Alcos said.
“Due to rough sea conditions that we are currently experiencing in the exercise box and with its long service life, as is expected, she took on a significant amount of water and eventually sank,” Capt. Alcos added.
No personnel were injured in the accident. Before the towing of the target vessel to the operational area, BRP Miguel Malvar had undergone environmental cleaning and preparation for the drills.
The vessel was selected for the exercise because it exceeded its service life and was no longer suitable for normal operations.
The two navies were to proceed with other live-fire exercises off Zambales on Monday despite the premature sinking of the ship.
History and legacy of BRP Miguel Malvar
Originally commissioned as USS Brattleboro, this PCE(R)-848-class rescue patrol craft escort was built in 1944.
During World War II, the ship served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, playing a major role in rescue and air defence operations. In the Battle of Leyte, it helped evacuate over 400 wounded and downed a Japanese aircraft. It was also instrumental in rescuing over 1,000 survivors from sinking ships during the invasion of Okinawa.
After the war, the vessel was converted for experimental work and continued these duties until decommissioned in 1965.
In 1966, the ship was transferred to the Republic of Vietnam Navy as Ngọc Hoi. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, it escaped to the Philippines.
In 1977, after being refurbished and rearmed, it was commissioned as BRP Miguel Malvar. It served as the lead vessel of its class and performed patrol duties before it was decommissioned in 2021.
Defence