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Philippine Navy

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Philippine Navy
Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas
CountryPhilippines
Sizeabout 24,000 men
Part ofArmed Forces of the Philippines
Commanders
Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine NavyVice Admiral Rogelio Calunsag

The Philippine Navy (PN) is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas.

Philippine Navy ships are prefixed BRP ("Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas"; in English, "Ship of the Republic of the Philippines.")

Mission

The mission of the Philippine Navy is to organize, train, equip, maintain, develop and deploy forces for prompt and sustained naval and maritime operations in the accomplishment of the AFP mission. The Navy's mission is supported by its core values of honor, dedication, patriotism, solidarity, leadership and professionalism. The Philippine Navy further envisions that by 2020, they shall be a strong and credible navy that their maritime nation can be proud of.

Early History

Philippine Revolution (1896-1899) and First Philippine Republic (1899-1901)

The need of a naval force was illustrated when the Filipino revolutionaries included a provision in the Biak-na-Bato Constitution authorizing the government to license privateers to attack enemy (i.e., Spanish) vessels.

In the English version of the same constitution, it was stipulated that after the army was organized, another such force should be created for the protection of the coasts of the Philippines and its seas, with a Secretary of the Navy being appointed to head this force.

During the Philippine Revolution, General Emilio Aguinaldo formed the Revolutionary Navy, consisting of the pinnace Magdalo and several steam launches, captured from the Spanish. The Navy refitted these for war and moved troops, arms, and supplies to the provinces. The Navy played a major role during the raid against the Spanish garrison and magazine on Bacoor Bay, the first amphibious assault by the Revolutionary Navy.

The fleet was later reinforced by armed merchant ships, including the Taaleño, the Balayan, the Bulusan, and the Purisima Concepcion, which were donated to the Navy. Another significant addition was the 800-ton steamer Compania de Filipinas, which belonged to the Compania General de Tabacos de Filipinas and was seized by the Cuban Vicente Catalan, who hoisted the Filipino flag on the ship and proclaimed himself Admiral of the Filipino Navy. The Germans then objected to the flying of the Filipino flag and the French, who claimed that they owned the ship, demanded its return.

Aguinaldo continued deploying the navy to various islands of the country to engage the Spanish forces and rally the Filipinos. On June 23, 1898, Aguinaldo officially established the Ministry of Foreign Relations and placed the bureaus of diplomacy, navy, and commerce under it.

On September 26, 1898, as tensions with the United States of America grew after the fall of Manila, Aguinaldo appointed Pascual Ledesma as the first Director of the Navy. In October 1898, U.S. Navy Commodore George Dewey began seizing vessels flying the Philippine flag. On January 21, 1899, the Malolos Constitution was passed and made the President of the new First Philippine Republic the commander-in-chief of the Army and the Navy and transferred the Bureau of the Navy from the Ministry of Foreign Relations to the Department of War, which thereafter became known as the Department of War and the Navy.

Dewey also began a naval blockade to prevent Aguinaldo's forces from conducting further operations, resulting in the complete destruction of Philippine Republic naval forces by 1901.

American Colonial Government (1901-1941)

The American colonial government in the Philippines created the Bureau of the Coast Guard and Transportation, which aimed to maintain peace and order, transport Philippine Constabulary troops throughout the archipelago, and to guard against smuggling and piracy. The Americans employed many Filipino sailors in this bureau and in the Bureaus of Customs and Immigration, Island and Inter-Island Transportation, Coast and Geodetic Survey, and Lighthouses.

The Americans also reopened the former Spanish colonial Escuela Nautica de Manila, which was renamed the Philippine Nautical School, adopting the methods of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. The U.S. Naval Academy accepted its first Filipino midshipman in 1919, and Filipinos were able to enlist in the U.S. Navy, just as they were formerly able to do in the Spanish Navy.

World War II (1941-1945)

In 1935, the Commonwealth Government passed the National Defense Act, which aimed to ensure the security of the country. This was criticized because it placed the burden of the defense of the Philippines on ground forces, which in turn, was formed from reservists. It discounted the need for a Commonwealth air force and navy, and naval protection was provided by the United States Asiatic Fleet.

When World War II began, the Philippines practically had no naval forces after the United States withdrew the Asiatic Fleet after Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Philippines had to rely on its Offshore Patrol, composed of high-speed Thorneycroft Coast Motor Boat (CMB) 55-foot and 65-foot torpedo boats, to repel Japanese attacks from the sea.

During the course of the war, surviving units of the Offshore Patrol conducted hit-and-run attacks against the occupying Japanese forces.

Contemporary History (1946-present)

In 1945, after the liberation of the Philippines, the Offshore Patrol was reactivated and was strengthened in 1947 after President of the Philippines Manuel Roxas issued Executive Order No. 94. This order elevated the Patrol to a major command that was equal with the Army, Constabulary, and Air Force. The Patrol was renamed the Philippine Naval Patrol, with Jose Andrada as its first commodore and chief.

In 1950, Secretary of Defense Ramon Magsaysay created a Marine battalion with which to carry out amphibious attacks against the Communist Hukbalahap movement. The next year, President Elpidio Quirino issued Executive Order No. 389, re-designating the Philippine Naval Patrol as the Philippine Navy. It was to be composed of all naval and Marine forces, combat vessels, auxiliary craft, naval aircraft, shore installations, and supporting units that were necessary to carry out all functions of the service.

In the succeeding decades, the Philippine Navy organized the following units (aside from the Marines):

  • Naval Shore Establishment
  • Naval Operating Forces
  • Philippine Coast Guard
  • Home Defense Command
  • Military Sealift and Terminal Command.

By the 1960s, the Philippine Navy was one of the best-equipped navies in Southeast Asia. Many of the countries in the region that had gained independence between World War II and the 1960s, such as Indonesia, sought assistance from the Philippine Navy in organizing their own navies. In 1967, the maritime law enforcement functions of the Navy were transferred to the Philippine Coast Guard.

For most of the succeeding decades, the government had to shift its attention towards the Communist insurgency. This focus forced the government to strengthen the Philippine Army and the Philippine Air Force. Naval operations were confined to troop transport, naval gunfire support, and blockade.

The 1992 withdrawal of the United States from its facilities in the Philippines forced the Philippine Navy to rely on its own resources. The American withdrawal is now largely seen as the inevitable and natural consequence of the end of the Cold War and the end of bipolarism following the collapse of worldwide communism. However, it also resulted in a security vacuum in a region where tensions owing to deep-seated historic animosities and geopolitical disputes persisted, a vacuum that could be filled by regional powers. The pull-out also drew renewed attention to potential flashpoints, such as the Korean Peninsula and the Spratly Islands, that could bring nations into open conflict in the future. These developments hastened the 1995 passage of the AFP Modernization Law by the Philippine Congress to strengthen the defense capabilities of the nation.

Modernization is also expected to greatly enhance the Navy’s capacity to fulfill certain non-traditional tasks it has taken on as a result of recent international developments. In 1997, the Philippine Navy acquired three Peacock-class vessels from the Royal Navy after the British withdrawal from Hong Kong. On March 2004, the United States transferred the former USS Cyclone to the Philippine Navy, which was rechristened BRP Gen. Mariano Alvarez (Patrol Ship 38), in honor of a revolutionary general in the Philippine war for independence against Spain. Of note is that the Cyclone-class ships are based on a design from Vosper Thorneycroft of England, who built the first modern warships for the Offshore Patrol before World War II.

The Philippine Navy Modernization Program (part of the AFP Modernization Plan) specifies the projects and activities that the Navy will undertake to develop into a respectable armed force that will be able to reasonably provide a credible measure of deterrence. This will ensure effective sea control over the country’s maritime areas.

With comparatively modern landing ships and a small but well-disciplined Marine Corps, the Philippines would appear to be well-equipped to perform amphibious assaults. However, a shortage of ships with naval aviation assets (currently there are just two such ships) would suggest preemptive and administrative landings would be the rule rather than opposed assaults against enemy-occupied installations. The navy does possess eight landing ships, each carrying two LCVPs, which could be deployed in small-scale preemptive landings. Six of these ships can each carry up to sixteen (16) light armored vehicles. This amphibious force would therefore be more likely to be used in internal security operations rather than in force projection overseas (with the possible exception of the Spratly Islands.)

Organization

The Philippine Navy is administered through the Department of National Defense (DND). Under the AFP structure, the Chief of Staff, AFP (CSAFP), a four-star general, is the most senior military officer. The senior naval officer is the Flag Officer-in-Command (FOIC), usually with a rank of vice-admiral. He or she, along with his or her Air Force and Army counterparts, is junior only to the CSAFP. The FOIC is solely responsible for the administration and operational status of the Navy.

Currently the Navy establishment is actually composed of two (2) type commands, the| Philippine Fleet and Philippine Marine Corps (PMC). It is further organized into six (6) Naval Operational Commands, six (6) Naval Support Commands, and four (4) Naval Support Units. Considering the vastness of the territorial waters that the Navy has to protect and defend, optimal deployment of naval resources is achieved through identification of suitable locations where the presence of these units are capable of delivering responsive services.

The Philippine Fleet, or simply the "Fleet", is under the direct command of the Commander Phil. Fleet while the Marine Corps is answerable to the Commandant, PMC (CPMC). However, due to the fact that the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) is a large part of the Philippine Navy, the FOIC retains much administrative control over the PMC.

Fleets

The Philippine Navy has only one fleet, the | Philippine Fleet . The terms "Philippine Navy" and | Philippine Fleet are interchangeable. As a type command, the Fleet has four (4) major units: the Ready Force, Service Force, Patrol Force, and Assult Craft Force; one (1) support group, the Fleet Support Group; and two (2) special units, the Naval Air Group and Naval Special Operations Group.

| Philippine Fleet

Marines

The Philippine Marine Corps is organized into three (3) active-duty Marine Brigades (comprising a total of ten (10) Marine battalions); the 4th Marine Brigade (Reserve); the Combat Service and Support Brigade; the Marine Security and Escort Group; and various support and independent units.

Ships in Service

Frigate

Rajah Humabon Class (USN Cannon Class)

Corvettes

BRP Artemio Ricarte of the Philippine Navy

Jacinto Class (RN Peacock Class)

Quezon Class (USN Auk Class)

Magat Salamat Class (USN Admirable Class)

Miguel Malvar Class (USN PCE Class)

Patrol Craft

File:USS Cyclone (PC 1).jpg
USS Cyclone, now BRP Mariano Alvarez

Mariano Alvarez Class (USN Cyclone Class)

Aguinaldo Class

Kagitingan Class

Tomas Batillo Class (ROKN Chamsuri PKM Class)

Conrado Yap Class

Jose Andrada Class

BRP Juan Magluyan (PG 392), an Jose Andrada-class patrol vessel

Amphibious Ships

ex-WW2 LST 512-1152 Class

Bacolod City Class (Modified Frank Besson Class LSV)

Auxiliary Ships

Ships without a BRP name

Bases

References

  • Philippine Navy. (1998). Tides of change. Manila: Philippine Navy.
  • Philippine Navy. (2007). The Philippine Navy Strategic Sail Plan 2020 Book 1 2007. Manila: Philippine Navy.

Notes

  1. ^ Timawa.net: Philippine Navy

See also

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