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Malay Mail
09-05-2025
- General
- Malay Mail
WWII-era Philippine navy ship sinks before planned farewell during US-Philippine drills
MANILA, May 9 — The BRP Miguel Malvar, old enough to have seen action in World War II, was scheduled to go out in a blaze of glory Monday, as a target ship during the annual US-Philippine 'Balikatan' military exercises. The 80-year-old vessel, however, would not quite make its own funeral. Onlookers instead watched as the ship, which once chased Japanese submarines and ferried German prisoners as part of the US fleet, sank before the first volley could be fired. 'The Balikatan 25 maritime strike targets vessel sank off the west coast of the Philippines prior to the event commencing today,' Philippine Navy spokesman John Percie Alcos said in cancelling a planned media event. 'Due to rough sea conditions... and with its long service life... she took on a significant amount of water and eventually sank,' he said Praising it as one of the most-decorated ships in Philippine history, Alcos added the country was proud to be 'transitioning to a new and multi-capable navy'. After more than 20 years of service, the vessel — then named USS Brattleboro — was sold to the Republic of Vietnam in 1966. The Philippine Navy acquired and refurbished the ship after its crew fled Vietnam following the 1975 fall of Saigon. Balikatan, three weeks of US-Philippine joint exercises aimed at deterring Beijing's ambitions in the disputed South China Sea, is set to end Friday. — AFP
Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
World War II-era ship sinks before US-Philippine forces can use in drills
Listen to article A World War II-era US Navy ship intended to be sunk in a live-fire military exercise by US and Philippine forces sank prematurely on Monday, slipping beneath the South China Sea before any missile or bomb could strike it. The ex-USS Brattleboro, which served in key Pacific battles more than 80 years ago, was to be the centrepiece target in the "Balikatan" joint drills currently underway off the coast of Luzon. 'The vessel was selected because it exceeded its service life and was no longer suitable for normal operations,'Philippine military officials said. 'Due to rough sea conditions that we are currently experiencing in the excercise box and with its long service life as it expected, she took on a significant amount of water and eventually sank,' said Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. John Percie Alcos. He confirmed that the 184-foot ship, which was not damaged during towing, sank at 7:20 am local time. The Brattleboro had been selected for the drill's MARSTRIKE (maritime strike) phase because it was no longer operational. It was meant to be destroyed by a combination of US Marine Corps F/A-18 jets, anti-ship missiles, bombs, and cannon fire. Despite the vessel's early demise, the rest of the MARSTRIKE training will proceed, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a statement. 'The combined force will still achieve its training objectives,' the military said, The vessel had been thoroughly cleaned before deployment and posed no environmental risk, according to the Philippine military. The annual Balikatan exercise, running from April 21 to May 9, aims to strengthen cooperation and readiness between the US and Philippine armed forces amid rising tensions in the region. History of ex- USS Brattleboro The ex-USS "Brattleboro" met an unceremonious end on Monday, but its history spanned some of the most pivotal moments in 20th-century naval warfare. Commissioned as a submarine chaser during World War II, the ship played a key role in the battles of Leyte Gulf and Okinawa—two decisive American campaigns against Imperial Japan in 1944 and 1945, respectively. According to the US Naval History and Heritage Command, the vessel supported air defence and rescue operations during the Leyte invasion, evacuating over 400 wounded soldiers to hospital ships and downing a Japanese aircraft. Following additional combat operations near Palau and the Philippines, the Brattleboro joined the Okinawa campaign in spring 1945. There, it provided emergency treatment to more than 200 seriously injured personnel and rescued over 1,000 survivors from sunken vessels during the 91-day battle. Retired from US service in the 1960s, the ship was transferred to South Vietnam in 1966. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, it was handed over to the Philippine Navy and recommissioned in 1977 as the BRP Miguel Malvar, named after a Filipino revolutionary leader. The vessel remained in service until its decommissioning in 2021. Rising regional tension The scheduled sinking of the Brattleboro had been planned in waters facing the disputed Scarborough Shoal—an area closely patrolled by Chinese military and coast guard vessels. The Philippines also claims the shoal, located roughly 137 miles west of Zambales province. This year's Balikatan—meaning 'shoulder-to-shoulder' in Tagalog—involves over 14,000 troops from the US and the Philippines. The drills are intended as a robust test of the two nations' joint defence capabilities amid rising tensions in the South China Sea. Clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels near the shoal have intensified in recent years, fuelling fears of broader military escalation. China continues to assert sweeping claims over the South China Sea, while forcefully opposing any US military involvement in the region.
NBC News
06-05-2025
- General
- NBC News
U.S. and Philippine forces cancel ship-sinking drill after World War II-era target prematurely sinks
MANILA, Philippines — A World War II-era Philippine navy ship to be used as a target in a combat exercise by American and Philippine forces accidentally sank Monday hours before the mock assault, prompting the drill to be canceled, U.S. and Philippine military officials said. The BRP Miguel Malvar, which was decommissioned by the Philippine navy in 2021, took on water while being towed in rough waters facing the disputed South China Sea and sank about 30 nautical miles off the western Philippine province of Zambales. Nobody was onboard when the ship listed and then sank, the Philippine military said. American and Philippine forces proceeded with other live-fire maneuvers off Zambales on Monday despite the premature sinking of the Malvar. The ship was built as a patrol vessel for the U.S. Navy in the 1940s and was transferred to Vietnam's navy before the Philippine military acquired it, Philippine navy Capt. John Percie Alcos said. 'It's an 80-year-old dilapidated ship and it wasn't able to withstand the rough seas,' Philippine Lt. Col. John Paul Salgado told The Associated Press. The ship-sinking exercise was planned in an offshore area facing the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal, which has been closely guarded by the Chinese coast guard, navy and suspected militia ships. The Philippines also claims the fishing atoll, which lies about 137 miles west of Zambales. Chinese and Philippine forces have had increasingly hostile confrontations in the waters and airspace of Scarborough in recent years. The canceled ship-sinking drill would have been the third to be staged by the treaty allies in recent years. It was supposed to be one of the highlights of large-scale annual military exercises by the United States and the Philippines from April 21 to May 9 with about 14,000 U.S. and Filipino troops participating. Called Balikatan, Tagalog for shoulder-to-shoulder, the combat drills have increasingly focused on the defense of Philippine sovereignty in the face of China's growing aggression in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. Mock battle scenes that have been staged so far, including the retaking of an island from hostile forces, have reflected assurances by the Trump administration, including by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, that the U.S. would abide by its treaty commitment to defend the Philippines in case Filipino forces come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea. On Sunday, U.S., Australian and Philippine forces practiced retaking an island from hostile forces in the coastal town of Balabac in western Palawan province, which faces the South China Sea. Japanese forces and British marines joined as observers of the combat exercise, which 'showcased the growing interoperability and cohesion among partner nations in maintaining regional security,' Salgado said. 'What we have seen since Trump returned to the White House is a remarkable level of continuity in the U.S.-Philippines alliance not only in joint military drills, but also on American statements that the alliance is 'ironclad,'' said Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst at RAND Corporation. 'The Trump administration is trying to keep the pressure on China through its support to the Philippines,' Grossman said. But he added that it is unclear 'just how sustainable this commitment will be given that the Trump administration seems less hawkish on China than its predecessors.' China has vehemently opposed such exercises involving U.S. forces in or near the South China Sea or Taiwan, the island democracy, which Beijing claims as a province and has threatened to annex by force if necessary. U.S. and Philippine military officials, however, have insisted that the combat exercises were not designed with China in mind but serve as a deterrence to acts of aggression in the region.
RTÉ News
06-05-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
Warship sinks before it can be sunk in US-Philippine drills
The BRP Miguel Malvar, old enough to have seen action in World War II, was scheduled to go out in a blaze of glory today, as a target ship during the annual US-Philippine "Balikatan" military exercises. The 80-year-old vessel, however, would not quite make its own funeral. Onlookers instead watched as the ship, which once chased Japanese submarines and ferried German prisoners as part of the US fleet, sank before the first volley could be fired. "The Balikatan 25 maritime strike targets vessel sank off the west coast of the Philippines prior to the event commencing today," Philippine Navy spokesman John Percie Alcos said in cancelling a planned media event. "Due to rough sea conditions ... and with its long service life... she took on a significant amount of water and eventually sank," he said. Praising it as one of the most-decorated ships in Philippine history, Mr Alcos added the country was proud to be "transitioning to a new and multi-capable navy". After more than 20 years of service, the vessel - then named USS Brattleboro - was sold to the Republic of Vietnam in 1966. The Philippine Navy acquired and refurbished the ship after its crew fled Vietnam following the 1975 fall of Saigon. Balikatan, three weeks of US-Philippine joint exercises aimed at deterring Beijing's ambitions in the disputed South China Sea, is set to end Friday.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
World War II-era target ship prematurely sinks before US and Philippine forces can use in drills
A ship that US and Philippine forces planned to sink beat them to it. A former US World War II-era warship, which survived two of the Pacific War's most important battles, was supposed to go down in a blaze of glory in a live-fire exercise off the western coast of the Philippines as part of annually held joint military drills. Instead, before the bombs and missiles could fly, it slipped slowly beneath the South China Sea Monday morning, age and the ocean catching up to it before modern weaponry could decimate it. The ex-USS Brattleboro was to be the main target for the maritime strike (MARSTRIKE) portion of the annual US-Philippine 'Balikatan' exercise, which began April 21 and runs to May 9. 'The vessel was selected because it exceeded its service life and was no longer suitable for normal operations,' according to a statement from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. A US Navy spokesperson told USNI News last month that the 81-year-old ship was to be the target for US Marine Corps F/A-18 fighter jets during the exercise. A report from the official Philippine News Agency (PNA) said it was to be hit by US and Philippine forces with a combination of anti-ship missiles, bombs and automatic cannon fire. But as the 184-foot-long vessel was being towed to its station for the exercise, 35 miles west of Zambales province on the northern Philippine island of Luzon, it took on water, the Philippine military statement 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,' Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. John Percie Alcos said, according to PNA. He said the vessel was not damaged while being towed. The ship sank quietly at 7:20 a.m. local time near the spot where it was to be obliterated later in the day, according to the Philippine military. Other elements of the MARSTRKE exercise would go on, the military statement said. The Philippine and US joint task forces 'will rehearse virtual and constructive fire missions,' the statement said, without detailing what elements were still scheduled as part of the drill. 'The combined force will still achieve its training objectives,' it added. The Philippine military said there was no environmental danger from the sinking as the vessel had been cleaned before being towed out for the exercise. The sinking of the ex-USS Brattleboro was a quiet end for a ship that distinguished itself across decades. In World War II, it participated in the battles of Leyte Gulf and Okinawa, two key US defeats of Imperial Japanese forces in 1944 and 1945 respectively. The ship, designated as a submarine chaser, served in a key rescue and air defense role in the Battle of Leyte during the US invasion of the Philippines, according to the US Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). Over the course of a month, it helped get more than 400 wounded soldiers from shore to larger hospital ships and shot down a Japanese aircraft, according to the NHHC. After further combat around the island of Palau and later again in the Philippines, Brattleboro got orders to head to Okinawa to support the US invasion there in the spring of 1945. The invasion of Okinawa commenced on April 1, and 'over the next 91 days, the subchaser treated over 200 badly wounded men and rescued in excess of 1,000 survivors of ships that sank,' the NHC history says. After being retired from US service in the mid-1960s, the ship was transferred to the South Vietnamese military in 1966. With the fall of Saigon in 1975, the then-South Vietnamese ship was transferred to the Philippines, where it was recommissioned as the Miguel Malvar – a hero of the Philippine revolution – in the Philippine Navy in 1977. It was decommissioned in 2021. Monday's ship-sinking exercise was planned in an offshore area facing the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal, which has been closely guarded by the Chinese coast guard, navy and suspected militia ships, according to the Associated Press. The Philippines also claims the fishing atoll, which lies about 137 miles west of Zambales. This year's Balikatan, called 'shoulder-to-shoulder' in Tagalag, involves more than 14,000 Filipino and US troops in exercises designed to be a 'full battle test' between the two defense treaty allies in response to regional security concerns. China and the Philippines have faced increasing clashes in the waters near Scarborough Shoal in recent years, as China exerts its disputed sovereignty over the entirety of the vast South China Sea. And tensions between Beijing and Manila are their worst in years amid concerns of military conflict. China has vehemently opposed such exercises involving US forces in or near the South China Sea.
