Target warship sinks ahead of live-fire drills

Former BRP Miguel Malvar before its decommissioning in 2021 —Photo from BRP Miguel Malvar PS-19 Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — The ship didn’t follow the script.

Decommissioned World War II-era corvette BRP Miguel Malvar, which was supposed to be a target in a planned joint sinking exercise off Zambales province by Philippine and American troops, instead sank due to rough seas ahead of the scheduled drills on Monday.

The warship took on water as it was towed and sank about 56 kilometers (30 nautical miles) west of San Antonio, Zambales, prompting the drills to be canceled, according to Philippine Navy spokesperson Capt. John Percie Alcos. No one was aboard when the ship sank.

READ: ‘Most decorated’ PH ship to serve as strike target

The joint maritime strike (Marstrike) was supposed to be part of the annual “Balikatan” joint exercise between the Philippines and the United States, this year being the largest yet, involving 17,000 troops.

The exercises, which end on May 9, simulated mock invasions on “enemy-occupied” islands in areas facing Taiwan and the South China Sea—as part of a “rehearsal” of a defense plan previously drawn up by Manila and Washington.

Combined capability

Other activities related to the maritime strike continued despite the Malvar’s premature sinking.

Alcos said the training will integrate ground, maritime, and air-based sensors and shooters into a combined, joint fires network, as the task forces of the two allied nations exercise command and control while increasing combined warfighting capability.

“The notice to mariners and notice to airmen surrounding the Marstrike location remains in effect. We thank those that have honored the restricted areas to ensure safety and allow this training to continue,” he said.

The ship was rid of oil and underwent environmental cleaning before its towing to Zambales.

According to Alcos, the ship was selected as a target because it had exceeded its service life and was no longer suitable for normal operations.

Same name, new corvette

The Philippines acquired the vessel in 1976, refitted it, and christened it RPS Miguel Malvar until she was renamed BRP Miguel Malvar in 1980, when the Navy started major modifications and reclassified it as a corvette.

The Miguel Malvar, the Navy’s most decorated warship, was finally decommissioned in 2021 along with other vessels from the Vietnam War of more than 40 years ago.

But the ship’s name will live on in the first of two corvettes from South Korea set to be commissioned later this month.

Over the weekend, Filipino and American troops repelled an attack by a “threat force” from waters in Aparri, Cagayan, facing Taiwan, for a counterlanding live-fire exercise. A similar drill among Filipino, US, and Australian forces was held earlier in Palawan province, facing the West Philippine Sea, Manila’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea.

Beijing in recent years has stepped up its aggressiveness in the South China Sea, which it claims almost entirely, and around Taiwan, which it has not ruled out retaking by force. But officials said the drills were not meant to target any country.