BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), the Philippine Navy’s second Hamilton-class cutter, will sail through the Panama Canal as it makes its way to its new home waters. It will be the first time that a Philippine Navy ship will pass through the 82-kilometer canal.
“She will cross the Panama Canal before making port calls in the US West Coast. After those stops, BRP Ramon Alcaraz (ex-USCG Dallas) will then proceed to Guam before resuming her journey to the Philippines,” Lieutenant Commander Gregory Fabic, Navy spokesperson, said.
The Alcaraz is currently docked in South Carolina. Fabic said the ship will be “fully mission capable” when she sails into the Philippines in 45 to 60 days.
“She will be fully capable of carrying out all functions assigned to her upon her arrival,” he said in a People’s Television Network report.
The Alcaraz is a sister ship of the BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15), another former US Coast Guard cutter. Fabic said, though, that Alcaraz has been equipped to be “more formidable than BRP Gregorio Del Pilar.”
The acquisition of the two ships is seen as the beginning of the Philippine Navy’s transition to a “blue water” navy with the ability to detect and engage on the high seas. The Navy is currently classified as a coastal protection naval force.
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Photo: People’s Television
