Patrol ship USS Chinook (PC 9) during a decommissioning ceremony in Manama, Bahrain on Tuesday, March 28. Photo from the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines will receive two decommissioned Cyclone-class patrol coastal ships from the United States Navy.
The US Naval Forces Central Command announced this during a pier side ceremony on Manama, Bahrain on Tuesday, marking the end of nearly three decades of service of USS Monsoon (PC 4) and USS Chinook (PC 9).
Monsoon was initially commissioned by the US Navy in 1994 then recommissioned in 2008 after Monsoon served four years in the US Coast Guard, while Chinook was commissioned in 1995.
US 5th Fleet officials and delegation of the Philippine Navy led by Philippine Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Renato David attended the decommissioning ceremony.
US 5th Fleet officials and officials of the Philippine Navy attended the ceremony.
“I’m proud of our crews for reaching this milestone and representing our nation and Navy with utmost pride and professionalism,” Capt. Anthony Webber, commander of Task Force 55, which oversees operations for US 5th Fleet’s surface forces, was quoted as saying in a press release.
“I’m also proud that we are turning over great ships to our Philippine partners,” Webber added.
For its part, the country’s navy said the two vessels will be a fine addition to its arsenal.
“These 55-meter vessels will be able to complement the PN’s patrol gunboats in their campaign to ensure the safety and security within the littoral waters of the porous borders and vast maritime environment of the Philippines, being equipped with the firepower and lethality for littoral operations,” the Philippine Navy said in a statement Wednesday.
The vessels will undergo reactivation activities to incorporate all the “desired capabilities and peculiarities” of the country’s navy prior to their deployment to operational areas, it added.
The arrival of the vessels in the country has yet to be announced.
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