BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16)

Ramon Alcaraz employs the shipboard application of aircraft gas turbine jet engines with the use of controllable pitch propellers. She is equipped with two 18,000 horsepower (13,000 kW) Pratt & Whitney[11][11] gas turbines and can propel the ship at speeds up to 28 knots (52 km/h). Ramon Alcaraz also has two 3,500 horsepower (2,600 kW) Fairbanks-Morse[11] diesel engines, capable of driving the ship economically at 17 knots (31 km/h) for up to 14,400 nautical miles (26,700 km) without refueling.[11] A retractable/rotatable bow propulsion unit provides manoeuvrability in tight situations.

Prior to turn-over to the Philippine Navy, the ship was armed with a Mk.75 Oto Melara 76 mm Compact main gun, two Mk.38 25 mm Bushmaster chain guns at midships, and a Phalanx CIWS system aft.[12] The CIWS and chain guns were removed prior to its turn-over, with the Mk.75 gun remaining.[13]

The Philippine Navy then purchased two new Mk.38 Mod.2 25 mm Bushmaster Autocannons to replace the mounts removed by the US Coast Guard.[13] These were already installed as of January 25, 2015.[3]

Ramon Alcaraz has a flight deck and hangar capable of handling helicopters.

A newly acquired naval helicopter (an AgustaWestland AW109 Power) made its shipboard deployment on May 21, 2014.[4]

The Philippine Navy plans to modernize the entire ship of the class, with an initial program to upgrade the ship's sensors, and another program to improve its weapon systems.

Several systems were acquired through US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Foreign Military Financing (FMF), which includes the BAE Systems Mk. 38 Mod. 2 machine gun system (already installed), the SAAB AN/SPS-77 Sea Giraffe AMB 3D air/surface search radar,[14] and the FLIR Systems SeaFLIR 230 Electro-Optical/Infra-Red Camera.[15]

Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy will launch a program to acquire, install and integrate several other sensors into the ship, as part of the Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Program. Among those to be acquired are new Combat Management System (CMS), Hull Mounted Sonar (HMS), and a Radar Electronic Support Measures (R-ESM).[15]

Future upgrades are planned to install defensive and offensive missile systems and torpedo launchers, although funding is still being secured and might only be included in the next phase of the Navy's modernization program.

The ship was first launched in 1968 and served for decades as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas (WHEC-716) before being given to the Philippines.

The ship was scheduled to be transferred to the Philippines as an excess defense article through the Foreign Assistance Act via a "hot transfer" on May 2012.[16] The Dallas was formally decommissioned on 30 March 2012, and the US Coast Guard removed the ship's guns and other equipment.[17]

On 6 May 2012 during the 70th commemoration of the Fall of Bataan, President Benigno Aquino III announced the naming of the ex-USCGC Dallas to BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) in honor of the World War II hero and officer of the Philippine Navy. Commodore Ramon "Monching" Alcaraz commanded one of the Philippine Offshore Patrol's Q-boat Q-112 Abra during World War II which shot down 3 Japanese aircraft.[18]

The ex-Dallas was formally transferred to the Philippine government on 22 May 2012 during a ceremony at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Pier Papa in North Charleston, South Carolina. The ship was turned over to its Filipino crew, with Capt. Ernesto Baldovino as its first commanding officer.[17][19][20] The ship's crew had been in the US for several weeks prior to the transfer for training aboard other Hamilton-class ships operated by the US Coast Guard.[21] Ramon Alcaraz was scheduled to be refitted at the expense of the Philippine Navy prior to sailing to the Philippines. The ship's transfer cost was pegged at Php 450 million (around US$10 million as of 2012), while operation costs will be similar to its sister ship, BRP Gregorio del Pilar.[22] An additional US$5 million was allocated for installation of additional equipment, different from her sister ship Gregorio del Pilar.[23] The ship will have better fire control and weapons systems than Gregorio del Pilar.[24]

The ship was originally expected to leave Charleston, South Carolina for the Philippines on January 2013 but it was delayed.[23][24][25] The ship finally departed Charleston harbor at 10:00 AM on 10 June 2013. She reached the Atlantic-side entrance of the Panama Canal and crossed its entire stretch on 17 June. Ramon Alcaraz continued her journey across the Pacific Ocean and was scheduled for port visits at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, and at Guam.[26] before reaching Manila by 3 August 2013.[27]

On August 1, 2013, Ramon Alcaraz entered Philippine waters.[28] Her official arrival ceremony was held Subic Bay on August 6.[29][30] On November 22, 2013, she was commissioned as BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) at Pier 15 in Manila's South Harbor.[31][32]

After commissioning, she sailed to Tacloban City to transport about 200 tons of relief goods, water purification systems, and navy personnel who helped with relief efforts following Typhoon Haiyan.[31][32]

Around mid-2016, the Philippine Navy started calling the ship in its new code designation FF-16, together with its sister ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar which was re-designated as FF-15, and the upcoming BRP Andres Bonifacio designated as FF-17.[33]

In March 2017, the Philippine Navy sent the Ramon Alcaraz to patrol the Benham Rise, which is part of Philippine territorial waters, after a Chinese survey ship was sighted in the area for several days.[34][35]

In January 2020, the Ramon Alcaraz along with the strategic sealift vessel BRP Davao del Sur (LD-602) were deployed to the Middle East to repatriate overseas Filipino workers there during the 2019-2020 Persian Gulf crisis between the United States and Iran.[36] The two naval ships arrived in Muscat, Oman on February 6 after a layover in Sri Lanka, but tensions in the Gulf region have already eased by that date and were told by Philippine Navy officials to stay put.[37] They left Oman on April 21 bound for Cochin, India to pick up some 200,000 pieces of personal protective equipment (PPEs) donated to the Philippines by an Indian private company as well as pick up Filipinos stranded by the COVID-19 pandemic. They arrived in Cochin on May 6.[38][39]

A fire broke out in the engine room of the Ramon Alcaraz shortly after it left the port of Cochin on the evening of May 7. The fire, which lasted for 10 minutes, was quickly extinguished by naval personnel. Two enlisted men, Fireman Second Class Engineman Alvin Aldecoa and Fireman Second Class Machinery Repairman Joemari Bag-o, suffered superficial and second-degree burns respectively, and had to be airlifted to a naval hospital in Cochin for extensive medical attention. The patrol ship stayed in Cochin for an additional 21 days to assess and repair the damage to the ship's propulsion system with the help of the US Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command.[40][41]

BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) with BRP Gregorio del Pilar and US Navy USS John S. McCain during CARAT Philippines 2014.

• The ship, together with its sister ship BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PS-15) participated in joint naval maneuvers as part of CARAT 2014 Philippines from June 26 to July 1, 2014. It was scheduled to conduct exercises on gunnery, combined air, surface, anti-submarine operations at sea.[42]
• The ship, together with a naval AW109E helicopter (serial PNH-431), traveled to Northern Australia as a major participant in the KAKADU 2014 Multi-lateral Naval Exercises hosted by the Australian Defence Force from August 25 to September 12, 2014.[43] The ship's crew also participated in boarding training with the Australian Navy before the actual sea-phase of the exercises.[44]
• During the first week of May 2018, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz participated in the Exercise Balikatan 34-2018 with US Forces together with the BRP Davao del Sur (LD-602).[45]
• In the third week of May 2018, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz conducted joint training with HMAS Anzac (FFH 150) around the waters of Negros Island for Exercise Lumbas 2018, a joint Maritime Training Activity between the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Philippine Navy.[46]

BRP Tarlac (LD-601) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) sail in formation during the at-sea portion of Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Sama Sama 2018.

• In the second week of July 2018, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz participated in the Maritime Training Activity (MTA) Sama Sama at Naval Station Ernesto Ogbinar in Pampanga with the US Navy (USN) along with the BRP Tarlac (LD-601) Landing Platform Dock. The USN sent the USNS Millinocket (T-EPF-3) Transport Ship, USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52) Salvage Ship and a P-8 Poseidon Aircraft for the exercise.[47]
• During the third week of July 2018, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz participated in a Maritime Security Activity (MSA) with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the waters around Palawan along with the BRP Simeon Castro (PC-374). The RAN sent the vessels HMAS Ararat and HMAS Wollongong for the activity which consists of Ship Training Activities, Maritime Patrols, Maritime Security Threat discussions, among others.[48]
• From August to September 2018, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz participated again in KAKADU 2018 held in Darwin, Australia which is a biennial event and is the largest maritime exercise hosted by Australia. The 2018 version of the exercise included 3,000 personnel, 23 ships, 1 submarine and 21 aircraft from 28 nations.[49] The Alcaraz participated in various maritime activities there including firing its Oto Melara 76 mm caliber main gun in a live fire exercise.[50]
• In May 2019, the ship participated in a 10-day coordinated Sea Patrol and Exercise in the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea with the KRI Pandrong (801) of the Indonesian Navy. The exercise aimed to improve interoperability and strengthen the capability to secure the seas.[51]

• In February 2019, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz fetched two Filipino Fishermen from Parola Island in the West Philippine Sea who were earlier reported to have jumped from FV Thanksgiving 5 after experiencing maltreatment from the head of the crew. The Fishermen were then rescued by the Vietnam People's Navy and later bought to Parola Island. The Fishermen were able to return safely to their families in Occidental Mindoro.[52]