 |
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| Career |  Philippines |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 1983 |
| Laid down: | |
| Launched: | |
| Commissioned: | 1983 |
| Decommissioned: | 1984 |
| Status: | in service with the Philippine Navy |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | |
| Length: | |
| Beam: | |
| Speed: | 25 Knots (sustained speed) |
| Complement: | 182 |
| Armament: | 1 x 76 mm Oto Melara Compact DP, 2 x 7.62 mm GPMG, 1x 20 mm Oerlikon |
| Armor: | Belted Steel |
The BRP Apolinario Mabini is part of the Tatlong Bayani Class of Corvettes, the most modern ships in the Philippine Navy. She was originally called HMS Plover.
History
The three ships of this class were originally part of the Hong Kong Squadron of the British Royal Navy. The ships were built by Hall Russell in the United Kingdom and were commissioned into Her Majesty's British Royal Navy service from 1983 to 1984. They were specifically built for service in Hong Kong. They were sold to the Philippines and were officially turned over to the Philippine Navy on 1 August 1997 when Hong Kong was ceded back to China.
Technical details
The ships under this class are characterized by a low freeboard, a 76 mm Oto-Melara gun turret located forward, large funnel amidships and a crane and Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) aft. The Oto Melara 76 mm Compact DP, the ships' primary weapon, has a range of up to 10 nautical miles (20 km) and can be used against ships, aircraft or off and on-shore ground targets. It is remotely controlled from within the Combat Information Center by the gunnery officer and has no crew within the gun itself. The gun can fire 80 rounds in 60 seconds without reloading its magazine. The ship has load capacity for up to 450 rounds. In addition to the 76 mm gun, these ships also carry two general purpose machine guns (two 7.62 mm) and one 20 mm Oerlikon. The ships are powered by two APE-Crossley SEMT-Pielstick diesels (14,188 bhp combined) driving two three-bladed props. It has a drop down loiter engine with a shrouded prop of 181 bhp used to keep station and save fuel. The main engines can propel the 664 ton (712 tons full load) ship at over 28 knots (52 km/h), with a sustained speed of 25 knots (46 km/h). Its range is 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km) at 17 knots (31 km/h). These corvettes were specifically designed for Asian service. As such, they have air-conditioned crew spaces and have been designed to stay at sea during typhoons and other strong weather anomalies at sea. However, the ships were modified soon after entering Royal Navy service with deeper bilge keels to alleviate a propensity to roll during moderate and heavy seas.
External links
| Peacock class patrol vessel |
| Peacock | Plover | Swift | Starling | Swallow |
List of patrol boats of the Royal Navy |
