ZAMBOANGA CITY, July 28 (PNA) -– One of the two patrol frigates of the Philippine Navy (PN) arrived Tuesday in this city as part of its port visits to the different parts of the country.
Navy Capt. Vincent Sibala, commanding officer of BRP-Gregorio del Pilar or Patrol Frigate (PF)-15, said the port visits form part of the ship’s routine patrol.
He said the PF-15 will stay here for a week and “will go further south” to Davao City as its next port of call.
Sibala disclosed that PF-15 is expected to be upgraded especially its censors equipment.
PF-15 is one of the two PN’s frigates with the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as its mainstay.
It is manned by 100 personnel including three female officers and a nurse.
Sibala said PN is expecting to acquire one more similar type of vessel to further boost PN’s capability.
Previously, PF-15 is a high-endurance Hamilton-class cutter named the USCGC Hamilton and has served with the U.S. Coast Guard.
The U.S. decommissioned the cutter on March 28, 2011 and the Philippines acquired it under the Excess Defense Articles.
The PN formally commissioned PF-15 on December 14, 2011. (PNA)