By Martin Sadongdong SOUTH HARBOR, Manila -- The Philippine Navy (PN) officially welcomed on Tuesday its newest acquisition, a corvette (small warship) regarded as its "most powerful" ship to date, the BRP Conrado Yap (PS-39). Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana graced the arrival ceremony accorded to the 60-man maiden crew of the BRP Conrado Yap, and the 300-man contingent of Naval Task Group 80.5 aboard BRP Davao del Sur (LD602) that participated in the recent Russian Naval Day in Vladivostok, Russia and escorted the corvette to the Philippines from South Korea. Arrival of BRP Conrado Yap (PS 39) at Pier 13 on Tuesday.
(Jansen Romero / MANILA BULLETIN) "This is part of our program to improve the chances of our military, navy, air force and army to interact with our counterparts so that a better understanding can be developed especially in this challenging times," Lorenzana said. Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, PN Flag-Officer-in-Charge, said BRP Conrado Yap and BRP Davao del Sur showcased the Navy's "desire and resolve to serve our country with excellence and dedication." BRP Conrado Yap is the former Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) Pohang-class corvette Chungju (PCC-762) which was commissioned with the ROKN in 1987 and served until 2016. It was then donated to the Philippine Navy and the hand-over ceremony was held at the Jinhae Naval Base in South Korea on August 5. Regarded as the PN's "most powerful ship" in its current fleet, Empedrad said the BRP Conrado Yap will boost their capability in patrolling and safeguarding the country's maritime nation and territorial limits. "We assure the Korean government that we will take care of this ship and she will secure and defend our country's maritime nation or maritime water," Empedrad said. 'Most powerful ship' BRP Conrado Yap measures 88.3 meters long with a beam of 10 meters and draft of 3 meters while its displacement is at 1,200 tons full load. It is rated for a crew of 118 personnel and can sustain operational presence for 30 days. The warship can move at a maximum speed of 32 knots to a distance of 4,000 nautical miles. It is armed with two 76mm Oto Melara main guns, two 40mm Breda secondary guns, two triple tube Mk 32 torpedo launchers and 12 Mk 9 Depth charge racks, making it capable of sustained maritime security operations and naval warfare operations including Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), Surface Warfare (SuW), and Anti-Air Warfare (AAW). A blessing ceremony for the BRP Conrado Yap was later held in the afternoon. It was named after Army Captain Conrado Yap, a gallant Filipino military leader who served in the Korean war as part of the Philippine Expeditionary Forces to Korea. He was considered as the most decorated Filipino soldier during the Korean war. Yap's family was present during the arrival ceremony.