The former USS Brattleboro patrols Vietnam’s coast in May 1967. (Wikimedia Commons)
A decommissioned U.S. warship, originally selected for target practice during a joint military exercise, sank unexpectedly on its own Monday off the Philippines’ western coast.
The former USS Brattleboro took on water while being positioned approximately 30 nautical miles west of San Antonio, near Subic Bay, according to a statement emailed that afternoon by Navy spokesman Lt. Carlos Gomez.
The vessel sank at 7:20 a.m. and “no personnel were injured,” he said.
The ship — a former rescue patrol craft and World War II veteran — had been chosen as a target for fighter-bomber drills during Balikatan, the largest annual joint military exercise in the Philippines. This year’s event, which began April 21 and ends Friday, includes 9,000 U.S. and 5,000 Philippine troops.
The Brattleboro was thoroughly cleaned before being towed to sea to minimize its environmental impact, Gomez said.
“As is common, the vessel was selected because it exceeded its service life and was no longer suitable for normal operations,” he said.
The maritime strike portion of the exercise, which includes simulated fire missions, was not affected by the ship’s unscheduled sinking, Gomez said.
The Brattleboro earned three battle stars during WWII. It was laid down in Chicago on Oct. 28, 1943, by the Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Co., launched in New Orleans on March 1, 1944, and commissioned on May 26, 1944, according to the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
That summer, the vessel transported 26 German prisoners — captured U-boat sailors — from Bermuda to Norfolk, Va. By October, it was assisting in evacuating wounded troops during the Allied invasion of the Philippines and later performed similar duties during the Battle of Okinawa.
After the war, the Brattleboro served 18 years as a Navy experimental vessel before being decommissioned in November 1965 and transferred to the South Vietnamese navy. After the fall of Saigon, the ship escaped Vietnam and was incorporated into the Philippine navy in 1976 as BRP Miguel Malvar, according to the Philippine News Agency.
The ship had been designated as a target for Philippine FA-50PH fighter jets and U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons, F/A-18 Hornets and F-35 Lightning IIs, said assistant exercise director Brig. Gen. Michael Logico, according to the new agency.
