BRP Andrés Bonifacio (FF-17)

The former USCGC Boutwell being prepared for transfer to the Philippine Navy
History
United States
Name:	USCGC Boutwell
Builder:	Avondale Shipyards
Launched:	June 17, 1967
Commissioned:	1968
Decommissioned:	March 16, 2016
Identification:	WHEC-719
Fate:	transferred to Philippine Navy.
Philippines
Name:	BRP Andrés Bonifacio
Namesake:	Andrés Bonifacio (1863–1897), revolutionary and founder of the Katipunan movement
Acquired:	July 21, 2016
Identification:	FF-17
Status:	recently transferred, for commissioning in 2017.
General characteristics
Class and type:	Gregorio del Pilar-class frigate
Displacement:	3,250 tons, probably less due to removal of several weapons & sensors system
Length:	378 ft (115 m)
Beam:	43 ft (13 m)
Draft:	8.75 ft (2.67 m)
Propulsion:	Combined diesel or gas (CODOG) arrangement: 2 × Fairbanks-Morse 38TD8-1/8-12 12-cylinder diesel engines, each producing 3,500 shp (2,610 kW) Total diesel engine output: 7,000 shp (5,220 kW), and 2 × Pratt & Whittney FT4A-6 gas turbines, each producing 18,000 shp (13,400 kW) Total gas turbine output: 36,000 shp (26,800 kW)[1]
Speed:	29 knots (54 km/h)
Range:	14,000 nautical miles (25,900 km)
Endurance:	45 Days
Boats & landing craft carried:	2 × RHIB
Sensors and processing systems:	X & S-band radars (for reinstallation) Sperry Mk 92 mod. 1 Fire Control System[1]
Electronic warfare & decoys:	2 × Mk.36 Super Rapid Blooming Offboard Countermeasures (SRBOC) Chaff and Decoy Launching System
Armament:	1 × Mk.75 Oto Melara 76mm Compact gun
Aircraft carried:	1 × AgustaWestland AW109 Power naval helicopter
Aviation facilities:	retractable hangar and flight deck

BRP Andrés Bonifacio (FF-17) is a frigate of the Philippine Navy and the third Gregorio del Pilar-class frigate to be commissioned. She is the second ship of the Philippine Navy to be named after Andrés Bonifacio,a Filipino revolutionary leader, regarded as the "Father of the Philippine Revolution" and one of the most influential national heroes of the Philippines.^[2]

From 1967–2016 the ship was a Hamilton-class high endurance cutter of the United States Coast Guard that was named USCGC Boutwell (WHEC-719). The U.S. decommissioned the cutter in early 2016 and the Philippines acquired it under the Excess Defense Articles and the Foreign Assistance Act.^[2][3]

BRP Andrés Bonifacio was designated as "FF-17" when she was commissioned into the Philippine Navy, following the new designation scheme adapted in mid-2016. It would have been designated "PF-17" under the old designation scheme.^[4]

The frigate was formally received by the Philippine Navy on July 21, 2016 at the USCG base at Alameda, California.^[5]

See also

• List of ships of the Philippine Navy
• BRP Andrés Bonifacio (PF-7)
• Gregorio del Pilar-class frigate
• BRP Gregorio del Pilar (FF-15)
• BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16)

References

1. Saunders, Stephen: Jane's Fighting Ships 107th Edition 2004–2005. Jane's Information Group Ltd, 2004.
2. "US ship to be turned over to PH Navy | Inquirer Global Nation". Globalnation.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
3. Jordan, Bryant (10 October 2015). "After Decades of Service, USCGC Boutwell Makes Final Fleet Week Cruise". Military.com. San Francisco: Military Advantage. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
4. "Naming And Code Designation Of Pn Vessels" (PDF). Dlsu.edu.ph. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
5. "Formal Turn-over of US Ship to Ph Navy". Subic Bay News. July 27, 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.