The remaining officers and enlisted personnel tasked to man the country’s 3rd frigate, the BRP Andres Bonifacio (FF-17), is scheduled to leave for Alameda, California by the third week of September.
“The remaining crew will depart on the third week of September from the Philippines to join their fellow crewmembers in Alameda, California,” Philippine Navy (PN) spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna in a message to the PNA.
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell WHEC-719, a 378-foot cutter previously homeported in San Diego, was transferred to the Philippine Navy in July 2016, at Coast Guard Base in Alameda, California.
The first half are already in Alameda, California and conducting departmental and practical training on machineries, fire control system, deck landing and training on navigational equipment for the safe operation of the ship, Lincuna added.
She will be the third Hamilton-class cutter in PN service after the BRP Gregorio Del Pilar (FF-15) and BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16) which were acquired in 2011 and 2013, respectively.
The BRP Andres Bonifacio (FF-17) , ex-USCGC Boutwell, has a crew of around 100 officers and enlisted men.
