Two ex-US Navy patrol ships transferred to Philippines

Two decommissioned US Navy patrol vessels were formally handed over to the Philippine government in a ceremony in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday, March 28.

The Cyclone-class patrol ships USS Monsoon and USS Chinook will later join their earlier sister ex-USS Cyclone in service with the Philippine Navy. Ex-Cyclone was renamed BRP General Mariano Alvarez following recommissioning into Philippine service in 2004.

Following their delivery to the Philippines in the middle of the second quarter of 2023, the two vessels will undergo reactivation prior to their deployment to littoral and coastal areas.

Monsoon and Chinook spent their final years in US service as forward-deployed vessels at Naval Support Activity Bahrain to support US Naval Forces Central Command’s operations in the Middle East.