RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66)

RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66) was a destroyer escort/frigate that served with the Philippine Navy between 1960 and 1964. A Buckley-class destroyer escort, it was originally named USS Bowers during its previous service with the United States Navy. It was the first destroyer escort to be operated by the Philippine Navy, and is the only member of its class ever operated by the service. Rajah Soliman was also the flagship of the Philippine Navy during its time in commission, which ended with the sinking of the vessel in 1964.[3]

RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66)
History
United States
NameUSS Bowers
BuilderBethlehem Steel Shipyard Corp., San Francisco, California
Laid down14 January 1943
Launched31 October 1943
Commissioned27 January 1944
Recommissioned6 February 1951
Decommissioned18 December 1958
Stricken1 May 1961
IdentificationDE-637
FateLoaned to Philippine Navy 31 October 1960, renamed as RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66). Sold outright to the Philippine government on 21 April 1961.[1][2]
Philippines
NameRPS Rajah Soliman
OperatorPhilippine Navy
Acquired31 October 1960
Commissionedunconfirmed
DecommissionedDecember 1964
StrickenDecember 1964
IdentificationD-66
FateSunk 29 June 1964, raised December 1964. Hulk sold to Mitsubishi International Corp., January 1966
General characteristics
Class and typeBuckley-class destroyer escort/ Charles Lawrence-class high speed transport
Displacement
  • 1,400 tons standard,
  • 1,740 tons full load
Length306 ft (93 m)
Beam36.83 ft (11.23 m)
Draft13.5 ft (4.1 m)
Installed power12,000 hp (8,900 kW)
Propulsion
  • 2 × GE "D" Express boilers turbines (Turbo Electric Drive)
  • 2 × shafts
Speed24 knots (44 km/h) maximum
Range6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h)
Complement186
Armament

Acquisition and service

The ex-USS Bowers was transferred to the Philippine Navy on 31 October 1960, as a loan under the terms of the Military Assistance Program; on 21 April 1961, the ship was sold outright to the Philippines. Rajah Soliman served as the Philippine Navy's flagship during her service life. In June 1964, the ship entered a refit period at the Bataan National Shipyard, located in Mariveles, Bataan, for repairs to her engine.[3]

Sinking, raising, and disposal

On 29 June 1964, Typhoon Winnie, also known as Typhoon Dading, hit the Bataan Peninsula; the storm surge associated with the cyclone struck Rajah Soliman, which was at the time docked at the shipyard's pier. The storm battered the ship's superstructure and starboard side against the pier, causing Rajah Soliman to capsize and sink at the dock. The effects of the storm also caused the wreck to fill with mud, sand and other debris.[3]

After the storm, an attempt to salvage the ship was made by the Philippine Navy; the attempt failed as a result of the necessary equipment not being available. The United States Navy agreed to salvage the ship as a training exercise, and between December 1964 and January 1965, two U.S. Navy salvage ships, USS Grasp and USS Bolster, used the parbuckle salvage technique to raise Rajah Soliman's wreck from the harbor floor.[1][2][4] After the vessel had been successfully raised, it was towed to the Ship Repair Facility at Subic Naval Base, located nearby.[3]

A survey of the raised Rajah Soliman found that the ship had been damaged beyond economical repair. Designated for disposal, the hulk was sold for scrapping on 31 January 1966 to Mitsubishi International Corp.[1][2][5]

References
  1. "USS Bowers (DE 637 / APD 40)". Navsource Naval History. 29 October 2010. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  2. "DE-637 / APD-40 Bowers". Navsource Naval History. 23 September 2005. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  3. "Old Parbuckle Method Revived to Raise Philippine Navy Ship". Navy Times. 7 April 1965. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  4. "NATIONAL REGISTER ELIGIBILITY ASSESSMENT VESSEL: USS Bolster (ARS-38)" (PDF). Maritime Administration (MARAD). Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  5. "RPS Rajah Soliman (D-66) – Conflicting Dates on Sinking". Memoirs of a Navy Brat. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
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