By Priam Nepomuceno/PNA
MANILA — The Pohang-class corvette, donated by the South Korean government to the country, will be formally turned over to the Philippine Navy (PN) on the third week of June.
This was bared by Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong when sought for updates on the vessel Thursday.
He said this is due to the fact dry-docking and repairs of the ships are expected to be completed by the second week of June.
“The dry-docking and other related repairs of (the) ‘Pohang’ corvette are set to be completed in the second week of June, and turnover is estimated to be by the third week of the same month,” Andolong said in message to the Philippine News Agency
He added that the sailing crew of the ship left the Philippines for South Korea last February 11 to begin training on the ship’s systems.
Earlier, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the South Korean-donated vessel will be named after Korean War hero and Medal of Valor awardee, Captain Conrado Yap.
Yap, a member of the 10th Battalion Combat Team, was killed in the Battle of Yultong in April 23, 1951 where he made a counter-attack to secure an exposed Filipino unit, led by Lt. Jose Artiaga, then under attack by superior number of Chinese infantry. Both officers were killed in the battle.
Yap was also honored by the PN by naming an entire class of patrol craft after him in 1993.
Pohang – class is a type of general-purpose corvette — smallest class of vessel considered as a warship — operated by the South Korean Navy. Around 24 were built during the late Cold War and post-Cold War period.
These ships are armed with a variety of anti-sub, anti-ship, and anti-air weapons with their accompanying sensor gear and are capable of running to speeds up to 32 knots.
