Navy decommissions 3 WW II patrol boats

SANGLEY POINT– Three World War II-era Navy patrol boats given by the United States were decommissioned yesterday.

Navy spokesman Capt. Giovanni Bacordo said the 67-year-old patrol boats, which saw action in World War II, will be sold as scrap metal.

“We have a Navy disposal committee,” he said.

Capt. Noel de Vera, Navy shipyard commander, said they have to get approval from the Armed Forces chief and the Joint United States Military Advisory Committee (JUSMAG) before they can proceed with the bidding.

The Navy disposal committee is still assessing the value of the decommissioned vessels, he added, Bacordo said only four of the 10 Navy auxiliary ships are operational.

Among the 32 small craft, 23 are operational, with an average age of 21 years old, he added.

Bacordo said the Navy budget cannot bankroll the purchase of new assets because 70 percent of the outlay goes to the salary of personnel.

The rest is for maintenance and operational expenses, he added.

Navy data showed that out of the 53 ships in the inventory, only 25 are operational.

These patrol boats are, on average, 36 years old.

The bigger ships like mine sweeper frigates and patrol craft escorts are 66 and 67 years old.