US Coast Guard ship turned over to PHL Navy

A United States government ship -- the Coast Guard Cutter Dallas -- was recently turned over to the Philippine Navy. According to a report of the news site ABC News 4, the ceremony was held on May 22 at the Charleston Navy Base in South Carolina. After the American flag was lowered for the last time, its crew exited the ship.

Rear Admiral John Korn, assistant commandant for acquisition, described as "bittersweet" the turning over of a "ship that has served us so faithfully." Dallas served the American navy for 45 years and its most recent duties were at the Caribbean where it limited drug transport. A report of Work Boat magazine on May 22 said the 378-foot ship’s final patrol in the Caribbean was a success because the crew intercepted 4,000 pounds of cocaine and 940 pounds of marijuana. The ship is now named after a heroic Filipino World War II naval officer, Ramon Alcaraz. ABC News 4 said the highlight of the transfer was when the American commander passed a spyglass to the Filipino commander which was followed by a handshake and signing of documents. In a report of the news site Post and Courier, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa, upon accepting the ship for the Philippine government, said the new military acquisition should not be seen as a threat by the country's neighbors in Asia. Dellosa noted that some people might question the timing of the acquisition of the ship because of the Philippines' "territorial disputes with China.”   Filipino Navy Captain Ernesto Baldovino, on the other hand, said the ship will be used to boost Philippine maritime security and other development purposes. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) arrived for a port visit on Friday joining the amphibious transport dock USS New Orleans (LPD 18), which arrived in Hong Kong two days earlier.   It is the first time Makin Island has visited Hong Kong and comes amid rising tensions in the region.   Rival claims to territory in the South China Sea are one of the biggest potential flashpoints in the Asia-Pacific region.   China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei all have territorial claims across a waterway that provides 10 per cent of the global fisheries catch and carries five trillion U.S. dollars in ship-borne trade. Half the world's shipping tonnage traverses its sea lanes.   The United States, which claims national interests in the South China Sea, recently completed naval exercises with the Philippines near Scarborough Shoal.   A standoff between Beijing and Manila over Scarborough Shoal continues into the seventh week, while the U.S. naval exercises with the Philippines last month infuriated China.   Commanding Officer Captain Cedric Pringle said that while the USS Makin Island was not involved in those exercises, the U.S. hoped for a peaceful resolution to the growing regional crisis.   "The navy's position is consistent with the U.S. position. Our policy is that we hope that the claims involved and the claimants involved resolve them peacefully," said Captain Pringle but remained vague when asked if the U.S. would use force if the situation escalated.   "Well, we're always obligated to ensure peace and stability throughout the region," he said.   The ship and its crew, along with the embarked 11th MEU, departed San Diego on November 14 and has been deployed mostly in the Middle East including Bahrain.   More than 2,000 sailors and marines waited to go ashore to visit the city and in some cases to visit family.   "I grew up in the United States, for so many years not being back for 15 or 16 years. So now that I'm finally back, I get to see my grandmother, my uncle, my aunt and I miss them very much. So it's a pleasure to be here and love Hong Kong," said Sergeant Kong, who emigrated to the United States with his parents as a child.   USS Makin Island is the flagship of the Makin Island ARG that is currently deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.   The 7th Fleet area of operations includes more than 52 million square miles of the Pacific and Indian oceans, stretching from the international date line to the east coast of Africa, and from the Kuril Islands in the north to the Antarctic in the south. — with Reuters/Andrei Medina/VVP/ELR, GMA News