Is the BRP Davao Del Norte, a 35 meter SAR ship built by Tenix Australia now sunk or sinking?

PCG rescuers rescued by PAF choppers
Malaya, Dec 17, 2008

BY VICTOR REYES

SEVEN Coast Guard personnel, out to rescue passengers of a distressed cargo vessel in Antique yesterday, were themselves rescued by Air Force personnel after their ship encountered trouble.

The distressed cargo ship M/V Maria Lourdes bound for San Jose, Oriental Mindoro from Iligan City was battered by huge waves near Sibay island around 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The Coast Guard sent three ships, including BRP Davao del Norte, to rescue the 20 personnel of M/V Maria Lourdes that was carrying 22,000 bags of cement.

At around 8 a.m. yesterday, the Air Force received a flash alarm about a Coast Guard vessel whose personnel were ordered to abandon ship because of turbulent seas off Sibay island.

The Air Force then sent two UH-1H or Huey helicopters from the Air Force Tactical Operations Group 4 in Lucena City and another from the Air Force headquarters in Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Maj. Gerry Zamudio, Air Force spokesman, said the skipper of the rescue vessel BRP Davao del Norte had ordered nine of his 13 crewmen to seek refuge in Sibay island, about three miles away, due to worsening weather conditions.

Seven of the nine were rescued by Air Force helicopters. The two others were unaccounted for as of press time.

M/V Maria Lourdes’ main engine malfunctioned from battering by big waves and strong winds. Its 20 crewmen abandoned ship and sought refuge in Sibay island after the vessel tilted.

The ship’s chief engineer, Alex Tambasin, died. The 19 others were rescued and are now in the custody of Rolly Ysog, the barangay captain of Haligi in Caluya town, the Coast Guard said.

In the incident in Cagayan last Sunday, rescuers yesterday retrieved 13 more bodies off Ballesteros town, bringing to 40 the number of fatalities from the capsized motorized banca Mae Jan.

Twenty-three more passengers are missing. Forty-five have been rescued, according to the Office of Civil Defense.

tv news says the ship suffered engine trouble but is okay.

The small unit riverine craft (SURC) is rigid-hull, armed and armored patrol boat used by the US Marines and US Navy to maintain control of rivers and inland waterways.
SURC

According to the Navy, “The primary mission of the SURC is to provide tactical mobility and a limited weapons platform for the ground combat element of a Marine Air Ground Task Force in littoral and riverine environments.”[1] The boat’s secondary mission includes “command and control, reconnaissance, logistic/resupply, medevac, counter-drug operations, humanitarian assistance, peacekeeping, and noncombatant evacuation operations.”[1]

The boat is transportable by C-130 aircraft and can be launched from its trailer at lakeside.

The boats were first deployed to Iraq and are currently in use there by the US Navy and US Marine Corps. The United States Navy Riverine Squadrons, units of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) are using the boats to patrol strategic areas of Iraq.

The boats are built by Raytheon Naval & Maritime Integrated Systems, with a contract to build up to 100 boats. Raytheon’s contract partners are Safe Boats International of Port Orchard, Washington and Boat Master of Fort Myers, Florida.