--- title: "Ship Sinks Just Before Being Pummeled With Weapons In Pacific Exercise" description: "Built in World War II, the decommissioned Philippine Navy corvette sank just hours before it was due to be sacrificed in a U.S.-Filipino sinking exercise. Built in World War II, the decommissioned Philippine Navy corvette sank just hours before it was due to be sacrificed in a Maritime Strike exercise." date: "2025-05-05" modified: "2025-05-05" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/sea/target-ship-sinks-before-it-can-be-pummeled-with-weapons-for-pacific-exercise" categories: - "Air" - "Around The Globe" - "China" - "Indo-Pacific" - "News & Features" - "Sea" - "South China Sea" tags: - "Philippines" --- # Ship Sinks Just Before Being Pummeled With Weapons In Pacific Exercise ![The planned live-fire sinking of a decommissioned warship at the Balikatan exercise in the Philippines was struck a blow after the ship in question sunk before navies had a chance to pummel it with weapons. The World War II-era corvette BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19) was being positioned at the start of the exercise, which continued regardless, including other live-fire events.]() *Armed Forces of the Philippines* The planned live-fire [sinking exercise (SINKEX)]() of a decommissioned warship at the Balikatan exercise in the Philippines was struck a blow after the ship in question sank before participants had a chance to pummel it with weapons. At the time of its sinking, the World War II-era corvette BRP *Miguel Malvar* (PS-19) was being positioned at the start of the exercise, which continued regardless, as part of the[ wider Balikatan 2025 maneuvers]() involving the United States, the Philippines, and Australia. The *Miguel Malvar* began taking on water in rough sea conditions in a location around 30 nautical miles west of San Antonio, Zambales, Philippines. It sank at 7:20 a.m. local time, shortly before the Maritime Strike (MARSTRIKE) exercise was scheduled to begin. https://twitter.com/TeamAFP/status/1919262605174276403 No personnel were injured in the incident, the Philippine Navy confirmed. According to a Philippine Navy spokesperson, the *Miguel Malvar* sank just four nautical miles from its intended position for MARSTRIKE. The decommissioned corvette had been selected as the target for the drills on account of its age. The vessel had also undergone environmental cleaning and preparation before it was towed out of its final harbor in Sangley Point, Cavite City. Towing was conducted at speeds of between two and five knots. https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews/status/1917131735403532311?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1917131735403532311%7Ctwgr%5E488f90f693eafda33f68608a3a5a90f3d124b9cd%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheaviationist.com%2F2025%2F05%2F02%2Fusmc-hornets-balikatan-2025-sinkex%2F The Philippine Navy spokesperson confirmed that the vessel hadn’t been damaged while under tow, but “due to rough sea conditions that we are currently experiencing in the exercise box and with its long service life, as is expected, she took on a significant amount of water and eventually sank.” The vessel is much smaller than what we are accustomed to seeing in major SINKEX drills, but does represent the smaller military patrol boats and corvettes that call littorals in this area of the world home. The 914-ton displacement and 184.5-foot-long *Miguel Malvar* had a long and eventful history, having originally been launched and commissioned in 1944 as the USS *Brattleboro* (PCE(R)-852), a PCE(R)-848 class rescue patrol craft escort. The warship saw active duty in World War II, in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, including anti-submarine patrols during the invasion of the Philippines and later at Okinawa. After the war, *Brattleboro* went into the reserve before being converted for trials duty, testing infrared equipment, communications equipment, sonar, and others. *Brattleboro* was decommissioned in 1965 and then transferred to the South Vietnam Navy, serving as RVN *Ngọc Hồi* (HQ-12). With the fall of Saigon in 1975, the vessel escaped to the Philippines, was overhauled, and had armament reinstated. The warship was commissioned by the Philippine Navy in 1977 as the *Miguel Malvar*. The 1990s saw the vessel undergo a major overhaul, including refitting of weapons and sensors, but it was finally decommissioned in 2021. ![120708-N-HI414-081 CELEBES SEA (July 8, 2012) The Philippine navy coastal patrol craft BRP Salvador Abcede (PG 114), the corvette BRP Miguel Malvar (PS 19), the Philippine coast guard patrol boat PCG Pampanga (SARV 003), BRP IloIlo (PS 32) the U.S. Navy guided-missile frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48) and the U.S. Coast Guard cutter USCGC Waesche (WMSL 751) are underway int eh Celebes Sea during the conclusion of the at-sea phase of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Philippines 2012. CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Timor Leste joins the exercise for the first time in 2012. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gregory A. Harden II/Released)]() *BRP *Salvador Abcede* (PG 114), BRP *Miguel Malvar* (PS 19), PCG *Pampanga* (SARV 003), BRP *IloIlo* (PS 32), and USS *Vandegrift* (FFG 48) join USCGC *Waesche* (WMSL 751) for a photo exercise off the Philippines in 2012. *U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gregory A. Harden II/Released* Gregory A. Harden II* “The MARSTRIKE remains unchanged as part of Balikatan 40-2025’s command post exercise, where the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. joint task forces will rehearse virtual and constructive fire missions,” the Philippine Navy said, in the wake of the incident. Despite the loss of the target ship, “elements of the scheduled MARSTRIKE live-fire event will occur and the combined force will still achieve its training objectives,” the Philippine Navy added. “The Notice to Mariners and Notice to Airmen surrounding the MARSTRIKE location remains in effect.” As part of the broader Balikatan 40-2025 exercises, the MARSTRIKE saw the integration of Philippine and U.S. ground, maritime, and air-based sensors and shooters into a combined, joint fires network. The Australian Defense Force [was also involved](). Ahead of the MARSTRIKE event, the U.S. Marine Corps had confirmed to *TWZ* that “air and maritime-based kinetic fires” would be used to target the decommissioned ship but didn’t provide further details. Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy provided a list of air assets, some or all of which were expected to take part in the MARSTRIKE. These comprised U.S. Marine Corps [F/A-18C/D Hornets]() and [MV-22B Ospreys](), and Philippine Air Force [FA-50]() light combat aircraft, [A-29 Super Tucano]() light-attack turboprops, and [T129 ATAK]() combat helicopters. ![Philippine Air Force pilots onboard a Philippine Air Force FA-50 land during the US-Philippines joint air force military exercise dubbed 'Cope Thunder' at Basa Air Base in Pampanga on April 11, 2024. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP) (Photo by JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)]() *Philippine Air Force pilots onboard a Philippine Air Force FA-50 land during the US-Philippines joint air force military exercise dubbed 'Cope Thunder' at Basa Air Base in Pampanga on April 11, 2024. (Photo by JAM STA ROSA / AFP) JAM STA ROSA* As you can read about [here](), Marine Hornets have an increasingly important maritime strike role in the Indo-Pacific area of operations, with their armament including AGM-84D [Harpoon anti-ship missiles](). On the maritime side, the Philippine Navy previously confirmed that it planned to fire its [LIG Nex 1 C-Star]() anti-ship missiles during the MARSTRIKE. These South Korean-made subsonic sea-skimming missiles arm the Philippine Navy warships, BRP *Jose Rizal* (FF-150) and BRP *Antonio Luna* (FF-151), the most modern in that country’s fleet. The Philippine Navy [previously employed the C-Star]() in the live-fire component of Balikatan last year, targeting a decommissioned tanker. Meanwhile, Philippine Navy Mistral shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles would be fired for the first time from the same warships, part of the air defense component of the maneuvers. Other Philippine Navy missiles slated for live fire during Balikatan include the [Spike NLOS](), which arms its *Acero* class fast attack craft. Also included in Balikatan for the first time is the U.S. Marine Corps’ [Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System]() (NMESIS), armed with [Naval Strike Missiles]() that are mounted on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles. During the exercise, NMESIS was deployed by U.S. Air Force C-130s to an operating position on Batan Island, although, from here, its range of around 110 nautical miles would have put it out of reach of the *Miguel Malvar*. You can read more about NMESIS and the significance of its deployment in the Philippines [here](). ![U.S. Marines with Medium-Range Missile Battery, 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division load a Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System onto a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules assigned to 39th Airlift Squadron during Exercise Balikatan 25 at Lal-lo, Philippines, April 26, 2025. This marks the inaugural deployment of the newly fielded Marine Corps weapon system to the Philippines and serves as a major milestone for the continuously developing U.S.-Philippines Alliance. Balikatan is a longstanding annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen our ironclad alliance, improve our capable combined force, and demonstrate our commitment to regional security and stability. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by LCpl Maksim Masloboev)]() *U.S. Marines load a NMESIS onto a U.S. Air Force C-130J during Exercise Balikatan 25 at Lal-lo, Philippines, April 26, 2025. *U.S. Marine Corps photo by LCpl Maksim Masloboev* Lance Cpl. Maksim Masloboev* With China asserting its claims over the South China Sea with increasing aggression, including repeated clashes with Philippine maritime forces, the annual Balikatan drills are becoming more important in the context of U.S.-Philippine cooperation. Even without its main target, the MARSTRIKE will have provided a useful opportunity to practice integration between the U.S. military and two of its key allies in the Indo-Pacific region. https://twitter.com/3d_Marine_Div/status/1916645482501472586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1916645482501472586%7Ctwgr%5E488f90f693eafda33f68608a3a5a90f3d124b9cd%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheaviationist.com%2F2025%2F05%2F02%2Fusmc-hornets-balikatan-2025-sinkex%2F Nevertheless, the premature sinking of the *Miguel Malvar* remains unfortunate, depriving those forces of a valuable chance to gather data about weapon effectiveness as part of an end-to-end live-fire exercise. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]()