BRP Rajah Lakandula ( PF - 4 ) The BRP " Rajah Lakandula " ( PF - 4 ) was a Destroyer Escort / Frigate of the Philippine Navy , and was its only ex - USN . She was also the flagship of the Philippine Navy from 1981 to 1988 . History . Commissioned in the US Navy as the in 1943 , and assigned as escort for s convoy bound for Casablanca with men and supplies for the operations in Italy . She was also assigned to convoy escort operations from New York to ports of the United Kingdom , guarding convoys whose ships brought troops and mountains of equipment and supplies for the buildup and support of the assault on the European continent . Fighting the foul weather common in the North Atlantic , " Camp " ' s alertness against submarine attack and diligence were rewarded by no losses in any of the convoys she accompanied . A collision with a merchantman , in which one of her crew members was killed , required a repair period during which Camp received a new bow and acquired 5 " guns ; otherwise her escort duty was uninterrupted until 19 June 1945 . " Camp " was then assigned in the Pacific , and after serving as a training ship at Pearl Harbor , proceeded to Eniwetok for occupation duty . She supervised the evacuation of the Japanese garrison from Mili , then took on air - sea rescue duties off Kwajalein until 4 November , when she sailed for home , arriving at New York 10 December 1945 . She was decommissioned 1 May 1946 and her U . S . Coast Guard crew was removed . She was reclassified DER - 251 on 7 December 1965 , Camp was recommissioned 31 July 1956 for duty as radar picket ship in the early warning system . She reported to [ Newport , Rhode Island ] as part of ComCorTron 16 , 19 February 1957 and operated from that port to Argentia , Newfoundland , and into the North Atlantic through 1962 . In 1963 she served off of Cuba as a Radar Picket Ship tracking Russian Convoys and rescuing Cuban refugees that had fled the island . In 1965 , " Camp " was sent to Indo - China for coastal patrol and interdiction by the US Navy ( Operation Market Time ) . By 1968 her radio center had been rebuilt more than once to improve communications efficiency . The USS Camp gave gunfire support when needed , provided " mothership " services to River Patrol craft and assisted Naval Operations when burial at sea or escort details were requested of her . Her communications center , which was rebuilt in 1968 , became so efficient that she could hold simultaneous communications halfway around the world at the same time her local service was in heavy demand . She was used as " Station Ship " in Hong - Kong harbor taking on the radio guard for all US Navy ships pulling extended stays . In 1969 she was caught at sea in a typhoon and under the most hazardous of Pacific Sea weather conditions , managed to stay afloat . Her hull was beaten severely , causing a serious leak , and she was redirected to Sasebo , Japan for emergency drydock where an eight foot section of her hull was found nearing failure . After the repairs , she returned to Vietnam and resumed duty which included escort support to the battleship New Jersey . She proudly displayed the Naval symbol for excellence , the " E " on her bridge , for achieving high marks in all categories . She was transferred to South Vietnam on 13 February 1971 . Renamed frigate RVNS " Tran Hung Dao " ( HQ - 1 ) , the ship was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 December 1975 . Following the surrender of the South Vietnamese government on 29 April 1975 , " Tran Hung Dao " escaped to the Philippines . She was then formally transferred to the Philippines on 5 April 1976 , she was commissioned into the Philippine Navy as frigate RPS " Rajah Lakandula " on 27 July 1976 . Struck from the Navy List in 1988 , she was still in use as stationary barracks ship in Subic Bay as of 1999 . Notable Operations . On 7 October 1980 , " Rajah Lakandula " was in the vicinity of Sangbay Island in Basilan when Gunnery Officer Ensign Albert V . Majini ( PN ) died in the line of duty , during an encounter while directing his gunners . Standing in the open , risking his life , he wanted to get the right range until the enemy gunfire felled him . This earned him the Philippine Medal of Valor . In 1981 , The ship , together with BRP " Mactan " and BRP " Aurora " , were part of the Philippine Navy contingent that was sent for the search and rescue efforts for survivors of the destroyer escort BRP " Datu Kalantiaw " ( PS - 76 ) , which capsized off Calayan Islands in the northern Philippines by a typhoon . Technical details . The two Mk . 30 5 " / 38 caliber gun s , the ships ' primary weapons , have a range of up to yards and are also capable of anti - aircraft warfare . USS Camp is the only one of her class to be mounted with such guns after her bows were repaired from an accident . In addition to the abovementioned guns , she also carry a total of one twin Mk . 1 Bofors 40 mm anti - aircraft guns , and eight Mk . 4 20 mm Oerlikon cannons .