USS Camp ( DE - 251 ) USS " Camp " ( DE - 251 ) was an built for the U . S . Navy during World War II . She served in the Atlantic Ocean the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys . She was named in honor of Jack Hill Camp who was born 27 August 1916 in Jennings , Louisiana . Jack Hill Camp enlisted in the U . S . Naval Reserve 20 January 1941 and was appointed a naval aviator 29 December 1941 . Attached to Patrol Squadron 44 , Ensign Camp was killed in action 7 June 1942 during the Battle of Midway . " Camp " was launched 16 April 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding Co . , Houston , Texas ; sponsored by Mrs . O . H . Camp ; commissioned 16 September 1943 , Lieutenant Commander P . B . Mavor , United States Coast Guard , in command ; and reported to the United States Atlantic Fleet . World War II North Atlantic operations . After duty as school ship for pre - commissioning crews for other escort vessels , " Camp " cleared Norfolk , Virginia , 14 December 1943 , escorting a convoy bound for Casablanca with men and supplies for the operations in Italy . " Camp " returned to Norfolk 24 January 1944 to begin a year and a half of 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 tanker Santa Cecilia off the south coast of Ireland on 18 November 1944 , in which one of " Camp " s 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 . Transfer to the Pacific Fleet . " Camp " cleared Charleston , South Carolina , 9 July 1945 for 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 . Conversion to Radar Picket Ship . She was decommissioned 1 May 1946 and her U . S . Coast Guard crew was removed . She was reclassified DER - 251 on 7 December 1955 , " Camp " was recommissioned 31 July 1956 for duty as radar picket ship in the early warning system . At this time , her two 5 inch 38 guns were replaced with two 3 inch 50 ' s . 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 . From 1962 through 1964 the Camp operated out of Grenock , Scotland and during picket duty in the Irish sea she broke off a large section of external bilge keel Emergency repairs were made at sea to stop the fuel oil leak . Vietnam . In 1965 , " Camp " was sent to Indo - China for coastal patrol and interdiction by the US Navy ( Operation Market Time ) . On 7 August 1967 , the Camp was notified that the Vietcong were overrunning the Vietnamese Naval Junk Base 16 on the Song Tra Khuc River . At flank speed Camp sped to the aid of the Vietnamese and an American Adviser . Camp was directed to assume the duties of Operational Scene Commander and provide gunfire support as required , Arriving on the scene within the hour , Camp was unable to fire as spotters were not available and targets unidentified . As it was tactically infeasible to support a counter - offensive , camp directed PCF ' s to enter the river and evacuate wounded personnel . For the next three nights , Camp provided star shell illumination to the base as it braced itself against further attack until its defenders had adequately rebuilt their defenses . Dawn , 7 August 1967 , found the Camp off the mouth of the Song Tra Khuc River . A PCF made Camp ’ s starboard side , her decks crowded with wounded Vietnamese . Immediately the Camp sprang into action assisting the wounded refugees with medical care , food , and shelter . The scene was not pleasant , nonetheless , Camp personnel worked hard to bring comfort to those in distress . As one PCF patrol boat raced to the ship , a Vietnamese woman gave birth to a child ; Camp treated 15 wounded Vietnamese including a U . S . Naval Advisor and a tiny Vietnamese baby . Camp called U . S . Army medical helicopters to the scene for evacuation of all wounded . Controlling the “ helos ” which hovered over the fantail hoisting aboard the injured was a delicate operation . The precise timing and seamanship displayed by each man hastened the life - saving evacuation of the wounded to a U . S . Army hospital in Quang Ngai . In addition to the evacuated patients , Camp directed PCF ' s to take 25 other evacuees to Chu Lai live for safety . Assigned to Taiwan Patrol duties in late September 1967 , the Camp proceeded to Kaohsiung to relieve the USS Wilhoite ( DER 397 ) . After setting up her patrol barrier in the formidable Formosa Straits , the Camp found it necessary to head north at flank speed to avoid the invading typhoon Carla . Running into 40 foot seas and 70 knot winds which remained unabated for several days , the Camp suffered total destruction of the forward gun shield and loss of the fire control radar system . Subsequent high seas washed the remnants of the gun shield over the side and reduced the remainder of mount 31 to mere junk . After the typhoon , she was directed to Sasebo , Japan for emergency dry - dock repairs , where an eight foot section of her hull was found nearing failure . The enclosed rear gun mount 32 was moved forward and replaced with an open gun mount from a decommissioned ship . After the repairs , she returned to Vietnam and resumed duty which included escort support to the battleship . She proudly displayed the Naval symbol for excellence , the " E " on her bridge , for achieving high marks in all categories . By 1968 her radio center had been rebuilt more than once to improve communications efficiency . The " 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 . During the shooting of the film " Tora ! Tora ! Tora ! " , the interior scenes of the were shot aboard the decommissioned , while the brief at sea gun fire and depth charge scene was actually the " Camp " ( note the open rear gun mount in the film sequence ) . Transfer to South Vietnam Navy and service with the Philippine Navy . She was transferred to South Vietnam on 13 February 1971 . Renamed frigate , 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 which acquired the ship later that year . Formally transferred on 5 April 1976 , former " Tran Hung Dao " was commissioned into the Philippine Navy as frigate RPS " Rajah Lakandula " ( PS - 4 ) on 27 July 1976 . On July 1980 , she was renumbered and reclassified as BRP " Rajah Lakandula " ( PF - 4 ) . Struck from the Navy List in 1988 , she was still in use as stationary barracks ship in Subic Bay in 1999 . Probably sold as scrap . References . USS Camp Cruise Books ; 1967 – 68 , 1968 – 69