US Coast Guard service and transfer to the Philippine Navy The ship was first launched in 1968 and served for decades as the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter
Dallas (WHEC-716) before being given to the Philippines. The ship was scheduled to be transferred to the Philippines as an excess defense article through the
Foreign Assistance Act via a "hot transfer" in May 2012. The
Dallas was formally decommissioned on 30 March 2012, and the US Coast Guard removed the ship's guns and other equipment. On 6 May 2012 during the 70th commemoration of the Fall of Bataan, President
Benigno Aquino III announced the naming of the ex-USCGC
Dallas to BRP
Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) in honor of the World War II hero and officer of the Philippine Navy. Commodore
Ramon "Monching" Alcaraz commanded one of the Philippine Offshore Patrol's Q-boat Q-112
Abra during World War II which shot down 3 Japanese aircraft. The ex-
Dallas was formally transferred to the Philippine government on 22 May 2012 during a ceremony at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Pier Papa in
North Charleston,
South Carolina. The ship was turned over to its Filipino crew, with Capt. Ernesto Baldovino as its first commanding officer. The ship's crew had been in the US for several weeks prior to the transfer for training aboard other
Hamilton-class ships operated by the US Coast Guard.
Ramon Alcaraz was scheduled to be refitted at the expense of the Philippine Navy prior to sailing to the Philippines. The ship's transfer cost was pegged at Php 450 million (around US$10 million as of 2012), while operation costs will be similar to its sister ship, . An additional US$5 million was allocated for installation of additional equipment, different from her sister ship
Gregorio del Pilar. The ship will have better fire control and weapons systems than
Gregorio del Pilar. The ship finally departed Charleston harbor at 10:00 AM on 10 June 2013. She reached the Atlantic-side entrance of the Panama Canal and crossed its entire stretch on 17 June.
Ramon Alcaraz continued her journey across the Pacific Ocean and was scheduled for port visits at
Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam in
Hawaii, and at
Guam. before reaching Manila by 3 August 2013. On August 1, 2013,
Ramon Alcaraz entered Philippine waters. Her official arrival ceremony was held Subic Bay on August 6. On November 22, 2013, she was commissioned as BRP
Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) at Pier 15 in Manila's South Harbor. After commissioning, she sailed to Tacloban City to transport about 200 tons of relief goods, water purification systems, and navy personnel who helped with relief efforts following
Typhoon Haiyan. In March 2017, the Philippine Navy sent the
Ramon Alcaraz to patrol the
Benham Rise, which is part of Philippine territorial waters, after a Chinese survey ship was sighted in the area for several days.
Middle East and Indian Ocean deployment In January 2020, Naval Task Force (NTF) 82, which was composed of BRP
Ramon Alcaraz and the landing dock
BRP Davao del Sur, were deployed to the Middle East to repatriate
overseas Filipino workers there during the 2019-2020 Persian Gulf crisis between the
United States and
Iran. The two naval ships arrived in
Muscat,
Oman on February 6 after a layover in
Sri Lanka, but tensions in the Gulf region have already eased by that date and were told by Philippine Navy officials to stay put. They left Oman on April 21 and arrived in
Cochin,
India on May 6. They picked up some 200,000 pieces of
personal protective equipment (PPEs) donated by a Filipino donor who sources masks from India. They also picked up Filipinos stranded by the
COVID-19 pandemic. On the evening of May 7, 2020, a fire broke out in the engine room of the BRP
Ramon Alcaraz shortly after it left the port of Cochin, India. The fire, which lasted for 10 minutes, was extinguished by the crew members. Two enlisted men suffered second degree burns and were airlifted to a naval hospital in Cochin for "extensive medical attention". The ship stayed in Cochin for an additional 21 days and, with the help of the
US Naval Sea Systems Command, conducted assessment and minor repair to ensure functionality and safety of the propulsion system for the trip back to the Philippines, where additional repairs will be done. On May 27, 2020, the two ships left Cochin after the minor repairs were completed. They arrived in
Colombo, Sri Lanka on May 29 to pick up 12 stranded Filipino overseas workers and tourists. They left the port of Colombo midnight of May 31 for their voyage back to the Philippines. The two ships joined the country in celebrating its 122nd Independence Day as both entered Manila Bay on Friday, June 12. Philippine Navy chief, VAdm. Giovanni Bacordo, said the BRP
Ramon Alcaraz underwent major checks and repairs from the fire damage since it arrived last June 12. The repairs were conducted by
US Naval Sea Systems Command personnel, local contractors, and crew members aboard. When the repairs were completed, the ship conducted sea trials from September 8 to 9, 2020 off the waters of Zambales according to Navy public affairs officer Lt. Cdr. Maria Christina Roxas. The sea trial conducted all the systems and machinery tests that were probably affected during the fire incident. The BRP
Ramon Alcaraz was deemed ready for deployment by Philippine Navy following its successful sea trials. ==Notable operational deployments==