Tagbanua-class
Summary
| Origin country | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
| Category | Amphibious vessel |
| Subtype | Utility landing craft |
| Manufacturer | |
| Year commissioned | 2011 |
| Approx. unit cost | $4 million |
| Unit | LC-296 BRP Tagbanua |
Operators
Technical specifications
| Displacement | 579 tons |
| Crew | 15 members |
| Width | 10.0 m (32.8 ft) |
| Length | 51.43 m (168.7 ft) |
| Propulsion | Caterpillar CAT C32 ACERT Diesel Marine Engine |
| Armament | 6 × 50-cal 12.7 mm machine guns |
| Maximum speed | 15 knots |
Description
The Tagbanua class landing craft utility was built for the Philippine Navy of the Philippines under the LCU Acquisition Project, which was part of the 2002 Revised Reprioritized Project List with an approved budget of PhP 189 million. The construction contract was awarded on 16 March 2010 to Propmech Corporation, which jointly built the vessel with Philippine Iron Construction and Marine Works (PICMW). Propmech supplied the engine and propulsion systems, while PICMW constructed the hull and fixtures at its shipyard in Jasaan, Misamis Oriental. Named after the Tagbanua tribe of Palawan, the vessel is the largest Philippine-made naval vessel launched. The ship was launched on 28 September 2011 and completed sea trials between 10 and 11 November 2011, sailing from Jasaan to the Navotas port in Manila. The vessel entered service on 14 December 2011 as BRP Tagbanua (AT-296).
The landing craft is powered by Caterpillar CAT C32 ACERT diesel marine engines. Sensor systems consist of a Sperry Marine Visionmaster FT navigation radar. The vessel has a transport capacity of 110 tons of cargo and 200 passengers. For defense, the ship is armed with six 12.7 mm (.50 caliber) machine guns.
In service, BRP Tagbanua deployed on 24 February 2013, sailing from Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, to the village of Tanduo in Lahad Datu, where followers of the Sultan of Sulu were located during an attempt to reclaim Sabah. In April 2016, under Philippine Navy Standard Operating Procedures #08, the vessel was reclassified from an Auxiliary Transport to a Landing Craft, changing its hull number from AT-296 to LC-296.