BRP Sierra Madre
History and Background
This vessel started life in 1944 as an American landing ship. In 1967, she was transferred to the Philippines and renamed Sierra Madre. In 1999, the Filipino navy ran her aground on the Ayungin Shoal / Ren-ai Jiao / Second Thomas Shoal to use her as an outpost and counter Chinese territorial claims in the Spratly islands region.
Current State and Occupation
The ship is in a very bad state but is still occupied by Filipino marines. China has requested that the Philippines remove the ship from their territory. Chinese coast guards are often blockading the Sierra Madre, stopping the Filipino navy from bringing in fresh troops onboard to rotate the crew and construction material to repair the ship.
– RBM.
