MaMore than 25 years ago, the BRP Sierra Madre set off on its final secret voyage. In the dark of night, the Philippine Navy ship sailed from Manila Bay into the remote waters of the South China Sea, where, to the surprise of many, it ran aground and has not moved since.
“We did it as quietly as possible so we didn’t antagonize anyone,” said retired Vice Adm. Eduardo Santos, who was then commander of the Navy. For him, it was mission accomplished. His plan was to sail his ships, without China’s knowledge, into a tiny reef known as Second Thomas Shoal, the scene of one of the world’s most intense maritime disputes. The move would help the Philippines defend the area for decades to come.
“When the Chinese ambassador knocked on my office early in the morning and told me about this, my first reaction was… I said, ‘Well, it was supposed to be shipped soon.’ [to a mission]”And then we ran aground,” said Santos. Now 80 years old, he can look back and smile, but he knows more than anyone how delicate the issue is.
He said if the shoal had been left unoccupied, it would have been lost to China, as the Philippines was already facing a “creeping invasion” by China.
China already occupies Mischief Reef, an atoll just 21 nautical miles away, but within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) – a stretch of water 200 nautical miles from a country’s coast that gives China special rights to build and exploit resources within the zone. Second Thomas Reef is also within the Philippine EEZ.
The Sierra Madre’s final voyage in 1999 marked a key milestone in the wide-ranging, long-running dispute over the South China Sea, which is home to one of the world’s busiest trade routes and is thought to be rich in oil and gas reserves.
The crumbling ship’s persistent presence at Second Thomas Shoal has infuriated Beijing ever since. China has tried to thwart supply missions to the reef and it has been at the center of at least eight naval clashes in the past 18 months alone. The ship acts as a de facto military outpost, preventing China from expanding further towards the Philippine coast. China claims most of the area, despite a ruling to the contrary at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
The tank is loaded, the gun is ready, but it only has one engine.
Santos said the Philippines had few options in the 1990s other than to play a cat-and-mouse game of removing structures installed by China, adding that the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Philippines in 1992 after 94 years created a vacuum.
The Navy’s attention turned to a ship scheduled for retirement: the BRP Sierra Madre, a tank landing ship built for the U.S. Navy during World War II and delivered to the Philippines, a U.S. ally, in 1976.
It took months to get it back up and running. “We had to quietly fix it, make sure the tanks were loaded, the guns were firing, and so on,” Santos said. “We needed power for the radar and the people who were going to be there.”
It had only one engine instead of the usual two, and it wasn’t expected to fly much in the future. Santos said the plane had taken off in May 1999 with about 20 crew members on board. Only the captain knew the details of the mission.
The soldiers will be stationed on the ship for about three months. “At first, it was good because we were able to repair the ship. We painted it, we did the interior…” [There’s] Air conditioning. There was a Betamax. “We’re here,” he says. There’s a karaoke machine and a helicopter pad used for basketball. The troops were already used to the solitude of being stationed so far from home, and in a region known for typhoons and severe storms, the Sierra Madre was preferable to a small island.
“They would fish in their spare time, dry the fish and then sell the dried fish when they got home, so they had some extra income,” Santos said.
But after decades of exposure to strong winds and sea spray, the ship is old and some fear it may be on the verge of collapse, once again making the shallows vulnerable to China. Beijing has repeatedly blocked resupply attempts, particularly to the ship believed to be carrying building materials, but says it is acting professionally and with restraint.
China claims Sierra Madre’s presence is illegal and demands its removal.
“I’ve heard they were able to do some small modifications to the ceiling of the boat to keep it from flooding. [leak]”We’ve taken some steps to ensure that if it rains they have a dry place to sleep so they don’t get wet,” he said.
According to one report, even walking on the main deck is sometimes dangerous, with it so deteriorated that visitors must walk on planks.
Santos said he was saddened by the state of the ship. “It may not last much longer, maybe not even another five years,” he said, adding that he did not have the latest details on the ship’s condition.
“You can’t fight them with force.”
China is targeting the entire South and East China Sea, he added, with “$3 trillion worth of goods flowing through the region.” [every year] “…There’s always an opportunity to make money from it,” he said, “and of course there’s oil in the area. [China] They know this because they conducted a joint investigation with us.”
Santos publicly cited incidents of aggressive behavior by Chinese vessels at sea and welcomed the government’s broader efforts to deepen defense ties with allies and partners.
A recent survey found that 73 percent of Filipinos want both military and diplomatic action to defend the West Philippine Sea, the name the country uses to describe its exclusive economic zone. It’s easy to say you want to fight in a survey, Santos said. “We in the military don’t like fighting.”
“We cannot fight them with force. [So] They should use the law. I think the Philippines is moving to bring a new case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which already had a favorable ruling in 2016. [in a tribunal at The Hague]”Now we can do that,” Santos said.
Many have suggested that the Philippines should ground another ship to protect other locations in the Philippine EEZ, just as it did with Sierra Madre. He doubts this would be possible, given China’s now-widespread surveillance capabilities. “China already knows… they saw the same thing happen on another island and they immediately demanded removal,” Santos said.
