The stamp shows the American Coast Guard Cutter HAMILTON who visited regular Barbados during her service in the Caribbean.
Built as a U.S.A Coast Guard patrol vessel under yard No 1062 by the Avondale Shipyard Inc., Avondale near New Orleans Louisiana.
January 1965 keel laid down.
18 December 1965 launched as the USCGC HAMILTON (WHEC-715), named for Alexander Hamilton the first United States Secretary of the Treasure and founder of the United States Revenue Cutter Service.
Displacement 3,340 tons full load, dim. 115.2 x 13.1 x 6.1m. (draught).
Powered by two Pratt & Withney FT-4A gasturbines, 36,000 shp. Two 12-cylinder Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines, 7,000 bhp.
Two pitch propellers, maximum speed 29 knots.
One bow thruster.
Armament: 1 – 5 inch gun and 2 – 40mm, 2 – 20mm MG.
Crew173.
20 February 1967 completed and 18 December 1965 commissioned.
The Coast Guard designed a high level of habitability into HAMILTON. Living compartments and areas provide fairly comfortable accommodations, including air conditioning, for the 173 men and women who serve on board.
HAMILTON was the first U.S. military vessel to employ the now common shipboard application of aircraft gas turbine jet engines with the use of controllable pitch propellers. Hamilton's two 18,000 horsepower (13,000 kW) Pratt & Whitney gas turbines can propel Hamilton at speeds up to 28 knots (52 km/h). Hamilton also has two 3,500 horsepower (2,600 kW) Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines, capable of driving the ship economically at 17 knots (31 km/h) for up to 14,400 nautical miles (26,700 km) without refueling. A retractable/rotatable bow propulsion unit provides exceptional maneuverability in tight situations.
HAMILTON’s flight deck and hangar capable of handling both Coast Guard and Navy helicopters extends the vessel’s rescue and maritime law enforcement operations.
In 1988, HAMILTON completed a three-year fleet renovation and modernization that provided the ship with modern weapons and electronics systems. All spaces and machinery were also completely overhauled and refurbished. The new technology enables Hamilton to operate seamlessly with the United States Navy.
HAMILTON has served a variety of missions with distinction. During a 1969-70 deployment to Vietnam, HAMILTON interdicted weapons smugglers and fired more than 4,600 rounds of gunfire in support of U.S. and Vietnamese troops ashore. From 1965-1975, HAMILTON served on Atlantic Ocean Stations, collecting valuable oceanographic data and conducting frequent search and rescue missions. HAMILTON also directed the interdictions of over 21,000 Haitian migrants throughout the Caribbean during Operation Able Manner. In 1994, HAMILTON received the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation for rescuing 135 Haitians from the sea after their sailboat capsized and sank. In 1996, HAMILTON transited the Panama Canal and served as the command and control platform for Operation Frontier Shield, a multi-agency effort to curtail the influx of narcotics into the United States. HAMILTON intercepted 14 drug-laden vessels carrying more than 115 tons of contraband worth 200 million dollars. In 1999, HAMILTON seized over 2,700 kilograms of cocaine bound for the U.S. in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. HAMILTON frequently patrols the Bering Sea off the Alaskan coast at the Maritime Boundary Line (MBL) which separates the Russian and the United States' Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). HAMILTON 's presence on the MBL deters foreign fishing vessels from fishing in the U.S. EEZ.
In March 2007, HAMILTON assisted the SHERMAN in the largest recorded maritime drug bust in history. The two vessels intercepted the Panamanian-flagged fishing vessel GATUN in international waters and were able to recover 20 metric tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $600 million dollars retail. The seizure was the largest drug bust in US history and the largest interdiction at sea.
USCGC HAMILTON was decommissioned on March 28, 2011 in San Diego. The ship was sold under the FMS program and was transferred to the Philippine Navy on May 13, 2011 as BRP GREGORIO DEL PILAR (PF-15) named after the first Philippine Revolution general Gregorio del Pilar who died as a hero during the Battle of the Tirad Pass during the Philippine-American War.
18 July 2011 she left the USA and will make calls at Hawaii and Guam.
The Philippine Navy will use the vessel for operations such as maritime security patrols and search and rescue. It will also deployed to aid the maritime security of the Malampaya Project west of Palawan and to protect the territorial waters of the Philippines.
Barbados 1994 50c sg1081, scott 878 and 878a
Source: Wikipedia and the internet.