The BRP Sierra Madre is a 100 meter-long (330-foot) tank landing ship built for the U.S. Navy during World War Two. It was eventually transferred to the Philippine Navy, which deliberately grounded it on Second Thomas Shoal to mark Manila’s claim to the reef in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea. A small contingent of Philippine soldiers are stationed onboard.
Barko ng Republika ng Pilipinas
Ship of the Republic of the Philippines
Manila regards Second Thomas Shoal, which lies 105 nautical miles (195 km) southwest of the Philippine region of Palawan, as being within its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone. China, which claims virtually all the South China Sea, says the reef is part of its territory.
* Second Thomas Shoal is known to Filipinos as Ayungin Shoal.
