ANTONIO A. ORTEGA, JR., ENS, PN

Antonio Ortega, Jr. '79

Date of birth: March 1, 1956

Date of death: September 21, 1981

Age: 25

Lucky Bag

From the 1979 Lucky Bag:

Antonio Agra Ortega, Jr.

Pila, Philippines

Tony came to USNA from Pila, Philippines not knowing what to expect from his new way of life. Ortz however adapted to Academy life rapidly acquiring the ability to consume large amounts of food and drink. Indoctrination continued for Tony as he learned new and often used phrases from his inquisitive readings of various “educational publications.” Although two of his former roommates have gone civilian line, Tony has never been AC board bait surviving some of the toughest profs USNA has to offer. When the week was over, Ortz would commute to his favorite hideout (other than Guzman’s room), Oxon Hill terrorizing the female population there. Tony has decided not to choose McDonalds for his service selection although he had been considering it. Instead, he will return to his homeland to serve his country in the Philippine Navy. Tony will find success in whatever he chooses to do. We will all miss him.

Antonio Agra Ortega, Jr.

Pila, Philippines

Tony came to USNA from Pila, Philippines not knowing what to expect from his new way of life. Ortz however adapted to Academy life rapidly acquiring the ability to consume large amounts of food and drink. Indoctrination continued for Tony as he learned new and often used phrases from his inquisitive readings of various “educational publications.” Although two of his former roommates have gone civilian line, Tony has never been AC board bait surviving some of the toughest profs USNA has to offer. When the week was over, Ortz would commute to his favorite hideout (other than Guzman’s room), Oxon Hill terrorizing the female population there. Tony has decided not to choose McDonalds for his service selection although he had been considering it. Instead, he will return to his homeland to serve his country in the Philippine Navy. Tony will find success in whatever he chooses to do. We will all miss him.

Loss

Antonio was lost when the destroyer BRP Datu Kalantiaw (PS-76) of the Philippine Navy grounded during Typhoon Clara on September 21, 1981. He was one of 79 men who lost their lives; only 18 survived.

Other Information

From Facebook on September 23, 2018:

My brother Tony (Ens. Antonio Ortega Jr.), was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1979. Soon after graduation he served with the Philippine Navy. There was a war against Muslim rebels at that time and he encountered many clashes with the rebels. The rebels were well equipped with weapons such as AK-47s and RPGs etc. supplied by Libya and other Muslim nations. Supplies can easily reach the rebels through nearby Muslim nations like Malaysia. My brother's first ship was the BRP Bagong Lakas. It was a fast modern ship but was thin skinned. Muslims used fast boats called "Kumpits". Then Tony was transferred to the BRP Datu Kalantiaw. My father (Antonio Sr.) was at the U.S. at that time helping his brother (my uncle George, who was a member of PMA Class of 1942) who was sick. I recall clearly what my mother said to Tony, "mabuti anak sa North ka na mapunta, safe ka na from the war". Tony told us that the "Kalantiaw" was an old WW2 ship that had engines in bad condition. It had been in repair at Subic for quite sometime. As the junior officer and an "Annapolis grad" the Capt. of the ship relied on Tony to deal with the U.S. Navy people. Tony recalled how the Americans feared that the engines were in dangerous state as they toured the vessel. The ship's engines also broke down several times and had to be towed back to port with tug boats. So my brother's reply to my mother, "Ma. more dangerous sa North, pag bumigay ang makina, maaring lumubog kami". So when the tragedy came and Tony was one of those MIA, I wondered why the ship was caught in the storm. There had to be a warning by Pagasa or whatever was the weather facility was at that time, about the coming storm. And we know that the northern seas in the Batanes and Calayan areas are turbulent even if there is no storm. I can only guess that the ship's captain probably had some task to perform and underestimated the speed and power of the storm. The ship's engines most probably broke down before they could go to port. Mr. Gilbert Cahilig maybe you can add anything to the story of BRP Batu Kalantiaw as told by your late brother in law.