| Chilean destroyer Ministro Portales (DD-17) | |
|---|---|
 Destroyer "Ministro Portales" ready to combat the Argentinians in 1978. | |
| Career (United States) |  |
| Namesake: | Douglas H. Fox |
| Builder: | Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle |
| Laid down: | 31 January 1944 |
| Launched: | 30 September 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 26 December 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | 15 December 1973 |
| Struck: | December 15, 1973 |
| Fate: | To Chile 8 January 1974 |
| Career (Chile) |  |
| Name: | Ministro Portales (DD-17) |
| Acquired: | 8 January 1974 |
| Fate: | Intentionally sunk off Cape Horn on 11 November 1998 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Allen M. Sumner class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 2,200 tons |
| Length: | 376 ft 6 in (114.8 m) |
| Beam: | 40 ft (12.2 m) |
| Draft: | 15 ft 8 in (4.8 m) |
| Propulsion: |
60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers |
| Speed: | 34 knots (63 km/h) |
| Range: | 6,500 nmi (12,000 km) @ 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 336 |
| Armament: |
6 × 5 in./38 guns (12 cm), 12 × 40mm AA guns, 11 × 20mm AA guns, 10 × 21 in. torpedo tubes, 6 × depth charge projectors, 2 × depth charge tracks |
The Ministro Portales was purchased by Chile in 1974 from the United States. Built and commissioned as the USS Douglas H. Fox (DD-779) in 1944, the ship was officially a member of the Allen M. Sumner FRAM II class of destroyers. Between 1975 and 1976, it was refited with an extension on the flight deck for Alouette-III Helicopters.
The Portales participated in the counteractive measures to the Operation Soberanía during the Beagle conflict in 1978. In this period, all the Chilean navy ships were camouflaged.
The vessel served the navy of Chile until it was taken off active duty and towed from Talcahuano to Puerto Williams, arriving at the wharf on September 18, 1991.
There, it was a static support vessel for the local torpedo boat fleet until their replacement by missile boats.
On November 11, 1998, the Ministro Portales was intentionally sunk during a target practice exercise.
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