USS Douglas H. Fox (DD-779)
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| Career | 
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| Ordered: | . |
| Laid down: | 31 Jan 1944 |
| Launched: | 30 Sep 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 26 Dec 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | 15 Dec 1973 |
| Fate: | To Chile January 8, 1974, Renamed Ministro Portales, Intentionally sunk 1995 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 2,220 tons |
| Length: | 376 ft 6 in |
| Beam: | 41 ft 1 in |
| Draught: | 15 ft 8 in |
| Propulsion: | . |
| Speed: | 34 knots |
| Range: | . |
| Complement: | 336 |
| Armament: | 6 5", 10 21" tt, 6 dcp, 2 dct |
| Nickname: | . |
USS Douglas H. Fox (DD-779) an Allen M. Sumner class destroyer, was named in honor of the captain of the Barton, who went down with his ship when she was torpedoed and sunk in the naval battle of Guadalcanal November 13, 1942. Captain Fox was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his contribution to the defeat of a superior enemy force in this battle, and was later awarded a Gold Star in lieu of a second Navy Cross for earlier actions on 26 and 30 October and 3 November in which he had rescued downed aviators and survivors of the aircraft carrier Hornet under hazardous conditions.
Douglas H. Fox was launched September 30, 1944 by Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Seattle, Washington; sponsored by Mrs. J. T. Boone; and commissioned December 26, 1944, Commander R. M. Pitts in command.
Douglas H. Fox joined in exercises in the Hawaiian Islands from March 31, 1945 to April 21, 1945, then sailed to join the radar picket line at Okinawa, arriving May 5, 1945. She accounted for 7 planes during a concentrated attack by 11 enemy planes, splashed 5 of her attackers before being hit by a kamikaze and its bomb, and sprayed with burning gasoline from 1 of her own victims. Although 7 of her crew were killed and 35 wounded, the fires were quickly extinguished and effective damage control measures enabled Douglas H. Fox to reach Kerama Retto under her own power for temporary repairs. She continued to San Francisco for permanent repairs, arriving 23 June.
After refresher training at San Diego, Douglas H. Fox sailed on September 30, 1945 for the east coast, arriving at New York City October 17, 1945 for the Navy Day celebrations. She put in to her home port of Norfolk, Virginia November 2, 1945 and served on local operations and plane guard duty in the Caribbean. She aided in the shakedown of the new carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt from January 14, 1945 to March 6, 1946, visiting Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in February. Douglas H. Fox remained in the Caribbean in various training and escort duties until December 14, 1946 when she arrived at New London for leave and upkeep.
Douglas H. Fox departed Norfolk July 21, 1947 for a tour of duty in the Mediterranean. On 29 September, while bound for Trieste, she struck a World War II era mine which severely damaged her stern, killed 3 and injured 12 of her crew. She was towed to Venice by two Italian tugs, and put to sea on November 13, 1947 in tow of Luiseno for Boston, arriving December 5, 1945, for repairs.
Sailing from Newport, Rhode Island, July 20, 1948, Douglas H. Fox returned to the Mediterranean and visited various ports there until September 28, 1948, when she joined Huntington for a good will cruise to Mombasa, Kenya; Durban, South Africa; and round Cape Horn to Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Montevideo. She returned to Norfolk December 8, 1948, for operations off the Virginia Capes until January 5, 1950 when she arrived at Charleston, South Carolina. She was placed out of commission in reserve there April 21, 1950.
Recommissioned November 15, 1950, after the outbreak of war in Korea, Douglas H. Fox served on the east coast until January 22, 1952 when she got underway from Norfolk for the Far East. She joined the screen of TF 77 on patrol off Korea, and participated in the bombardment of Wonsan March 13, 1952. Later in March she joined Manchester in conducting harassing fire against enemy troops on the east coast. In May she began independent operations, shelling targets, supporting minesweeping operations, and weakening the North Korean fishing industry by capturing 26 sampans. She got underway from Yokosuka June 21, 1952 and sailed west through the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea to complete a round-the-world cruise at Norfolk August 19, 1952, this time in a reverse direction.
Douglas H. Fox made a midshipman training cruise to Nova Scotia from 20 June to 8 July 1955, and served tours of duty with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean from 7 November 1956 to 20 February 1957. Between 3 September and 22 December 1957 she joined elements of the British and Canadian navies for a NATO exercise in the North Atlantic, visiting the Mediterranean before returning to Norfolk to resume local operations. Between 7 August 1959 and 26 February 1960, she served again in the Mediterranean, as well as in the Red Sea and Persian Gulf, returning to Norfolk for overhaul. From June through the end of 1960, Douglas H. Fox operated off east coast, cruising north of the Arctic Circle on NATO maneuvers, and patrolling in the Caribbean during political unrest in Central America.
After completing a 1961 Mediterranean deployment, Douglas H. Fox participated in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises and patrols through March 1962. At that time the ship went into the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a FRAM II (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization) conversion. Included in the changes were updated torpedo mounts, and a Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) and Variable-Depth Sonar (VDS) system. In November 1962, she departed from the yard with this increased ASW capability, more modern and comfortable quarters, and a longer life expectancy with the United States Navy.
In December 1962, Douglas H. Fox reported to the Fleet Training Group at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for refresher training and base defense. In February and March 1963 the ship took part in Operation Springboard - 63, an extensive training cruise in the Caribbean, after which she resumed her ASW ready duties with the Atlantic Fleet. Early July 1964 found the Douglas H. Fox deployed to the Mediterranean, returning in November. In early 1965 she took part in Operation Springboard-65, after which she resumed her ASW duties with Task Group Four.
Summer 1965 found Douglas H. Fox deployed to the Mediterranean and Middle East, where she conducted ASW operations with the Royal Navy and then participated in contingency operations off the coast of Pakistan. During this period Douglas H. Fox received the Atlantic Fleet ASW Award for her consistent success in the art of anti-submarine warfare. From November 1965 to April 1966 she was in Norfolk Naval Shipyard undergoing overhaul.
July 1966 she returned to the Mediterranean and paid a visit to Safi, Morocco. Douglas H. Fox was the first American warship to visit Safi in seventeen years. The ship returned to Norfolk December 17, 1966, and in 1967 she ship performed a variety of work with the Second Fleet, with the major emphasis on anti-submarine warfare. Much time was spent in this period in areas just east of Cape Hatteras.
In May 1967 Douglas H. Fox operated with 55 ships from four countries in Operation Fizwiz Sunrise. In June a NATO exercise called New Look took the ship to the North Atlantic for ten days of highly competitive ASW operations with the Canadian Navy. In addition there were two weeks of operations out of Key West as a school ship for the Fleet Sonar School. On September 1, 1967 the ship began a five month deployment with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean.
In September 1968, 323 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, while enroute for a return visit to Vietnam, a fire broke out in the aft fireroom, killing three seamen and injuring five. The fire was brought under control and the ship returned to port under her own power. After extensive repairs were completed at Charleston Naval Shipyard, the Douglas H. Fox departed again for Vietnam arriving in February 1969. From February to September she operated in the Vietnam area on a variety of assignments which included plane-guarding in the Tonkin Gulf, and harassment and interdiction fire on a regular basis. She also operated independently providing close-in gunfire support to troops on numerous occasions.
On December 15, 1973 Douglas H. Fox, while under the command of Lieutenant Commander Kelley, was given orders to proceed to the Navy Yard at Philadelphia to be decommissioned. After decommissioning the ship was sold to Chile for further naval service. Under a different flag and with a new name, Ministro Portales, (DD 17), served its new country for another 22 years. In 1995, there was another below-deck explosion in the after engine room which brought the ship's career to an end. It was intentionally sunk in the Pacific shortly thereafter.
Douglas H. Fox received one battle star for World War II service and one for Korean war service.
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
| Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer |
| Allen M. Sumner | Moale | Ingraham | Cooper | English | Charles S. Sperry | Ault | Waldron | Haynsworth | John W. Weeks | Hank | Wallace L. Lind | Borie | Compton | Gainard | Soley | Harlan R. Dickson | Hugh Purvis | Barton | Walke | Laffey | O'Brien | Meredith | De Haven | Mansfield | Lyman K. Swenson | Collett | Maddox | Hyman | Mannert L. Abele | Purdy | Drexler | Blue | Brush | Taussig | Samuel N. Moore | Harry E. Hubbard | Alfred A. Cunningham | Ammen | John R. Pierce | Frank E. Evans | John A. Bole | Beatty | Putnam | Strong | Lofberg | Lowrey | Hugh W. Hadley | Willard Keith | James C. Owens | Zellars | Massey | Douglas H. Fox | Stormes | Robert K. Huntington | Bristol |
| List of destroyers of the United States Navy List of destroyer classes of the United States Navy |