Argentine Service

On 7 April 1971, the Chief of Naval Operations directed that the USS BRAINE DD630 was unfit for further Naval service. He ordered she be stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and approved the transfer of the ship to the Republic of Argentina Navy. The USS BRAINE DD630 was sold to Argentina on 10 August 1971. She was renamed the ALMIRANTE DOMECQ GARCIA - D23. The ship was named after Admiral Manual Domecq Garcia (1859-1951), a student from the Promotion 4 of the Naval Military School. He was a distinguished seaman and one of the founders of the modern Argentine Navy, where he fulfilled all important positions and superior commands. Admiral Garcia was appointed Secretary of the Navy (1922-1928) during the Presidency of Doctor Marcelo Torcuato de Alvear.

On 17 August at the naval base on Treasure Island, San Francisco, California, the ship was commissioned in a ceremony attended by Admiral Garcia’s daughter, Mrs. Eugenia Domecq Garcia de Forn. Commander Mario Eduaro Olmas assumed command and raised the flag of the Republic of Argentina.

After minor repairs, the ship left California in October 1971. She was escorted by the destroyer ARA ALMIRANTE STORNI, the former USS COWELL DD547. The ships passed from the Pacific Ocean, through the Panama Canal and arrived at El Callao in November of that same year. During the voyage she participated in exercises at sea jointly with units of the Peruvian Navy. She arrived at the Naval Base of Puerto Belgranso and joined the sea fleet on 21 November 1971, where the Naval Center donated a Combat Flag to the ship.

While in service with the Argentine Navy the D-23 participated in all the exercises and developments of tactical subjects of the Sea Fleet, in navigation and gunnery in different situations of anti-surface, including anti-air and ant-submarine warfare. She participated in Operations UNITAS XVII AND XXI during 1976 and 1980. In 1977 and 1978 she participated in the COMORAN IV and V with the ships of the Navy of Uruguay.

In 1976 with destroyers PERNAMBUCO and MARANHAO from the Navy of Brazil, she operated in joint operations. In August 1977 ALMIRANTE DOMECQ GARCIA sailed to Montevideo on a special commission on the occasion of the celebration of the Independence of Uruguay.

During the Malvinas conflict the unit fulfilled functions on the control of maritime transit and early anti-air alarm in the area near Bahia Blanca. Many times and in different attitudes she monitored registrations and visits of foreign fishing ships that were there illegally in the Argentine Sea. In 1975 the famous visit and registration of the ship SHACKLETON, under the English flag, was observed presumable doing oceanographic investigations of the Argentine platform.

Government Resolution took the destroyer ALMIRANTE DOMECQ GARCIA - D23 out of service in October 1982. On 30 November 1982 the ship’s flag was lowered. She had sailed 123,000 miles under the flag of the Republic of Argentina. On 19 November 1986, she was used as a target ship and sunk by an Exercet missile fired by a frigate which struck the ship amidships just above the waterline.

Her final resting place is
39 degrees 57’ South Latitude
57 degrees 57’ West Latitude

COMMANDING OFFICERS Commander Mario Eduardo Olmos 1971-1972
Commander Miceto Echauri Ayerra 1972-1973
Commander Federicl Carlos Garriga 1973-1974
Commander Roberto Alfredo Day 1974-1975
Commander Carlos Emilio Barilli 1975-1976
Commander Marcelo Agustin Linares 1976-1978
Commander Jorge Alfredo Mantovani 1978-1979
Commander Jose Maria Arriloa 1978-1979
Commander Hector Francisco Lobbosco 1979-1980
Commander Antonio Andres Russo 1980
Commander Ricardo Jose Sanchez 1980-1982