USS Hoel ( DDG - 13 ) USS " Hoel " ( DDG - 13 ) , named for Lieutenant Commander William R . Hoel USN ( 1824 – 1879 ) , was a " Charles F . Adams " - class guided - missile armed destroyer . " Hoel " was laid down by Defoe Shipbuilding Company in Bay City , Michigan , on 3 August 1959 , launched on 4 August 1960 by Mrs . Harry H . Long , granddaughter of Lieutenant Commander Hoel and commissioned on 16 June 1962 , Commander Allen W . Slifer , USN , in command . " Hoel " served as plane guard for Aircraft carrier s on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf , participated in Sea Dragon operations , patrolled on Search and rescue duties and carried out Naval Gunfire Support missions during the Vietnam War . 1960s . After fitting out at Boston , " Hoel " got underway for her first homeport , San Diego , putting in at Norfolk ; May - port and Fort Lauderdale , Fla . ; Guantanamo Bay ; Cartagena , Colombia ; Canal Zone ; and Acapuloo , Mexico , during the voyage . During the passage from Cartagena to the Canal Zone she came upon sailing yacht " Stardrift " becalmed and adrift en route to Sidney , Australia , from London . " Hoel " towed the 36 - foot craft to safety in Panama . " Hoel " arrived San Diego 11 September 1962 and spent the ensuing months completing the various inspections , tests , and trials by the Board of Inspection and Survey . When successful firing of ASROC and TARTAR missiles completed her qualification and acceptance trials , " Hoel " joined the ready 1st Fleet . After a 3 - week cruise to Esquimalt , Canada , " Hoel " spent April and May 1963 in Pearl Harbor conducting special exercises . She then returned to waters off San Diego to participate in the Presidential Demonstration held for President Kennedy . The months of July , August , and part of September were spent at Long Beach Naval Shipyard for the post - shakedown availability assigned each new ship approximately 1 year after commissioning . At this time improved fire - control radars were installed and tested by successful missile firings . " Hoel " departed Long Beach 17 October 1963 for duty in the Western Pacific to serve as the flagship of Commander Destroyer Division 12 . In ensuing years she alternated deployments in the Far East with operations off the West Coast . Her 1966 deployment to the Western Pacific began when she departed San Diego 28 July . On September she was on search and rescue patrol off Da Nang , Vietnam . On 8 December the guided missile destroyer became naval gunfire support ship in the Corps I area . She fired 2 , 100 rounds destroying at least 20 enemy structures and two trench networks ; damaging 61 buildings , three bunkers , eight trench networks , and five roads ; and killing 24 Viet Cong while wounding seven . " Hoel " retired to Hong Kong 21 December but headed for Yankee Station the day after Christmas to screen . On this patrol she helped to rescue a pilot after his A - 4 Sky Hawk had crashed . Decommissioning . " Hoel " was decommissioned on 1 October 1990 , stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 20 November 1992 and sold on 20 June 1994 . The " Hoel " was one of seven decommissioned US naval vessels purchased by Charleston Shipbuilders Inc . ( CSI ) in 1994 . The corporation planned to use the ships ' power plants to generate electricity which they would then sell commercially . In theory , each ship would be able to generate approximately fifty megawatts of electricity , enough to supply approximately 150 , 000 households . Power Barge . The city of Manaus , Brazil had rapidly expanded since it was declared a tax - free zone by the Brazilian government in 1967 . Eletronorte , the local power utility service , had been unable to keep up with the increasing demand and Manaus experienced frequent blackout s . In 1997 , CSI negotiated a thirty million dollar contract to supply power to Manaus . The ex - " Hoel " was chosen as the ship to be used . However , the plans of both companies were too optimistic . Eletronorte announced that " Hoel " would be delivering power within only a few days of its arrival in Manaus . CSI had failed to test the ship ' s equipment fully before departing for Brazil and failed to appreciate how many repairs the ship ' s 38 - year - old power plant might require . The ship ended up needing weeks of work after its arrival in Brazil before it could begin generating power and numerous repairs after that . Repairs were much more difficult to accomplish in Brazil because the parts and technicians now had to be brought in from CSI ' s headquarters back in the United States . Meanwhile , many people in Manaus had become angry over the failed power delivery and there were violent protests . " Hoel " was never able to generate more than a quarter of the electricity that had been promised and that only periodically . After a year of failed attempts , Eletronorte cancelled its contract with CSI .