Initially constructed at the Lisbon Naval Arsenal as part of the Portuguese Navy's Douro class, they were acquired by Colombia before completion in response to the Peruvian purchase of two destroyers during the war with Peru.

The design was by the British company Yarrow Shipbuilders, based on that of the Royal Navy's prototype destroyer HMS Ambuscade.

[3] The vessels were powered by three oil-fired Yarrow boilers providing 400 psi (2,758 kPa) of steam to two Parsons turbines with Curtiss reduction gearing.

The destroyers had capacity for 292 long tons (297 t) of fuel oil and a range of 5,400 nautical miles (10,000 km; 6,200 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

However, the Colombian Navy did perform neutrality patrols into the Caribbean Sea after the German submarine U-154 began attacking shipping off its shores.

[3] Following the war, the destroyers returned to their tranquil service until 1952 when Antioquia began a major refit, beginning at Cartagena before going to the United States in 1953.

The destroyers were fitted with Mk 52 fire control, three more 40 mm guns and a hedgehog anti-submarine mortar.