This list includes all major warships that entered service with the Argentine Navy since being formally established in the 1860s.In 1861 the modern Argentine Republic was born, after the Battle of Pavón. It also includes ships that were purchased by Argentina but did not enter service under Argentine flag. The list does not include vessels prior to the 1860s; and it also excludes auxiliary ships (tugs, transports, colliers, tankers, scientific vessels, etc.) which are listed separately.
In addition, there is a separate list of ships currently in service with the Argentine Navy, regardless the type.
The list is organized by type of ship, by class within each type, and by entry date within each class. Service entry dates indicate the ship's commissioning into the Argentine Navy, and not the ship's entry in service with another navy unless specifically said.
Naming tradition The current norms establish naming conventions for Argentine Navy ships according to their type, some of them specific to warships are summarized below.Historia - Tradiciones - Nombres de buques Armada Argentina, sitio oficial Official website of the Argentine Navy (accessed 2015-12-19)
Destroyers, frigates, corvettes Naval heroes, or names of significantly historic ships Submarines Province names, with priority those starting with S Mine warfare ships Province names, not used by submarines Amphibious warfare ships Coastal geographic features Fast attack ships Adjectives symbolizing qualities of combat ships
List of ships
Aircraft carriers
(British-built)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate V-1 194419591970 ex-, ex-HMCS Warrior Scrapped 1971 V-2 194319691999 ex-, formerly Scrapped 1999
Battleships
Almirante Brown ironclad (British-built)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate none188018811932 none Scrapped
Libertad-class coastal battleships (British-built)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate none189218921946 none To coast guard 1947 none189118931946 none To coast guard 1949
dreadnoughts (US-built)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate none191119151957 none Sold for scrap 1957 none191119151957 none Sold for scrap 1957
Monitors
(British-built)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate none187418751930 none Scrapped none187418751930 none Scrapped
Cruisers
Patagonia protected cruiser (Austro-Hungarian-built)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate none188618861925 none Scrapped
Protected Elswick cruisers (British-built)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate none189018911916 Ordered as Necochea, renamed before completion Scrapped 1927 none189218931930 none Scrapped none189518961932 none Sold for scrap 1935
Patria torpedo cruiser (British-built)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decomm. Other names Fate none189318941927 none
armoured cruisers (Italian-built)
Ordered from Italian shipyards. Two ships, Rivadavia and Mariano Moreno, were sold to Japan prior to completion as per naval disarmament agreements with Chile.
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate none189518961934 Sold for scrap 1937 none189518981935 Scrapped 1947 none189718981933 To coast guard 1933, stricken 1947, sold for scrap 1953 none189718981954 Sold for scrap 1957 ARA Rivadavianone1902Sold before completion to Japan, no service.(1903−1942 in Japan) Ordered as Mitre, later renamed. Japanese name Sunk 1945, salvaged and broken up for scrap 1948 ARA Mariano Morenonone1903Sold before completion to Japan, no service.(1903−1935 in Japan) Ordered as Roca, later renamed. Japanese name Sunk as target 1936, raised and sunk as target again 1942
Almirante Brown-class heavy cruisers (Italian-built)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate C-1192919311961 none Sold for scrap 1962 C-2192919311961 none Scrapped 1960
La Argentina light cruiser (British-built)
ARA La Argentina was a light cruiser, designed for training naval cadets.
Ship name Pennant n Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate C-3193719391972 none Scrapped 1974
General Belgrano class (US )
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate C-4193819511982† ARA Diecisiete de Octubre till 1956, ex- Sunk by British submarine HMS Conqueror during the Falklands War C-5193619511977 ex- Scrapped 1983
Torpedo boats
Maipu-class torpedo ram (British-built)
Bathurst class (British-built; Yarrow 1890 type – Mod GB TB 79 type)Gardiner, Robert and Randal Grey: Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906 – 1921 London: Conway's Maritime Press Ltd, 1985 Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissionedARA Bathurstnonenone18901927ARA Buchardononenone18901927ARA Jorgenonenone18901926ARA Kingnonenone18901926ARA Pinedononenone18901926ARA Thornenonenone18901926
Espora class (British-built)
1st class Thornycroft class (British-built)
2nd class Thornycroft class (British-built)
2nd class Yarrow class (British-built)
Riverine Yarrow class (British-built)
Destroyers
(British-built)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissionedARA Corrientesnonenone18971930ARA Misionesnonenone18971930ARA Entre Riosnonenone18961930ARA Santa Fenonenone18961897 Sunk in shipwreck during patrol in the River Plate off Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.
(German-built)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry Decommissionednonenone19121957nonenone19121957
(German-built) Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry Decommissionednonenone19121957nonenone19121957
Eight other destroyers were ordered around this time but never entered service with the Argentine Navy. See (Greece) and (France).
(Spanish-built)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissionedD-1ex-Alcalá Galiano19281961D-2ex-Churruca19281960
Ordered by the Spanish Navy and sold to Argentina prior to completion.
(British-built)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissionedD-3none19291961D-4none19291962D-5none19291962
(British-built)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissionedT-6 / D-6none19381971T-7 / D-7none19381971T-8none19381941 Sunk after collision with the heavy cruiser ARA Almirante Brown during fleet exercises off Mar del Plata.T-9 / D-9none19381971T-10 / D-10none19381970T-11 / D-11none19381970T-12 / D-12none19391972
Brown/Almirante Domecq García class (leased US )
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decomm. Other names Fate ARA BrownD-20194219611979 ex- Scrapped 1982 ARA EsporaD-21194319611979 ex- Scrapped 1979 ARA RosalesD-22194319611981 ex- Scrapped 1981 D-23194319711982 ex- Sunk in live fire missile test 1983 ARA Almirante StorniD-24194319711981 ex- Scrapped 1982
Seguí class (modified US )
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate ARA SeguíD-25194419721983 ex- Scrapped 1983 ARA BouchardD-26194419721984 ex- Scrapped 1984 ARA Piedra Buena Named alternatively Piedrabuena in some sources.D-29194419771985 ex- Sunk by missile in naval exercise 1988
Py class (modified US )
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate ARA PyD-27194419731984 ex- Sunk as target 1987
Hércules class (British Type 42 destroyers)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate D-28, D-1, now B-5219721976— none Since 1999 transformed into a multi-purpose transport ship; inactive as of 2020 D-2 19741981— none Formally in reserve since 2004. Sunk 2013, salvaged 2015, awaiting possible conversion to museum ship
(German MEKO 360H2 type)
Ship name Pennant number Picture Launched Service entry Decommissioned Other names Fate D-1019811983— none In active service D-1119811983— none In active service D-1219821983— none Inactive D-1319821984— none In active service
Frigates and corvettes
(Locally designed and built)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissioningP-20none19462014 El patrullero "Murature" cumple un ciclo de vida Gaceta Marinera (accessed 2015-01-16) P-21none1946in service As of November 2015, ARA King is being overhauled.El jefe de la Armada visitó el patrullero ARA “King” Gaceta Marinera, 25-11-2015 (accessed 2015-12-24)
Hércules class (/-class World War II frigates)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissioningARA HérculesP-31ex-, ex-HMS Adur18 February 19481961, transferredTransferred to Prefectura Naval Argentina (Argentine Coast Guard) and renamed PNA Juan Bautista Azopardosold 1969ARA HeroínaP-32ex-8 February 1947sold 5 August 1964ARA SarandíP-33ex-, ex- USSChattanooga18 February 1948sold 29 June 1967P-34ex-, ex-USS Hannam19481963, convertedConverted to a survey vessel and renamed ARA Comodoro Lasserre.sold 1970 or 1971
República class ()
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissioningARA RepúblicaP-10ex-19481961
(Locally designed and built)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissioningP-35none19571972Named alternatively Piedrabuena in some sources.P-36none19571973
(French )
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissioningP-31ex-SAS Good Hope1978Originally being built for the South African Navy before UN sanctions were applied to South Africa; was acquired prior to completion.In reserveP-32ex-SAS Transvaal1978Originally being built for the South African Navy before UN sanctions were applied to South Africa; was acquired prior to completion.In reserveP-33none1981active
(German MEKO 140A16 type, locally built)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissioningP-41none1985activeP-42none1986InactiveP-43none1988activeP-44none1990activeP-45none2000Construction was halted due to budgetary issues, then resumed in 1997.activeP-46none2004Construction was halted due to budgetary issues, then resumed in 1997.active
Patrol, torpedo and fast attack craft
(Argentine-built)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry Decommissioning P-55 P-361939active Transferred in 1944 to the Navy as a patrol boat with pennant number P-36. Decommissioned in 1985, refurbished and re-commissioned in 1993. As of February 2016 is in service based at Ushuaia.
(German-built) – known as "fast craft" ( lánchas rápidas)
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissioningP-85none1974activeA 40mm gun mount was replaced by MM38 Exocet launcher in 1998.P-86none1974activeAt shipyard awaiting overhaul as of late 2014.
(Israeli-built )
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissioningP-61none1978activeP-62none1978activeP-63none1978activeP-64none1978active
(US-built )
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry DecommissioningP-65ex-Point Hobart (WPB-82377)1999activeP-66ex-Point Carrew (WPB-82374)2000active
Gunboats
Paraná class (British-built) – also classified as "corvettes"
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry Decommissioningnonenone18751921 Converted to a transport and renamed ARA Piedra Buena. Sunk during a storm.nonenone1875active Currently a museum ship docked at Buenos Aires; nominally in commission in the Argentine Navy and declared a National Historical Monument.
Constitución class (British-built) – locally classified as "bombarderas", they were of the Rendel gunboat type.
Ship name Pennant number Other names Service entry Decommissioningnonenone18751955nonenone18751955