ARA La Argentina (D-11)

La Argentina was launched on 25 September 1981. The ship was delivered to the Argentine Navy on 11 May 1983 for her sea trials, following which the ship departed for Argentina, arriving at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base on 18 July and being formally commissioned into the Navy on 4 August of that same year.

The ship emerged in 2006 from an overhaul which included the extension of her flight deck to allow for the operation of SH-3 Sea King helicopters.

She is home-ported at Puerto Belgrano as part of the Navy's Destroyer Division, along with her two (as of 2024) sister ships.

The Argentine Navy struggled to meet maintenance and training requirements because of financial problems and import restrictions. The Almirante Brown class were reported to be short of spares and suffering engine problems, plus all their ordnance was past its expiry date.^[1] As a result, La Argentina suffered a major breakdown in 2012.^[1]

On 30 June 2017, La Argentina accidentally collided with a jetty while departing Punta Alta Naval Base for an international naval exercise in the Pacific. The collision resulted in a gash in La Argentina's bow. She was quickly repaired, but while undergoing repairs, a fire broke out after an incident with welding equipment. Repairs were completed however, and La Argentina departed for Peru on 5 July 2017.^[2]

In May 2024 La Argentina, in conjunction with her sister ship Sarandí and the corvettes Espora and Rosales, as well as the offshore patrol vessels Bartolomé Cordero, Piedrabuena and Almirante Storni, was tasked to participate in joint exercises with the US Navy's George Washington carrier task group. The exercises were the first to take place between the two navies in several years.^[3]

• Guia de los buques de la Armada Argentina 2005-2006. Ignacio Amendolara Bourdette, ISBN 987-43-9400-5, Editor n/a. (Spanish/English text)
• Scheina, Robert L. & Smigielski, Adam (1995). "Argentina". In Chumbley, Stephen (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947–1995 (revised ed.). Naval Institute Press. pp. 3–12. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.