Armament
Armament centered on a mix of conventional and missile weaponry. This included 1 x 76mm /62 caliber OTO-Melara Dual-Purpose (DP) turreted deck gun over the forecastle, 4 x MM38 Exocet anti-ship missiles and 2 x 40mm DARDO automatic cannons (for air defense). The vessel was also outfitted with 2 x 12.7mm heavy machine guns for close-in work and 2 x 324mm triple torpedo tubes.
Structural
The ship's profile was conventional with a rising forecastle and stepped aft section. The bridge sat over the frontal superstructure section in the usual way with the primary mast-works featured just aft and above it. The smoke funnels were integrated into the central section of the superstructure and a helipad was added over the rear - though ahead of the stern. One unique, rather modern, quality of the warship was its use of slab-siding which gave it some stealth qualities for a 1980s warship. The low profile smoke funnels also aided in promoting a generally lower profile ship on the horizon.
Service Record
ARA Rosales has seen little notable action to date for its time afloat. It took part in the blockade of Iraq after Desert Storm (1991) and served as a patroller in Gulf waters in the period thereafter. Like other Argentine Navy vessels, she has been called upon to limit illegal fishing in Argentine waters. More recently, she has been assigned to search for the diesel-electric attack submarine ARA San Juan (detailed elsewhere on this site) which went silent on November 15th, 2017.
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