ARA ''General San Martín'' was the first

icebreaker An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters, and provide safe waterways for other boats and ships. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller ...

of the Argentine Navy. She participated in several Antarctic campaigns of Argentina between 1954 and 1982. She received the name of

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and centr ...

. For twenty-five years she drew his sea routes in the southern seas, which enabled the summer and winter campaigns. She carried out numerous research and relief assistance missions to ships, navigators and expeditionaries; she facilitated the foundation of refuges and Antarctic bases, the replacement of the endowments, the exploration of the Weddell Sea and the accomplishment of oceanographic tasks, hydrographic and meteorological investigations in

Argentine Antarctica Argentine Antarctica ( es, Antártida Argentina or Sector Antártico Argentino) is an area of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. It consists of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the ...

. FLOTA DE LA ARMADA ARGENTINA Rompehielos A.R.A. "General San Martin" Q-4
Historia y Arqueologia Marítima.

Historical record

The icebreaker ''General San Martín'' icebreaker was built at the

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Riv ...

shipyard (Germany) by the Seebeckwerft company of Weser A.G., Bremerhaven.Photos of the boats built by SSW schichau-seebeck-shipyard
(after merger between initially Seebeckwerft and AG Weser Werk Seebeck) The laying of the icebreaker's keel took place on 1 March 1954 and was launched on 24 June 1954. She arrived in Argentina same year under the leadership of the captain Luis Tristán de Villalobos. She was the first icebreaker of the Argentine Navy. For twenty-five years she has traced maritime routes over the frozen Antarctic seas, making her way to carry out the summer and winter campaigns. For this, she has carried out numerous search and rescue missions to the boat, the navigators and the expeditions; she facilitated the founding of refuges and Antarctic bases, replenishing them, relaying their endowments, exploring the confines of the

Weddell Sea The Weddell Sea is part of the Southern Ocean and contains the Weddell Gyre. Its land boundaries are defined by the bay formed from the coasts of Coats Land and the Antarctic Peninsula. The easternmost point is Cape Norvegia at Princess Martha ...

and performing oceanographic, hydrographic and meteorological research tasks throughout the world of

References

Icebreakers of the Argentine Navy Ships built in Bremen (state) Research vessels of Argentina 1954 ships {{mil-ship-stub