ARA General San Martín was the first icebreaker 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. 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.