The ship was upgraded in 1963, which involved the addition of a helicopter platform amongst other alterations, and reclassified as a frigate in 1974, until ultimately being retired on 1 July 1978 as part of a strategy to remove larger combat vessels from the fleet.

Uppland was the second and final Öland or Province class destroyer built for the Royal Swedish Navy.

Using lessons learned from the Second World War, the vessel was larger than previous Swedish designs.

[1] The design had a double hull, which, along with the larger size, meant that the class was more stable at sea.

300 long tons (300 t) of oil were carried, giving a design range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph).

Close range AA armament was completed with eight single mounts for Bofors 20 mm M/40 anti-aircraft guns arranged around the forward superstructure and funnel.

[7] The vessel was designed to act as part of a flotilla of destroyers under the command of the light cruisers of the Tre Kronor-class, the last of which had been commissioned during the previous month.

[9] Meanwhile, in 1972, the Riksdag decided to retire the existing fleet of frigates and cruisers, and focusing instead on a larger number of smaller and more nimble fast attack craft.