In the 1970s, the state launched a program of building large warships of domestic designs instead of buying them from the Soviet Union, which supplied ships to the Eastern Bloc countries.

[3] The second ship is believed to have been planned, but this was postponed due to financial issues in the 1980s and abandoned after the collapse of Ceaușescu regime.

[3] As a result of independent development by Romania, the ship received unique features of construction and naval architecture due to absence of experience with the construction of ships of this size, distinguishing it from destroyers or frigates built by other countries.

[3] The moderately sloped stem is blunt when viewed from above, and the sides have a longitudinal bend from the bow almost to the middle of the length.

[6] However, the shape of the hull below the waterline is not considered successful, which is manifested in the waves being generated at low speeds.

[7] Behind them on the next floor are the depth charge rocket launchers, and beyond that the elevated part of the superstructure with the navigational bridge.

[6] A characteristic element of the ship's architecture are the large double anti-ship missile launcher containers on both sides of the fore and aft superstructure.

[8] The rectangular aft deck is a helipad, and below it, at the end of the stern there is a working half-deck cut out in the hull with mooring and anchor capstans.

[7] Since the 1990s, the ship has also four 30 mm AK-630M six-barrel automatic cannons in unmanned turrets located in the aft part on either sides of the hangar and funnel.

[7] They act as point-blank defense, together with two MR-123 Wympiel fire control radars, placed between pairs of turrets on the sides, and Kolonek backup electro-optical sights.

[7] Initially, the ship had four twin-barrel 30 mm AK-230 cannon turrets instead , with MR-104 Ryś radars placed along the longitudinal axis of the hull.

[7] In general, the ship's anti-aircraft armament which based only on cannons was already considered insufficient on the battlefield at the start of its service.

[7] Mărășești's hangar can accommodate two IAR 316B light helicopters (license-built French Aérospatiale Alouette III).

In the 1990s, the Garpun-E radiolocation station was added to the forward mast, which was used to detect sea targets and indicate them to the P-20M missiles.

[b] On 2 August 1986, she was officially commissioned by Nicolae Ceaușescu himself, and was given the name Muntenia, after a historical region in Romania.

The insufficient necessary equipment, such as the lack of roll stabilizers, made it impossible to safely operate helicopters.

[14] At the same time, the bow superstructure were adapted to the new depth charge rocket launchers and the location of the radars was changed.

[14] In the meantime, Nicolae Ceaușescu was overthrown in December 1989 and on 2 May 1990, the General Staff changed the name and classification of the ship to destroyer (distrugător) Timișoara, after the city where the first protests of the 1989 Romanian Revolution took place.

[9] In 1998, she participated in the Strong Resolve 1998 exercise thus becoming the first warship of the Romanian Navy to sail in the Atlantic Ocean since the Second World War.

The instability of the ship combined with adverse weather conditions, however, only allowed for two flights over the Mediterranean and one over the Atlantic.

[12] The ship is part of the 56th Frigate Flotilla of the Romanian Naval Forces and is stationed in Constanța.