It was named after the Spanish navy minister José Patiño Rosales, who reorganized the fleet on the orders of Philip V of Spain.

The design of the ship is similar to HNLMS Amsterdam of the Royal Netherlands Navy, the vessels were developed in cooperation.

[2] Patiño is fitted with two Navantia / Burmeister & Wain 16V40/45 diesel engines driving a single shaft with a five-bladed controllable-pitch propeller.

[2] The replenishment oiler is fitted with three navigation-surface search and helicopter control radars operating at I-band.

The countermeasures equipment aboard Patiño include: four Mk 36 SRBOC (super rapid blooming offboard chaff), six-barrelled launchers from Lockheed Martin Sippican for infrared decoys and chaff, distraction and deflection of incoming anti-ship missiles to a range of 4 kilometres (2 nmi); an AN/SLQ-25A Nixie towed torpedo decoy system from Argon ST.

[2] The replenishment oiler carries 6,815 long tons (6,924 t) of diesel fuel and has two supply stations, one on each side of the ship for liquids and solids.

[2] Patiño participated in Operation Sharp Guard, a joint mission between the Western European Union and NATO to support the trade embargo against the former Yugoslavia.

Spanish marines boarded the vessel 960 km (518 nmi) east of the Horn of Africa and discovered 15 Scud missiles and dual-use chemicals hidden beneath sacks of cement.

After Yemeni protest over the seizure of the ship, claiming that the delivery of the weapons was legal under existing law, So San was released and completed its journey.

In the early morning of 12 January 2012, Patiño was attacked by Somali pirates, apparently under the assumption that the ship was just a commercial vessel.

[15] Beginning 1 September, Patiño deployed with the Royal Canadian Navy for 79 days, returning to Ferrol on 18 November.