Portugal news - Portugal’s flagship vessel will be displayed on Monday to link the country’s glorious past to its maritime future.
On May 20, 1498, Vasco da Gama arrived in India by sea. This year, 525 years later, on Navy Day, that is on May 21st, the Invincible city of Porto will be the stage for a demonstration of various Navy capabilities at 13:20hrs.
Portugal’s Navy Chief of Staff stated that Portugal made an official request to the UN for extending the country’s continental shelf and that this should increase Portugal’s maritime area to 41 times the current equivalent of the country’s territory.
The city of Porto in northern Portugal is also known as Invicta, that means Invincible. To commemorate Navy Day, Portugal’s flagship sailing vessel will be displayed in Porto from Monday to Thursday.
The 3-masted Sagres is Portugal’s flagship sailing vessel, an awesome Caravel. The Portuguese Caravel was invented during Portugal’s Age of Exploration in the 15th century. When Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias left Lisbon with two caravels, he crossed what he named as the Cape of Storms in 1488, that was later named by Portuguese King D. João II as the Cape of Good Hope.
Portugal’s Good Hope, the Sagres that is now a training ship, will be displayed in Porto to commemorate Navy Day in the presence of the Navy Chief of Staff of the Portuguese Armada, Henrique Gouveia e Melo and a thousand military personnel.
The Sagres will proudly enter Porto’s Douro river on Monday, to be followed by the frigate D. Francisco de Almeida and the patrol ship Sines on Wednesday for the official launch of the event that starts on Thursday 18th and that will last up to the 21st.
According to Portugal’s Navy Chief of Staff, the display will incite people to join the Navy as Portugal needs more people to embrace the challenge to serve the country at sea.
Portugal is the gateway to the Mediterranean and holds a central position in the Atlantic. Portugal’s past was maritime, Portugal’s future as well.
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