The Portuguese Navy (Portuguese: Marinha Portuguesa, also known as Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa or as Armada Portuguesa) is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the military defence of Portugal. The Portuguese Navy also participates in missions related with international compromises assumed by Portugal (mainly with NATO), as well missions of civil interest. Today, the Portuguese Navy assumes a dual role capacity: the military defence of the country and the missions which in other countries are normally assigned to coast guards.

Daphne is a diesel-electric attack submarine designed for the coastal environment. It was developed by France in the 1950s inspired by the WWII German U-Boat but incorporating post-war technology. They were equipped with 12 533mm torpedo tubes, eight forward and four aft. The French Navy ordered 11 submarines of this class with the first boat commissioned in 1960. Four French-built boats were ordered by Portugal.

The French Navy built the Daphne class of diesel-electric patrol submarines between 1958 and 1970. These ships were enlarged versions of the Arethuse class submarines.

In 1964, the Portuguese government ordered the construction of four of this class to the Dubigeòn-Normándie Shipyard to create the 4th submarine flotilla.

* S163 Albacora - completed 1967 - decommissioned 2000
    * S164 Barracuda - completed 1968 - in service 2006
    * S165 Cachalote - completed 1969 - sold to Pakistan 1975
    * S166 Delfim - completed 1969 - decommissioned 2005

With the first submarine commissioned in October 1, 1967, the Portuguese Navy started to have a submarine able to operate in both coastal and oceanic zones, especially in the Portuguese exclusive economic zone. Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources. Portugal includes:

    * Main land 327,667 km²
    * Azores Islands 953,633 km²
    * Madeira Islands 446,108 km²
    * total : 1,727,408 km²

Starting in 2009 Portugal will replace its surviving Daphnes by German-built Type 209 submarines.

The full specifications and complement of her garrison can be found in a previous post on the board: "I'm building a Half Hull or Ship Model" topic: "The Delfim. A tribute to a retiring warship and her last garrison."

I was honored to be an invited guest and spent a happy and wonderful day aboard the Barracuda The following are some moments of the crews hospitality to me.

Here I go down the hatch to the inside. Surprise is beginning…

Talking with Commander Duarte Cantigas waiting for lunch…you can see it was a special moment in my life, I was for the first time in this black ship, the last one in duty. Invited by the officers that I got to know when I studied the Daphnes with the intention to make a static Half Hull little one, to “navigate” on a wall…

Inside the space is very exiguous, but all corners are used well. Behind us, the Chief like a Maitre D' in a restaurant.

The perfection of cookery is visible.

It is very difficult to describe the gratitude for this wonderful day.

BARRACUDA (very soon, it will be disarmed) will be anchored in S. João do Estoril near of Lisbon

Thank you for visiting here. Now I invite you to view my Half Hulls and Ship Models at my website, as you are always welcome.