Museu de Marinha | Maritime Museum, Belém, Lisboa | Lisbon

The collection of the Navy Museum has more than 18,000 pieces. Of these, around 2,500 were selected to feature in their permanent exhibition, portraying the most diverse aspects of the Portuguese maritime past, as well as the different activities linked to the sea. 

In this sense, the great adventure of the Discoveries, having constituted the golden age of Portuguese navigations, is the main theme of its permanent exhibition. as the scientific instruments that allowed these trips, among other representative elements of the daily life on board.

The evolution of the Commercial Navy is also represented through the exhibition of dozens of ship models that belonged to the main Portuguese shipping companies, from the late nineteenth century to the present day.

The Portuguese Navy is equally prominent, from the late 19th century mixed-propelled ships to today’s modern frigates, not forgetting Naval Aviation, represented, among others, by the famous “Santa Cruz” seaplane, a Fairey IIID from 1921, which, piloted by Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral, he completed the 1st South Atlantic Air Crossing in 1922.

Also noteworthy are the traditional vessels used for river traffic and coastal fishing, and the royal and pleasure craft, which are some of the many themes of the permanent exhibition of the Museu de Marinha. 

The Museu de Marinha is part of a larger museum with an Aquarium, Library and Planetarium.

Image by: User:Marco2000 [Attribution], via Wikimedia Commons