Gil Eannes Hospital Ship (Navio Hospital Gil Eannes), Viana do Castelo
Dominating the waterfront in Viana do Castelo is the Gil Eannes Hospital Ship (Navio Hospital Gil Eannes).
History
Built in the town in 1955, the ship served the cod fleet off the coast of Newfoundland and Greenland not just as a floating infirmary but also as a flagship, support and supply ship, mail ship, tug and even icebreaker.
The Gil Eannes provided nets, bait, food and fuel for the much smaller cod fishing boats.
After serving for a brief period as a cargo vessel, the ship was decommissioned in the 1980's and was rotting away in Lisbon until brought back home and lovingly restored in 1998.
Nowadays the vessel is managed and maintained by the Gil Eannes Foundation.
The ship is divided in to two parts for visitors. In the stern, the smaller and free Centro do Mar has general exhibits (labeled in Portuguese and English) relating to Viana do Costello's relationship with the sea as a fishing port and shipbuilding center.
The Centro do Mar also explains the history of the Gil Eannes itself. On display are ropes and various nautical knots, fishing nets and navigational instruments. The center also holds temporary exhibitions of paintings and photography related to the local area.
The rest of the vessel can be explored on payment of a small entrance fee.
A video (in Portuguese) explains the history of the ship and its mission at the entrance.
Visitors are free to tour the large ship taking in the bridge, the cabins of the officers and sailors, the engine room, kitchen and mess room and the somewhat rudimentary treatment rooms and operating theatre.
On board there is also a bakery, a barber's, a chapel, the communications room, a pharmacy and the radiology (X-Ray) room.
Life-size mannequins help recreate the atmosphere of life on board the boat and glass cabinets display medical equipment, model ships and other naval instruments.
The interior is large and there is lots of climbing up and down steep stairs and ladders to get around.
Original photographs and ship's documents are also on display detailing the everyday life of the men who served on board.
Access - Getting There
Navio Hospital Gil Eannes
Doca Comercial
4900-405 Viana do Castelo
Tel: 258 809 710
Hours: Winter from 9.30 am to 6 pm; summer from 9.30 am to 7 pm. Closed: December 25 and January 1.
Admission: Small fee for the main area of the boat (presently 4 Euros); free for the Centro do Mar.
The ship is located in the dock at the bottom of Av. dos Combatentes de Grande Guerra, just off Alameda João Alves Cerqueira, close to the Tourist Information Office (Turismo).
There are good views from the deck up to Monte de Santa Luzia and across to the modern architecture of the Cultural Center and Municipal Library by renown architects Eduardo Souto Moura and Alvaro Siza Vieira.
Close to the ship is a statue of João Álvares Fagundes (c.1460-1522), an explorer from Viana do Castelo who organized and led several expeditions to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
