Gil Eannes is a former Portuguese hospital ship, now permanently moored in the Port of Viana do Castelo, serving as a museum ship and youth hostel.
| Builder and General characteristics | Viana do Castelo Naval Shipyards Tonnage 3467 gt Length 322.99 feet (98.45 m) Beam 45.00 feet (13.72 m) Draught 7.87 feet (2.40 m) Propulsion 2 engines of 1,400 bhp (1,000 kW) each Speed 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h; 14.4 mph) |
The ship, which was built in VIANA DO CASTELO in 1955, served the cod fleet off the coasts of Newfoundland and Greenland as a floating infirmary and a flagship, support, and supply ship, mail ship, tug, and even icebreaker.
The Gil Eannes provided nets, bait, food, and gasoline for the considerably smaller cod fishing boats.
The ship was decommissioned in the 1980s after serving briefly as a cargo vessel It was withering away in Lisbon until it was brought home and carefully refurbished in 1998.
