The official commemorations took place on Sunday, 03 April 2022, in a ceremony in Belém, Lisbon, with the presence of the President of the Portuguese Republic.
Dr. Henrique Mateus made a communication about the Crossing, which was followed by the Presidential speech.
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain and the Ambassador of Cape Verde in Portugal were honoured.
Present on the river were several Navy ships, as well as many private vessels, and a good representation of the “Tagus Navy”, which preserves the tradition of the traditional boats of the Tagus River.
Of special note was the replica of the Fairey IIID “Santa Cruz”, built at the initiative of Valter Santos.
The parade of land military forces followed, and then the Aero-Naval parade began.
Several aircraft flew over Belém: C-130, P-3 Orion, CASA C-295, 3 Chipmunks, 4 Epsylons, 3 helicopters (EH-101, Lynx, and Koala), and 4 F-16.
Several warships paraded in the Tagus River:
– Hydrographic vessel NRP Andromeda (A5203);
– Surveillance vessel NRP Hidra (P 1154);
– Corvette NRP António Enes (F471)
– Ocean patrol vessel NRP Viana do Castelo (P360), of the “Viana do Castelo” class
– Spanish frigate Reina Sofía (F-84);
– Frigate NRP Corte-Real (F332), “Vasco da Gama” class
The civilian vessels then joined in the parade, headed by the caravel Vera Cruz.
Finally, the President of the Republic set sail for the sailing boats of the “Lusitania Expedition”, organised by the David Melgueiro Association and the ANC – National Cruise Ship Association.
Present on the Tagus river were several Navy ships, as well as many private boats, and a good representation of the “Tagus Navy”, which preserves the tradition of the typical boats of the Tagus River.
Of special note was the presence of the replica of the Fairey IIID “Santa Cruz”, built at the initiative of Valter Santos.
A detailed photo report can be found at: