On the September 8th, the new Tridente submarine from the Portuguese Navy was publicly presented during a ceremony which took place in the naval base of Alfeite, near Lisbon. The modern conventional submarine from the U-209PN model shares, in the reality, many common characteristics with the more recent U-214 project. The two new submarines ordered by Portugal in 2004 replace the French-built Albacora class, based on the Daphné model. The deliver of the second submarine, named Arpão, is scheduled for 2011.
A detailed report focusing the ceremony and this new class of submarines will be soon published by the Spanish magazine Fuerzas Militares del Mundo. Meanwhile, the Portuguese magazine Revista de Marinha has published a short report here.
Pedro Monteiro