The Vasco da Gama class is a class of frigates of the Portuguese Navy. Named in honor of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, the ships are based on the German MEKO 200 design, and are Portugal's major surface ships. Portugal operates three ships of this class, which were built in Hamburg by Blohm + Voss (B&V) and by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in Kiel, using modular construction techniques.
The project for the construction of three frigates of this class was authorized by the Portuguese Government in 1985, five years after the request of the Portuguese Navy for the acquisition of new surface ships. According to Conway's, 60% of the funding for these ships came from NATO military aid. Similar ships have been built for the navies of Greece, Turkey, Australia and New Zealand.
In 2019, the new Military Programming Law was approved by the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic, which provided an amount of 125 million euros for the modernization of the three frigates of the Vasco da Gama class.[1] In November 2022, the order authorizing the Ministry of National Defence to proceed with the modernization, was signed, in order to be able to use the ships in scenarios of high intensity combat.[2] Among the improvements to be made to the frigates is the incorporation of RIM-162 ESSM Block-2 missiles to replace the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow. The frigate NRP Álvares Cabral, within the scope of this modernization process, received in 2023 a new platform command, control and management system, installed by the Portuguese company Edisoft.[3] The Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, stated at the end of 2023 that the modernization program for the Vasco da Gama frigates will make it possible to modernize 2 frigates for high-intensity combat, namely the modernization or replacement of the SEWACO system. A third frigate will be updated in terms of platform management, communications systems and will also be capable of carrying out amphibious raids to project Portuguese Marine Corps forces. The modernization program for this class of ships will be made in Portugal by the Arsenal do Alfeite shipyard, that began in 2023 and will last until 2027 according to the navy's plans, with the last 2 years for the modernization of two frigates and the previous years to complete the upgrade of another frigate as a command platform.[4]
| Pennant | Name | Laid down | Shipyard | Launched | Commissioned | Fate | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F330 | Vasco da Gama | 2 February 1989 | B&V, Hamburg | 26 June 1989 | 18 January 1991 | Inactive since 2019; Being modernized at Arsenal do Alfeite.[5] | |
| F331 | Álvares Cabral | 2 June 1989 | HDW, Kiel | 6 June 1990 | 24 May 1991 | In active service | |
| F332 | Corte-Real | 20 October 1989 | HDW, Kiel | 22 November 1991 | 1 February 1992 | In active service | |
