The NRP Gonçalo Velho in front of Dili (April 1945)
The Gonçalo Velho entered service in Lisbon on April 1, 1933 and officially set sail for the first time on April 6. On June 3rd, she began a tour that took her to the Algarve , the Azores and Madeira . On June 27, 1934, she left Portugal for six months in front of the Angola colony and then for a year in front of the Mozambique colony before returning to Portugal. On August 12, 1937, the Gonçalo Velho was relocated to Macau , from where it returned in February 1939. To emphasize the sovereignty over the islands, the Gonçalo Velho cruised at the beginning of the Second World War in the Azores from September 1939 to February 1940. She then received several orders for trips to Macau, Portuguese Timor , Portuguese India and Mozambique.
After a major renovation in Lisbon in 1948, the Gonçalo Velho returned to the Far East. On January 29, 1955, she returned to Lisbon and stayed at anchor in Vila Franca de Xira from April to October 1955 . This was followed by a training trip to West Africa and further trips to Madeira and the Azores. In September 1957, the ship represented the Navy at the celebrations for the Nossa Senhora das Angústias in Ayamonte, Spain . Then the Gonçalo Velho anchored in the Tagus and never left it until it was cannibalized for other naval vessels from June 19, 1961.
Trivia
In 1936 the Fado O Gonçalo Velho was recorded with the singer Hermínia Silva , which had the ship as its theme. The nationalist song was supposed to honor the Portuguese sailors. In 1970 the singer interpreted the song a little differently in a new recording and changed the chorus slightly.
