NRP Submarino Barracuda

About the museum

NRP Barracuda (S164) was commissioned into the Portuguese Navy on 4 May 1968, as the second of four diesel-electric submarines of the Albacora class, built in France. For 42 years it took part in exercises, patrols and NATO-linked operations and sailed more than 263,000 nautical miles, with about 52,000 hours at sea, of which about 36,000 were submerged.

The crew, of about fifty men, lived on board in very cramped conditions: under the “hot bunk” system (cama quente), several servicemen shared the same bunk in different shifts. Among the most memorable moments of its career was the first sinking of a target by torpedo fired by a Portuguese submarine, during an exercise.

Barracuda was decommissioned in 2010. After being musealised, it opened to the public as a ship-museum in May 2024, in the dry dock of the former Naval Base of Cacilhas, in Almada, beside the frigate D. Fernando II e Glória, with which it forms the Navy's Cacilhas museum site.

Highlights

• Visit to the interior of the submarine, from the torpedo section to the stern bunks
• Albacora-class submarine in service from 1968 to 2010
• Housed in a dry dock beside the frigate D. Fernando II e Glória
• Combined ticket for the submarine and the frigate

Founded

2024

Operated by

Marinha Portuguesa – Direção Cultural da Marinha

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on Frigate Day (28 April), Navy Day (20 May) and, for children aged 4 to 12, on Children's Day (1 June).

The official Navy ticket is a combined ticket for the museum site of the frigate D. Fernando II e Glória and the Submarine. There is also the Passe CulturaMAR, a combined ticket for the Museu de Marinha, the frigate, the Vasco da Gama Aquarium and the Navy Planetarium, valid for four months.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The visiting routes are not accessible to people with reduced mobility; the internal stairs are steep.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The dock is about 150 metres from the ferry terminal. By car, coming from the 25 April Bridge, take the exit for Almada and continue towards Cova da Piedade and Cacilhas.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit