The ''Padre Eterno'' (meaning "Eternal Father" in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

) was a

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used as armed cargo carriers by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal vessels drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch War ...

of the Portuguese Navy, built in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Colony of Brazil Colonial Brazil ( pt, Brasil Colonial) comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a kingdom in union with Portugal as the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Dur ...

in the 17th century, at the order of Salvador Corrêa de Sá e Benevides for transportation of sugar and goods for the Companhia Geral do Comércio. She was later sold to the Portuguese Crown. According to the periodical ''Mercurio Portuguez'' published in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

between 1663 and 1667 by the State Secretary of the Kingdom Antonio de Sousa de Macedo, she was considered the biggest ship of her time. She was indeed bigger than the British

HMS Sovereign of the Seas ''Sovereign of the Seas'' was a 17th-century warship of the English Navy. She was ordered as a 90-gun first-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy,Royal Navy, ''Sovereign of the Seas''. but at launch was armed with 102 bronze guns at ...

and the French Saint Philippe, but was of equal size of the Spanish La Salvadora, and smaller than the Swedish Kronan, and the French Soleil Royal. She arrived in Lisbon from her maiden voyage on 20 October 1665. She sank in the Indian Ocean a few years later. The name of the international airport serving Rio de Janeiro, namely Rio de Janeiro/Galeão-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport has a reference to Galeão beach, located in the close vicinity of the original passenger terminal of the airport. The beach in turn got its name from the galleon, entirely built at this location.

References

{{reflist Naval ships of Portugal Ships of the line of the Portuguese Navy 1660s ships Age of Sail ships of Portugal Galleons Maritime history of Portugal