The ''Argos''-class patrol boat is a model of

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and the ...

in service in the

Portuguese Navy The Portuguese Navy ( pt, Marinha Portuguesa, also known as ''Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa'' or as ''Armada Portuguesa'') is the naval branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in cooperation and integrated with the other branches of the Port ...

since 1991. This type of ship was designed by the

Arsenal do Alfeite Arsenal do Alfeite, SA is a company with an area of 36 hectares of implantation included in the Lisbon Naval Base. It is mainly dedicated to satisfying the needs of shipbuilding, maintenance, modernization and repair of the Portuguese Navy, oth ...

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. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, but was built in private shipyards located in

Vila Real de Santo António Vila Real de Santo António (, often run together as ) is a city, civil parish, and municipality in the Algarve, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 19,156, in an area of 61.25 km2. It is one of the few municipalities in Portugal without te ...

. The ships of the class are mainly employed in the surveillance and control of the Portuguese

territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potent ...

, in

Mainland Portugal Continental Portugal ( pt, Portugal continental, ) or mainland Portugal comprises the bulk of the Portuguese Republic, namely that part on the Iberian Peninsula and so in Continental Europe, having approximately 95% of the total population and 9 ...

and in the

Madeira Archipelago ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

. The ships are also employed in other missions as the

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

, maritime pollution control and force protection of combatant ships in confined waters. Five ships were built, these being named after

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the earliest constellation ...

s. In 2000, an upgraded version of the ''Argos''-class entered service in the Portuguese Navy. This new version was initially referred as the ''Argos'' (2nd series)-class, but it is now usually referred to as the ''Centauro''-class patrol boat. It is to note, that from 1963 to 1975, the Portuguese Navy employed a class of large patrol boats that was also designated ''Argos''-class.

Ships of the class

References

External links

*{{in lang, pt}
''Argos''-class
Portuguese Navy website Patrol vessels of the Portuguese Navy Patrol boat classes Ships built in Portugal Military equipment of Portugal