Navy Museum

The Navy Museum (Museu de Marinha) shares the neo-Manueline western wing of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém with the National Museum of Archaeology, and extends into a modern annex built to the north of the monastery. It is run by the Portuguese Navy and covers all aspects of the history of navigation in Portugal.

The exhibits include royal barges and two landmark aircraft. The Fairey III Santa Cruz crossed the Atlantic in 1923, and an FBA Type B flying boat was the Portuguese Navy's first aircraft. Many scale models trace the ships used in Portugal since the 15th century, alongside navigation instruments, maps, historical paintings and archaeological finds.

The collection began in 1863 with King Luís I, who had a strong interest in oceanographic studies and was an accomplished navigator himself. It grew over the following decades, and the museum opened in its present location in 1963.