Was a small boat used in hidrographic operations in and out of the Portuguese harbours entrances.

Normaly she was based in Viana harbour astricted to the 1st. Hidrographic Brigade but when is necessary she went out to other harbours included on this service.

I knew very well  the people that work there on the last two decades of the last century, principaly the master of TABU José Rocha. 

I show this pictures here to pay homage to this man that spend the most part of her life manouvering small boats like this. This is one of them who he dedicated her enthusiasm, knowledge  and affection.

She was deposited over the pear, near the berthing place, waiting for the unriging to scrap, under the view of Santa Luzia mountain.

On the last years of the eighty decade Viana harbour was invaded by a fleet of rapid launches that we called them flying boats ", because they surf on the water like a hydro-aeroplane planning over the water .

They had a engine power  of normally six motors about 1200 BHP to 1500 BHP , so they had a very high speed that permit, in a few seconds, go from the old pilot station to the end of the north breakwater .

Stern of them grow up a water-jet occulting the launches. It's impressing see and hear the performance of that spectacle .

The immense quantity of gasoline and oil they spend, it 's also impressing and incredible .

One night , a lot of them , I don't remember yet the exactly number of them enter in fire and destroyed .

Someone said that it was a  retaliation , but exactly nobody know 's what happen .

One thing we know , after that, stopped the strange movement   of  "flying boats " coming in and out during the night time .

One of them, damaged by the fire ,was arrested by the authorities and stay a long time over the quay, on the north-west corner of commercial dock as we can see on the picture below for the posterity.