The ocean and the Portuguese go hand-in-hand. While I know that combination, I have a greater appreciation since I’m walking along the Portuguese coast. I’m especially learning the Portuguese love for cod!

In Viana do Castelo, I see the Gil Eannes, a large ship permanently docked. Although it is closed for the day and it won’t be open when I leave in the morning, I read the descriptive marker.

The original Gil Eannes was a captured German warship during World War I that was transformed into a hospital ship. For whom? Well, the Portuguese had a fleet that harvested cod, the White Fleet which was named for their white hulls. Cod was abundant and easily transported if salted. As a result of searching for a route to the Indies in the 15th century, the Portuguese found abundant cod off the coast of Newfoundland and Greenland. As the Portuguese fished these regions for over a century, the Portuguese ships spent as much as six months fishing off those coasts. Eventually, because the English and French rose to power, the Portuguese lost the ability to fish those waters. In the 1930’s, the Portuguese began to send a fleet to those waters to resume fishing. In order to treat injured sailors and fisherman who would not be able to receive treatment in Canadian medical facilities, this fleet needed a hospital ship. Enter the original Gil Eannes. The Portuguese Navy transferred this ship to the Portuguese guild of codfish fishing ship owners (who knew that such a guild existed!). For years, the ship helped Portuguese sailors and fisherman.

Realizing that the original ship had passed its useful life, the Portuguese built a new Gil Eannes. From 1955 until 1973, this new Gil Eannes served more roles than can be imagined. She was not only a hospital ship with modern surgical rooms, she was also an ice breaker, a tug boat, mail ship, and supply ship. A lot of roles! And, since most Portuguese are Roman Catholic, the ship had a chapel.

Shortly before being demolished, local citizens, celebrities, and various institutions joined forces to save her. Restored to her former identity, she now is a museum.

It is estimated that the Portuguese eat 20% of the world’s cod. As their national dish, they love cod! Although most of their cod now comes from the coasts of Norway, the Portuguese continue their love of cod, or bacalhau in Portuguese.

The Gil Eannis is part of a longer history. The history of humans struggling for survival in the sea and on the land. Humans finding ways to help each other in that struggle.