The ‘Arpão’ will be the first national submarine to sail under the Arctic ice, as part of a NATO mission in the North Atlantic aimed at deterring “those who think” it could extend the conflict beyond Ukraine.
The submarine, with a garrison of 36 soldiers, set off today from the Lisbon Naval Base, located in Almada, Setúbal district, on its way to the Atlantic Alliance’s Operation Brilliant Shield.
Speaking to journalists at the farewell ceremony, the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, stressed that this mission “has a high importance” for the Navy because it is the first time that a Portuguese submarine will operate “under the Arctic ice”.
“We are going to operate in a zone that is the normal entry of opposing ships into the Atlantic, which in some way makes a barrier to this entry into the Atlantic,” he explained.
After the Arpão spent 120 days on a mission in the South Atlantic last summer, the first time a national submarine crossed the equator, the Navy now wants to show the Allies that it can operate in the opposite scenario, under the ice.
In addition, said Gouveia e Melo, “with this type of mission, Portugal is responding ‘present’ to those who have intentions and believe that they have the possibility of attacking NATO, also attacking Europe.”
“These missions give a very clear signal of deterrence to those who think they can extend the conflict beyond what is happening in Ukraine at the moment,” he warned.
The commander of the mission, Commander Taveira Pinto, pointed out that the submarine will be sailing to an unknown area that submariners are not used to, which will have different characteristics in terms of “water density, the water column and sound propagation”.
“This forced us to plan and study in detail. We didn’t do it alone, we did it with allied countries, namely the United States of America, Canada and Denmark, so that we would be better prepared,” he said.
Three students from the submariner course are in the garrison, including naval engineer Daniel Santos Baptista, 24, who is going on a mission for the first time.
Daniel Santos said that his preparation is “definitely more mental” than physical, particularly with regard to “knowledge of the platform and safety procedures”.
“Right now I’m in the training part, so I’m learning as much as I can about the submarine, about life on board,” he said.
More experienced Sergeant Paula Oliveira, 39, visibly moved, said that all missions are prepared “with the same rigor”, wherever they are.
“The only difference here is the unknown, it’s what we don’t know we’re going to find,” said the soldier, one of the two women on board.
The sergeant is responsible for the combat system and guarantees that “everything is working, including the sonars”, which are the submarine’s “eyes” when it is submerged.
The ceremony was attended by several family members of the soldiers who left on mission today.
The return is scheduled for June 19th.
