This is a Portuguese bronze commemorative medal minted to mark the inauguration of the Alfredo da Silva Dry Dock (Doca Alfredo da Silva) at the Lisnave shipyards on June 23, 1971. The medal is just over 3 inches in diameter and comes in its original presentation box.
This medal features a detailed high-relief engraving showing a ship resting inside a dry dock. Flanking the central ship are two-winged allegorical figures holding draft/engineering and structural tools. In the middle rests a block bearing a stylized Greek letter Θ (Theta), an iconic symbol tied to engineering and the Lisnave shipyard operations. At the time of its opening in June 1971, it was the largest dry dock in the world, putting Portugal at the absolute forefront of the global maritime repair industry.
