Prince Henry the Navigator, figurehead of Sagres, was the third son of King João I. He was born in Porto on 4 March 1394 and by virtue of his lifetime action and role played he has set himself as the major driver of the Portuguese Discoveries and Expansion. Together with his father and brothers, he took part in Ceuta conquest in 1415. The Portuguese Atlantic strategic option, although already visible when the alliance with England occurred in 1373, was consolidated during Prince Henry?s lifetime. The support provided by him at different levels, encouraging and promoting exploration voyages to the Western African coast and Atlantic archipelagos, is unanimously recognized today. His attitude and perseverance were reflected in the discovery (1419) and colonization (1425) of Madeira, rounding of Cape Bojador (1434), discovery (1427) and colonization of Azores (1439), and arrival to Cape Branco (1441), Arguim island (1443), Senegal River (1444), Cape Verte islands (1456) and Sierra Leone (1460).
Prince Henry died at Sagres, on 13 November 1460, at the age of sixty six, with the Portuguese fleet at the entrance of Guinea?s golf. In line with his pondered and practical way of conduct, he has left in place the basis that would allow for the maritime expansion he had initiated to keep moving forward after his death. Even though the objectives associated with the first southern voyages might not be quite innovative, from a wider and distant perspective the outcome of the navigation initiatives methodically undertaken during several decades would turn out as one of the major achievements of humankind history. It is thus a question of elementary recognition to adopt and incorporate his motto "talent de bien faire" - the will to do things right ?in the coat of arms of Portuguese Naval Academy, a bicentenary institution where the principles and spirit of Prince Henry are still a core reference for the technical and personal education of the future Portuguese Navy officers. Paying also tribute to his heritage, Sagres bears as her figurehead a depiction of the Prince.