Portuguese destroyer Tejo

The Tejo was Portugal's first destroyer, and the first destroyer to be built in Portugal. It was the only ship of its class to be built.

In 1901 the ship was started in the Naval Arsenal of Lisbon. This was part of a plan to retrofit the Portuguese Navy, a plan implemented during the reign of Carlos I of Portugal. The ship was originally classified as a "torpedo-gunboat", and was designed to fill the role of gunboat, torpedo boat and destroyer.

The Tejo went into service in 1904, but tests were continued on it until 1906. The initial armament consisted of one 100mm cannon, one 65 mm cannon, 47 4 mm guns and two torpedo tubes. However, during tests, its broad range of roles limited its effectiveness overall. The decision was then made to transform the Tejo completely into a destroyer.

After the First Portuguese Republic was established, the ship was renamed the NRP Tejo.

In 1910, the NRP Tejo accidentally ran aground in Peniche and suffered severe damage. Five years later, in 1915, the ship was taken to port to be converted completely to a destroyer. These changes were completed in 1917 and the ship became a full-fledged destroyer. It retained most of its armament, only swapping the 65 mm for a 76 mm cannon. While undergoing tests, the NRP Tejo proved to be the fastest ship of the Portuguese Navy.

The Tejo was scrapped in 1927.

Before the only ship of the Tejo class, the name Tejo originally belonged to a gunboat back in 1868. The name Tejo was also applied to a destroyer of the Douro class launched in 1935.