NRP Mondego – The Saga Continues

In Search of Hope – by Sam Gannon

Seconded to the parish of Tililngdon, the Reverend Dolores has been presented with a challenge.

She’s living in an antiquated house and she’s cold. Furthermore, her new Bishop, Bishop Alice does not approve of ‘showgirls in dog collars.’

Determined to prove the Bishop wrong, she sets about warming her house – who cares if it smells of horse! There is the crochet club, jumble sale, and soup run to organise. And this year, the church bells will ring, no matter what threats are made. Even more so, the newly formed choir will spread a little joy this Christmas, even though they can’t sing – yet! And with a little help from Phil, her bassist, this year could be full of magic.

However, she has a fight on her hands as the townies out in Knob Hill – she must stop calling it that, are trying to stop her from ringing her bells. When Krystal with a K decides to do some volunteer work, Dolores sets out to see just how committed she really is.

Up to her ears in granny squares and squawking choristers, Dolores is revving up for Christmas, yet a deeper darker secret is beginning to emerge!

A secret that could blow the whole parish apart and put Dolores in danger.

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The seamen who refused to board the Ship of the Portuguese Republic (NRP) Mondego allege, in a request sent to the court, that the Navy is preparing to replace the two engines of the ship, causing “the definitive destruction of the last traces of evidence.”

In the document, the thirteen seamen indicated to the investigating court, where the process is at the moment, that “in view of the state of breakdown and even inoperability of the two engines of the ship, information has come to the attention of the defendants that the Navy is preparing to replace them.”

The thirteen who were accused of insubordination for disobedience informed the investigating judge that the new engines are in a much better condition than those currently in operation on the Mondego. The ship is already docked at the Alfeite naval base for general maintenance and engine replacement. In a previous statement, this ship, along with three others, has been sold to the Dominican Republic.

If a replacement is made, it “will mean the definitive disabling of the last traces of evidence relating to the real condition of the ship” in March 2023, reads the request.

Faced with a “successive destruction of evidence,” the defense lawyers António Garcia Pereira and Paulo Graça have asked the court to request that the company contracted to make the replacements advise on the dates that this work will be carried out.

In addition to the company, the military also wants the court to notify the Navy to “refrain from performing any act or intervention on the two engines” and to indicate what interventions and repairs have been made to the engines of the two ships – NRP Mondego and NRP Douro.

The 13 soldiers are accused of a crime of insubordination for disobedience after refusing to carry out a mission to accompany a Russian ship north of the island of Porto Santo, in the archipelago of Madeira, citing security reasons.

For the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the NRP Mondego “had the capacity to go to sea, albeit with some degraded conditions”, including cracks in the deck, an inoperable engine, and a breakdown in the engine’s cooling pump, reads the indictment. And, if there were “impossible conditions to carry out the mission, the commander could decide to return to port.”

As part of this process, the defence of the 13 soldiers asked the court to subpoena the Minister of Defense and the Navy after the announcement of the sale of this vessel, claiming that it could harm evidence.

Last week, the Navy decided to reopen the disciplinary proceedings against the thirteen.

Samantha Gannon

info at madeira-weekly.com