So glad of this story, these 13 navy personal know the ship and it shouldn’t have been doubt the state it was in. The commander of the ship Sousa Luís should hang his head in shame, even saying yesterday and today that there is not breakdown, and the shop is fit to sail. Better still get rid of him….
The military associations representing sergeants and enlisted men defended today that the fact that the ‘Mondego’ ship failed again in a mission reinforces the “warning cry” of the 13 soldiers who refused to embark on another operation this month.
Speaking to the Lusa agency, the president of the Praças Association (AP), Corporal Paulo Amaral, defended that the “technical” reasons that led the Portuguese Republic Ship (NRP) ‘Mondego’ to have to abort again a mission this Monday in the Selvagens Islands, in Madeira, confirm that “things were not going well” on the 11th of March.
“It came to be confirmed that in fact the safety conditions that the ship had were not the right ones to sail on any type of mission, whatever it may be”, he considered, in reference to the controversy that on the 11th involved 13 soldiers who refused to embark on a surveillance mission on a Russian ship in Madeira, alleging lack of safety conditions on the ‘Mondego’.
For the director of the Associação de Praças, this situation reinforces what “those 13 comrades conveyed in a loyal, honest and serious manner to the ship’s commander” and that these sailors “did not commit any act of insubordination, nor of insubordination, but of extreme loyalty to the Portuguese navy and to the homeland”.
“Unfortunately, for us, it was the confirmation of the warning cry launched by the 13 sailors”, considered the president of the National Association of Sergeants (ANS), António Lima Coelho.
The sergeant stressed that this “was an attitude of great responsibility, courage and great dignity”.
“Those men, if we had said it on the 11th, today with more certainty, with more propriety we say, that those men did not do what they did lightly, or just because they felt like it, they were clearly aware of the state of the equipment”, stressed.
Lima Coelho confessed that he would like to see some commentators recant after offensive statements about the 13 soldiers.
As for the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Gouveia e Melo, the sergeant stated that it will be up to him to pronounce on the matter.
“I hope to see from the Admiral an attitude consistent with what we are experiencing. Just as the Admiral understood to do what he did at that time, I hope that in the same way he understands and says what he understands, but that will be up to the Admiral”, he added. .
As for the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, António Lima Coelho stated that, if at the time of the first incident, the head of state defended a reinforcement of equipment maintenance, now he has even more reasons to do so.