BRENHA 
By Luis Mota (SUBMANIA)

"Brenha" was a trawl fishing vessel, built in 1969. She was 32m long, 7.22m broad and 3.55m deep.

This vessel leaves Leixões harbour on January 23rd, 1996, at 11pm, rhomb to northern Spain with her crew of 15 men. Her captain was João Rebelo da Silva.

Weather and sea conditions were rough, with heavy rain, strong winds and high waves.

Minutes after leave port, she hit a rock, named Guilhada rock, out of Mindelo village and made a hole in her hull.

The crew send their first SOS at 11.30pm.

They were saved by a smaller fishing vessel, named "O Desterrado". When help arrived there was not much to do than save Brenha's crew, since the vessel was full of water and doomed. There were no victims to regret thanks to David Leocádio, captain of "O Desterrado", who fought against the storm to save those fishermen and bring them all alive and well back home.

Brenha sunk close to shore on January 4th, 1996, at 00.30am.

The wreck rests at 27m deep, on a sandy seabed with her keel nailed on a rock. She lies on her starboard, pointing west. Only the hull remains intact, because, when she sunk, the vessel must roll over the seabed until hit a rock and stopped. The mast and the antennas are gone and the bridge was kneaded like someone treaded on it. In 2003 the bridge's structure disappears and leaves in her place a hole that leads inside the wreck.

It's possible to penetrate the wreck, with some careful, because there are still fishing nets and loosing lines inside. This is a recent wreck but it's already full of marine life, turning this once a fishing vessel into an artificial reef.

Minimum diving certification required to dive this wreck:
CMAS two stars or equivalent.

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© Luis Mota