The obligatory BS stories about Cuba begin

[tailfins]

Here is a Fox News story that is total BS. The really good classic cars from Cuba have been shipped to Mexico, re-registered as Mexican vehicles, then sold in the US. The 1950s vehicles in Cuba on the street are 4-doors, sedans, and not sought after models. Do a Google Images search on Havana, Cuba and you'll see for yourself.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/12/17/cuba-million-dollar-mercedes-benz/

[Bilgerat]

A converted 1951 Chevy pickup truck in 2003. The truck's drive shaft was attached directly to a propeller, the truck would cruise along at around 7 knots (8 mph). 55-gallon oil drums were used for flotation. The dozen or so Cubans in the truck were caught just south of Key West after being sighted by a U.S. Customs aircraft.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0BkoBvdl5E/UAmGufoM95I/AAAAAAAAIc8/PzeYdajckt0/s640/truck_starboard_large.jpg

In 2004, three of the original people caught on the truck were trying again, this time in a more sophisticated vessel. With a passenger complement of eleven, was crafted from a 1959 Buick: the interior was welded to be watertight, the prow of a boat was attached to the front of the car. The most ingenious part of their plan was that the car still would drive. The plan was to reach landfall in Florida, discard the boat parts, and drive to a relative's home in Lake Worth, FL.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3Z0mFN40Ms/UAmG7gjlqwI/AAAAAAAAIdM/5zJLIFSRJJw/s640/buick.jpg

Here's another shot at U.S. landfall in 2005. Built from a converted 1949 Mercury station wagon, it carried 13 people and was stopped at the usual area just off Key West. The Mercury was apparently originally a taxi.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RS8jiH0QGYc/UAmG7dvoeAI/AAAAAAAAIdE/gOb5FaYVw70/s1600/556531_341971692546593_28204649_n.jpg

[aboutime]

A converted 1951 Chevy pickup truck in 2003. The truck's drive shaft was attached directly to a propeller, the truck would cruise along at around 7 knots (8 mph). 55-gallon oil drums were used for flotation. The dozen or so Cubans in the truck were caught just south of Key West after being sighted by a U.S. Customs aircraft.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A0BkoBvdl5E/UAmGufoM95I/AAAAAAAAIc8/PzeYdajckt0/s640/truck_starboard_large.jpg

In 2004, three of the original people caught on the truck were trying again, this time in a more sophisticated vessel. With a passenger complement of eleven, was crafted from a 1959 Buick: the interior was welded to be watertight, the prow of a boat was attached to the front of the car. The most ingenious part of their plan was that the car still would drive. The plan was to reach landfall in Florida, discard the boat parts, and drive to a relative's home in Lake Worth, FL.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a3Z0mFN40Ms/UAmG7gjlqwI/AAAAAAAAIdM/5zJLIFSRJJw/s640/buick.jpg

Here's another shot at U.S. landfall in 2005. Built from a converted 1949 Mercury station wagon, it carried 13 people and was stopped at the usual area just off Key West. The Mercury was apparently originally a taxi.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RS8jiH0QGYc/UAmG7dvoeAI/AAAAAAAAIdE/gOb5FaYVw70/s1600/556531_341971692546593_28204649_n.jpg



Bilgerat. Back in the 90's, I was on a Gator ship out of Little Creek, Va, and we spent nearly a month running between Gitmo, and the Florida Straits picking up thousands of Cuban refugee's who were fleeing in the same kinds of lousy craft. One woman I remember meeting had been with her two children, and neighbors on a large Pallet, with boards nailed across it to make a raft. That woman had been a Doctor in her small town, but they decided it would be safer to try and leave. She earned about 10 American dollars a month, we learned.
It was a lousy time for thousands of them. If they were lucky enough to survive. We filled our Well Deck with them, and could only feed them Chicken, and Rice until they were offloaded in Gitmo.
We were assigned to help since we were in Gitmo for REFTRA. Refresher Training...hated by all sailors. And I suspect even You Coasties hated it too????

[Bilgerat]

Bilgerat. Back in the 90's, I was on a Gator ship out of Little Creek, Va, and we spent nearly a month running between Gitmo, and the Florida Straits picking up thousands of Cuban refugee's who were fleeing in the same kinds of lousy craft.

Well we may not have been in the same service, but we sure sailed the same waters (lol). Before I retired in "92" I had the pleasure of a TAD trip on at 270, picking up Haitians and Cuban's.


One woman I remember meeting had been with her two children, and neighbors on a large Pallet, with boards nailed across it to make a raft. That woman had been a Doctor in her small town, but they decided it would be safer to try and leave. She earned about 10 American dollars a month, we learned.
It was a lousy time for thousands of them. If they were lucky enough to survive.

The watercraft (that's being generous) was certainly something to behold. One boat filled with Haitians was severly overloaded and it looked as if they would capsize before we got them aboard.


We filled our Well Deck with them, and could only feed them Chicken, and Rice until they were offloaded in Gitmo. We were assigned to help since we were in Gitmo for REFTRA. Refresher Training...hated by all sailors. And I suspect even You Coasties hated it too????

Reftra at Gitmo was always an interesting time for Coast Guard Cutters as the crew size is much smaller then Navy vessels. On a 180' Bouy Tender, we were told that we didn't have enough personnel for some drills. On the 270 we would repatriate the Haitians from Gitmo.

It was interesting to note that when we first brought them in they only had the clothes on their backs, but when we took them back, they had large trash bags of stuff :laugh:

[tailfins]

Bilgerat. Back in the 90's, I was on a Gator ship out of Little Creek, Va, and we spent nearly a month running between Gitmo, and the Florida Straits picking up thousands of Cuban refugee's who were fleeing in the same kinds of lousy craft. One woman I remember meeting had been with her two children, and neighbors on a large Pallet, with boards nailed across it to make a raft. That woman had been a Doctor in her small town, but they decided it would be safer to try and leave. She earned about 10 American dollars a month, we learned.
It was a lousy time for thousands of them. If they were lucky enough to survive. We filled our Well Deck with them, and could only feed them Chicken, and Rice until they were offloaded in Gitmo.
We were assigned to help since we were in Gitmo for REFTRA. Refresher Training...hated by all sailors. And I suspect even You Coasties hated it too????

Nice post, complete with first hand experiences.