**T H R E A D A L E R T**

#TodayInCaribbeanHistory
May 10th



A Royal Bahamas Defence Ship, HMBS Flamingo, was sunk in a combat action by Cuban Missile fighter jets.

In-Depth:

This was not the first time that the Cuban military presented itself near to Bahamian patrol officials in Bahamian territorial waters.

5 years prior to the HBMS incident, Bahamian police boats intercepted & arrested 5 Cuban vessels just one mile off of Cay Verde, in the Ragged Island chain which is near Cuba.

Still near Cay Verde, after the arrest, a Cuban fighter jet circled over the two Bahamian vessels, Acklins & Andros, at an altitude of ~200 feet. A Cuban coast guard followed...

...& this time flew as near as ~100 feet above both vessels, Acklins & Andros.

5 years later, the HMBS Flamingo, apart of the newly established RBDF left base on May 8th.

Around 5pm, the crew intercepted 2 Cuban vessels that were engaged in poaching in Bahamian waters near Cay Santo Domingo. Though they tried to escape, the boats were arrested.

Initially, the Cubans defied orders to stop. Warning shots were fired in the air & across their vessels' bow, but they persisted.

Shots fired directly to the bow stopped them.

The Cuban fishing vessels, Ferrocem 54 & Ferrocem 164 were both boarded by RBDF officers.

They had their catches confiscated, their crews were arrested & taken in tow.

(Ferrocem 54 was 1 of the 5 vessels caught in 1975.
Just as it didn't stop when ordered to do so by the RBDF in 1980, it didn't stop when ordered by Bahamian police in 1975.)

Shortly after the arrest, 2 Cuban fighter jets appeared & shot at the right side of the boat w/o hitting it.

A flag was hoisted to clearly indicate the HMBS Flamingo.

This was also done to indicate that the boats were in Bahamian waters.

A little under an hour later, the jets returned this time firing its guns & rockets at the HMBS Flamingo.

The HMBS Flamingo was hit & sustained extensive damage resulting in the bridge bursting into flames.

The crew abandoned ship. They were 1.5 miles from the cay & tried escaping.

The Cuban fighter jets continued waging war against the Bahamian vessel, this time shooting at the men in the water while they tried swimming to Cay Santo Domingo.

After the Cuban military jets' reign of terror, they left; leaving behind a Cuban military helicopter which hovered over the men & the HMBS Flamingo completely went underwater.

The nearest inhabited island in The Bahamas was Great Ragged Island & the crew escaped to it on one of the apprehended Cuban vessels that was engaged in illegal fishing activities.

As they tried to make their way in the night to Ragged Island, just 35 miles away, they left the lights on the ship off & instead used cigarettes to light their way to the island.

The crew anchored off Ragged Island & in Duncan Town, the capital & only settlement, they sent telegraphs to Nassau making known their ordeal.

The relentless Cubans returned!

At 9:30 on May 11th, Cuban jets & a long-range transport aircraft flew over Duncan Town.

This time they simulated rocket attacks over Great Ragged Island, terrorising it.

A Cuban Helicopter landed on Little Ragged Island, tearing off roof shingles.

This time armed Cuban military personnel exited the helicopter & inspected the island.

An official Bahamian aircraft arrived at Duncan Town from Nassau with RBDF men, but the presence of the Cuban military jets & aircraft prevented it from taking off.

The Cubans persisted around the island until an American military jet appeared.

Following this, they left & the Bahamians were able to take off from Ragged Island.

Able Seaman Fenrick Sturrup & Marine Seaman Austin Smith, David Tucker & Edward Williams were missing & presumed dead as a result of the attack made by the Cuban military jets.

The government of The Bahamas was greatly outraged by the attack & demanded Cuba to apologise in "appropriate terms" for its "violent acts of aggression" made towards The Bahamas.

The following day, May 12th, 7 Cuban government officials arrived in Nassau to engage in talks with the government of The Bahamas.

This included now president, Raul Castro.

The Cubans claimed that the HMBS Flamingo was believed to a pirate vessel & so it was attacked.

However, this very quickly ruled as hogwash by the Bahamian government.

Margaret Thatcher, then PM of the United Kingdom, condemned the attack made.

While the White House claimed that Cuba was in violation of international law.

Locally, The Bahamas Telecommunications ceased transmitting telegraphs as well as telephone calls between Cuba & The Bahamas until the issue was "satisfactorily resolved."

The 8 Cuban fishermen that were arrested on May 10th were ultimately taken to court & appeared before Acting Magistrate Ian Bethel. They were represented by John Bostwick I.

5 of the 8 men were arrested prior to this.

All 8 were charged with using their vessels as Captain & crew to engage in foreign fishing in The Bahamas' exclusive fishing zone.

Cuba apologized for the attack & offered compensation.

$100,000.00 was given to each of the four families and $5 million was given as reparation for the ship and her supplies.

Since The Bahamas & Cuba established diplomatic relations in 1974, this incident marked the only time that those diplomatic relations have been strained.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force opened a HMBS Flamingo Memorial Park & Monument May 10th 2008.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the unprovoked attack that killed 4 Bahamians.