Official version of the tugboat sinking:
The boat had been notified of a malfunction which made possible a leak, a fact that was known to the leaders of the plan, who nevertheless proceeded in an irresponsible way to carry out their design.
In an attempt to prevent the hijacking, three boats belonging to MITRANS (Ministry of Transportation) attempted to intercept it, and as a result of the maneuvers executed to achieve this objective the unfortunate accident took place, resulting in the eventual sinking of the ship.
Two units of the Coast Guard who happened to be patrolling in the immediate area immediately went to the aid of the shipwrecked passengers….only 31 persons were rescued alive. Note from Ministry of Interior.
In its haste the boat capsized approximately 7 miles offshore. Some 31 persons (20 men, 5 women and 6 children) were rescued by government boats or by units of the Coast Guard. Granma newspaper, July 14, 1994.
…it had taken place as a result of a collision between the “13 of Marzo” and another tugboat which was attempting to catch up with it” Granma newspaper July 16, 1994.
“…Fidencio Ramel Prieto (the tugboat’s captain), stole the tugboat after knocking the night watchman with a drug which he put on his drink The boat, made of wood in 1879, was known to leak and too many people were on board. Granma, July 23, 1994.
In this case, the organizers of the boat seizure, by having placed more than 60 people in a 115-year-old wooden tugboat fit to carry a crew of only four and sailing in port waters, traveled toward an inevitable wreck in the strait. Raúl Castro speech, July 26, 2004.
This incident lasted approximately one hour and 20 minutes, between the time they hijacked the tugboat and the time it sank… The border guards reported on this and were instructed to go toward the place where the events were taking place. This happened rather quickly.
It is quite known that a boat positioned itself in front of the tugboat to try to make it reduce its speed; another boat positioned itself behind the tugboat; yet another boat was on one of its sides. This is how the accident took place: the boat trailing behind rammed into the tugboat's stern… So, this is how the accident that led to the tugboat's sinking took place. It was really an accident.
The border guards had nothing to do with the sinking; they arrived at the scene one minute after the accident took place. Fidel Castro speech, August 6, 1994.
The famous incident they talk about involving the tugboat 13 de Marzo has its own history…. Three people who worked there boarded another tugboat and another three or four boarded a third one. This was at night and without saying anything to anyone they left with the two tugboats to try and intercept those who were escaping. No one knew anything; in fact, hours had gone by since the theft of the tug. Fidel Castro speech, September 8, 2000.
A group of people got together and hijacked an old tugboat- an old wooden tugboat, which was good for nothing but short distances close to the shoreline… so they got into two other tugboats, on their own, without contacting anybody.... and they chased this old tugboat that by now was out of the harbor.
No authorities were ever notified of something suddenly taking place. We have the complete report of what happened that night... As soon as news came of what was happening…the border guards sent out a patrol boat at full speed….Those tugboats move slowly, no more than five or six miles an hour; [the two pursuing tugboats] followed the hijacked old tugboat... and started manouvering to make it turn back. One got in front of it and the other behind, and it was under those circumstances that an accident happened. … as luck would have it the patrol boat, at full speed, comes up just minutes after the accident had taken place.
The metal-hulled tug.... had no way to rescue the people….but they started rescuing people and they saved some of them, until the moment came where they were afraid the number of people they'd rescued might mean that they'd be hijacked too… The boat [then] that had hit the other one saved some of those who'd fallen into the water, but most of those who were saved, about half, about thirty people, were saved by the patrol boat. Fidel Castro: My Life, by Ignacio Ramonet, January 8, 2008 (The final text was edited and approved by Castro himself before publication).
Reports of the tugboat sinking by the Castro brothers and the regime controlled media are conflicting. Some maintain that the tugboat sank because it was old and not seaworthy, others say that it sank because the tugboats chasing the “13 de Marzo” accidentally collide with it.
It is very obvious the attempts to accentuate the bad condition of the tugboat with references to “malfunction”, “old wooden boat”, “known to leak”, “good for nothing”, rendering it unseaworthy.
Fidencio Ramel Prieto, Chief of Operations at the port in Havana, with 25 years of maritime experience, was in charge of the operation, and Raúl Muñoz , who had been a pilot of the “13 de Marzo” and actual pilot of another tugboat, was the pilot of it again.
It is impossible that seamen with such experience will attempt to flee with 72 passengers on board, including children and women, on a ship in the conditions describe by the regime official version.
The reality is that the tugboat has been repair and a new motor install. The last inspection took place on May 9, 1994, and the Ministry of Transportation issued a seaworthy certificate. In other words the tugboat was in a fit condition for a sea voyage after the repairs were done.
With regard to the comment “fit to carry a crew of only four”, the crew consist of the people who pilot and service a ship, doesn’t has anything to do with the size and capacity of it. Beside tugboats because of their function are very powerful and strongly built, no likely to capsize just because “having placed more than 60 people” on it. By the way the small yacht Granma that carried Fidel Castro from Mexico to Cuba, designed for only 12 passengers and a maximum capacity of 25, carried 82 persons plus fuel, food and weapons in a 1,240 mile crossing.
The version of the time period keep changing, like a chameleon change colors: “This incident lasted approximately one hour and 20 minutes, between the time they hijacked the tugboat and the time it sank.” “No one knew anything; in fact, hours had gone by since the theft of the tug.” “Those tugboats move slowly, no more than five or six miles an hour.”
The fact is that at 3:15 A.M. the “13 de Marzo” started to move out of the harbor, navigating 7 miles in 45 minutes in spite of the harassment with the water cannons (no 70 minutes at 6 miles an hour as suggested by Castro), and it was then that the chasing tugboats began ramming it. Finally they manage to sinks it around 4:50 A.M, an hour and 35 minutes after leaving the harbor. For another 45 minutes the other tugboats began circled round the survivors, creating a turbulence so they would drawn and no one would be left alive to provide evidence of the massacre. All of a sudden they stopped and the survivors began to be recues by the Coast Guard ship that had arrived before the ramming started and was simple observing the slaughter. The reason for this sudden change was the proximity to the scene of a Greek freighter in route to the port of Havana. The survivors believe that was the reason they were rescued.
“The border guards reported on this and were instructed to go toward the place where the events were taking place. This happened rather quickly.” “The border guards had nothing to do with the sinking; they arrived at the scene one minute after the accident took place.” “No authorities were ever notified of something suddenly taking place....As soon as news came of what was happening…the border guards sent out a patrol boat at full speed”
From the time of the tugboat hijack to the time of its sinking 2 hours and 20 minutes had elapsed, more than enough the amount of time necessary for a prompt response to the incident.
According to official explanation several persons were rescued by the tugboats. “Some 31 persons were rescued by government boats or by units of the Coast Guard “….”but they started rescuing people and they saved some of them, until the moment came where they were afraid the number of people they'd rescued might mean that they'd be hijacked too…The boat [then] that had hit the other one saved some of those who'd fallen into the water, but most of those who were saved, about half, about thirty people, were saved by the patrol boat.”
The matter of fact is that only 31 were rescued, and according to the survivors none of the crews of the attacking tugboats rescued anybody, they were rescued by the Coast Guard ships. A liar is sooner caught than a cripple, and Castro isn’t a cripple. The official story has more holes than a Swiss cheese.
The “13 de Marzo” sinking was not an accident, was intentionally achieved due to the recurrent ramming by the other tugboats. They knew that children and women were on board.
How is possible to believe that 3 tugboats executed this type of operation and the port authority was not aware of it, and presumable were not in communication with each other. When the “13 de Marzo” came out of the harbor, the other two tugboats that were waiting for it, joint in the chase according to the survivors accounts.
What is the probability that the three tugboats participating in this episode very early in the morning were there? Practically nil unless they were previously notified.
The regime plan was to attack the “13 de Marzo” in a place on the high seas less than 12 nautical miles from the coastline, inside Cuba’s territorial waters, and farther out enough that wouldn’t produce witnesses.
Since the regime was aware of the plan, the Coast Guard was advised ahead of time of the tugboat hijacking, and wouldn’t intervene until the other tugboats carried out the attack and sank it without leaving any survivors. Survivors described that the tugboats attacking their tugboat seemed to be taking orders from the Coast Guard ship.
The regime refusal to investigate and sanction those guilty of the massacre can only be explained by an interest to cover up the criminal act and those who perpetrated it.
The truth always appears eventually, despite all efforts to hide it. It is impossible to keep something secret forever.