Transfer ceremony of U.S. Coast Guard patrol boats to the Cuban Navy, Miami-March,1943.
CS-13 (ex-USCG 83338), responsible for the sinking of U-176
EDITOR'S NOTE: Media interested in attending the event are asked to RSVP with Marilyn Fajardo at Coast Guard 7th District Public Affairs at 305-331-1444 or marilyn.fajardo@uscg.mil. Media must arrive no later than 11:45 a.m. Interviews will be available following the event.
WHO: Rear Adm. Scott A. Buschman, U.S. Coast Guard 7th District commander; Honorable Tomás Regalado, City of Miami Mayor; Dr. Anthony Atwood, historian and Navy veteran; Mr. Jochen Werne, founder of Global Offshore Sailing Team; Mr. Andres Vazquez, president of Association for Research and Dissemination of Cuban Naval History; Lt. Eric Driggs, U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and master of ceremonies.
WHAT: The Coast Guard 7th District will join the City of Miami and the Association for Research and Dissemination of Cuban Naval History to pay tribute to WWII veterans who served in the American and Cuban armed forces. Among the WWII veterans expected to attend is the commanding officer of a WWII Cuban sub chaser.
The event will also commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the sinking of the Axis Submarine U-176 by the Cuban sub chaser Caza Submarino 13 (CS-13) becoming the only non-American Allied ship to sink an enemy U-boat in the Caribbean.
WHEN: Saturday at 12 noon
WHERE: Manuel Artime Theater, 900 S.W. 1st Street, Miami, Florida 33130
WHY: In the early years of WWII, Axis submarine activity was significantly impacting vital Allied shipping including in the waters of South Florida and the Caribbean. Substantial efforts were made to establish effective counter-submarine tactics and, train and arm Allied navies to expand anti-submarine warfare capabilities. The U.S. Navy Sub Chaser Training Center (SCTC) was established here in Miami to provide that training in the waters of Biscayne Bay; the pier next to the American Airlines Arena is the last of four piers that existed during the war to support the Navy’s training efforts. In Miami in March of 1943, ten 83-foot wooden patrol boats were transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the Cuban Navy under the Lend-Lease Program to expand Cuba’s capability to combat Axis U-Boat operations. One of these vessels, the CG-83338, was renamed under Cuban service as the CS-13. On May 15th, 1943, the CS-13 engaged and sank the German U-boat U-176, becoming the only non-American Allied ship to sink an enemy U-boat in the Caribbean.
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