During my tour of duty in Dealey she often pulled "escort service" for Russian merchant ships bound for Cuba. Dealey would be in Key West assigned to duty of some kind and, when notified a Russian ship was bound for Cuba, would proceed to an intercept point somewhere east of Miami and then wait for the Russian to appear. Dealey would then fall in behind the ship and follow it into Cuban waters.
Shortly before the ship entered port Dealey would notify land based resources who would send out a photo-recon plane to take pictures of the Russian's deck cargo area. Dealey would then lie off-shore waiting for the Russian to leave port, which would usually be 3 to 5 days. (Dealey's crew got maximum fishing time!) When the Russian left port we would notify the shore base of the movement and they would send out the plane to take more pictures of the deck cargo. This was to determine if the Russians were removing their missiles.
On one occasion, after we had escorted a Russian into Cuban waters, the photo-recon plane came out to take pictures and, as the plane passed over us, gave us information about a small boat adrift 40-50- miles west of us. We snipes "poured on the coal" and Dealey went to investigate. When we located the boat, a motorized fishing boat of about 14-16 feet, we found it had two thoroughly terrified young men, one 17 and the other 25, who were trying to escape to Florida. They had run out of fuel a day or so earlier and had been drifting with the current.
Our skipper, a "good ole boy" from Tennessee, ordered up several cans of gasoline, food, water and canned orange juice. After these items had been lowered into the boat, and the men were about to cast off, one of those squalls so well known for that area suddenly descended upon us with such fury things really got nasty. Everyone could see that the small boat would be swamped if they tried to leave our lee side. The skipper then ordered the two men to come aboard Dealey. The depth charge davit was swung out and plucked their boat from the sea and placed it on deck. The Cubans were taken below, given fresh clothing (donated dungarees from the crew), all the chow they could eat, and bunked down in the CPO quarters.
Through a Spanish speaking crew member we learned that the 25 year old was in the Cuban army and the 17 year old had recently received his draft notice. They planned their escape simply by going to a boat yard at night and taking the first boat that would start. They had no food or water because, according to them, anyone with a package would be stopped and questioned by the authorities.
The next morning they were brought up from the after-berthing area to go to breakfast. As they stepped onto the main deck, just aft of the mess deck, one of them looked out the starboard door and there, just a few miles away, he could plainly see Havana! The two men went ballistic! Such wailing and crying you've never seen! They thought we were taking them back to Cuba.
It took quite some time to explain to them that we had to remain on station until the Russian ship departed Cuba. They were told that the Coast Guard was sending a cutter to take them to Key West. The cutter arrived the next day or so and the two men and "their" boat were transferred to it.
I have often wondered what became of those two brave men. Were they able to remain in the United States and pursue their quest for freedom?
Richard "Ozzie" Osburn BTCM RET