Three Friends (tug)
Posted: Sun May 31, 2009 7:32 pm
In 1955 Cuba commemorated the centenary of the birth of one of her great patriots, General Emilio Nunez, by issuing two stamps depicting scenes of his activities as a gun-runner. Both stamps feature the small American tug Three Friends, which gave the Customs and legal authorities of the United States an immense amount of trouble, worry and expense. The records concerning the vessel aggre¬gate some 900 pages in the United States Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation. Nunez was forced into exile as a result of his revolutionary activities, eventually settling in Jacksonville, Florida. Here he set about acquiring vessels to run contraband goods to Cuba to aid the revolutionaries.
One of these ships was the Three Friends, bought by Nunes while she was serving as a harbour tug at Jacksonville, where she was built in 1895 for George A. De Cotter, Napoleon B. Broward and Montcalm Broward. This gives a clue as to the reason why the tug was given her unusual name. Three Friends was a typical American tug, flushdecked, wooden-built, with a tall funnel, and rounded stern. She had the following dimensions: 112 ft. x 24 ft. x 8 ft. 8 in. for a gross tonnage of 257.83. On August 14, 1896 this tonnage was officially reduced to 157.85 and 89.34 net by a reduction in the capacity of the enclosures on the upper deck
From the beginning of her control by Nunez, the Three Friends was suspected of illegal activities by violating the neutrality laws and making voyages to foreign ports ignoring all port customs and sailing without proper papers. Formal charges were made on a number of occasions only to be dismissed, but on November 16, 1896, the U.S. Attorney General informed the Secretary of the Treasury that he had sufficient evidence of the Three Friends participation in filibustering activities in Cuba to warrant her seizure. In a telegram of December 7, 1896, U.S. Attorney Clark at
Jacksonville informed the Attorney General " that the Court had fixed bond at 10,000 dollars on the Three Friends, which had been given and the vessel released."On December 14, 1896 U.S. Attorney Clark sent revenue cutters after the Three Friends on receipt of reports that she was out again on another filibustering expedition. Whether the revenue cutters found her or not has not been officially recorded. Ten days later, however, she was seized at Key West by the Collector of Customs, but a search of the vessel failed to produce anything except ship's stores and coal on board. On February 6, 1897 the Collector of Customs at Jacksonville sent a telegram to his headquarters which shows that the Three Friends had again been seized. He stated that Judge Locke had released the vessel on 5,000 dollars bond with the stipulation that a deputy marshal "remain on board to prevent violation of neutrality and navigation laws while engaged in business"
Despite this precaution reports soon arrived to the effect that the Three Friends was again engaged on gun-running expeditions to Cuba. Five charges against the vessel were lodged by the United States Attorney for violating U.S. neutrality and navigation statutes and three actions were arranged for hearing, but the lawyers wrangled among themselves about whether the vessel was helping "belligerents " or not, and what constituted "violation of neutrality ". After passing through various courts the matter came before the Supreme Court of the United States. The final decision was that the Three Friends should be returned to her owners on July 11, 1898.
The Three Friends was last owned by Mr. Coppedge, of the Florida Towing and Lighterage Company, and was afloat in 1953. A group of Cuban patriots were at that time trying to raise funds to purchase the vessel, intending to place her on shore in Cuba as a monument to General Nunez, who is also depicted on the stamps. The vessel, however, sank in the dock at Commodores Point, Jacksonville, before this plan was completed.
A brief biographical note of the man who was responsible for bringing the Three Friends so prominently before the public eye may not be out of place here. Emilio Nunez Rodriguez, his full name, though in Cuba the Rodriguez is usually omitted, was born in that country in 1855 of middle class parents, was well-schooled and received his degree despite his being involved in much student revolutionary activity, due mainly to the influence of his elder brother. His brother's death led Emilio to join the revolution. He became a colonel, but had to flee into exile into the United States, in 1884. Nunez worked in New York, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, and Key West. His chief efforts were directed to contraband gun-running from Jacksonville. For this successful work he was promoted general. He took an active part in fighting against the Spaniards and was a delegate to the Cuban Constitutional Convention. He became a Provincial Governor, and later was promoted to the Vice Presidency of the Republic of Cuba.
Sea Breezes March 1957.
Cuba SG757, 758.
One of these ships was the Three Friends, bought by Nunes while she was serving as a harbour tug at Jacksonville, where she was built in 1895 for George A. De Cotter, Napoleon B. Broward and Montcalm Broward. This gives a clue as to the reason why the tug was given her unusual name. Three Friends was a typical American tug, flushdecked, wooden-built, with a tall funnel, and rounded stern. She had the following dimensions: 112 ft. x 24 ft. x 8 ft. 8 in. for a gross tonnage of 257.83. On August 14, 1896 this tonnage was officially reduced to 157.85 and 89.34 net by a reduction in the capacity of the enclosures on the upper deck
From the beginning of her control by Nunez, the Three Friends was suspected of illegal activities by violating the neutrality laws and making voyages to foreign ports ignoring all port customs and sailing without proper papers. Formal charges were made on a number of occasions only to be dismissed, but on November 16, 1896, the U.S. Attorney General informed the Secretary of the Treasury that he had sufficient evidence of the Three Friends participation in filibustering activities in Cuba to warrant her seizure. In a telegram of December 7, 1896, U.S. Attorney Clark at
Jacksonville informed the Attorney General " that the Court had fixed bond at 10,000 dollars on the Three Friends, which had been given and the vessel released."On December 14, 1896 U.S. Attorney Clark sent revenue cutters after the Three Friends on receipt of reports that she was out again on another filibustering expedition. Whether the revenue cutters found her or not has not been officially recorded. Ten days later, however, she was seized at Key West by the Collector of Customs, but a search of the vessel failed to produce anything except ship's stores and coal on board. On February 6, 1897 the Collector of Customs at Jacksonville sent a telegram to his headquarters which shows that the Three Friends had again been seized. He stated that Judge Locke had released the vessel on 5,000 dollars bond with the stipulation that a deputy marshal "remain on board to prevent violation of neutrality and navigation laws while engaged in business"
Despite this precaution reports soon arrived to the effect that the Three Friends was again engaged on gun-running expeditions to Cuba. Five charges against the vessel were lodged by the United States Attorney for violating U.S. neutrality and navigation statutes and three actions were arranged for hearing, but the lawyers wrangled among themselves about whether the vessel was helping "belligerents " or not, and what constituted "violation of neutrality ". After passing through various courts the matter came before the Supreme Court of the United States. The final decision was that the Three Friends should be returned to her owners on July 11, 1898.
The Three Friends was last owned by Mr. Coppedge, of the Florida Towing and Lighterage Company, and was afloat in 1953. A group of Cuban patriots were at that time trying to raise funds to purchase the vessel, intending to place her on shore in Cuba as a monument to General Nunez, who is also depicted on the stamps. The vessel, however, sank in the dock at Commodores Point, Jacksonville, before this plan was completed.
A brief biographical note of the man who was responsible for bringing the Three Friends so prominently before the public eye may not be out of place here. Emilio Nunez Rodriguez, his full name, though in Cuba the Rodriguez is usually omitted, was born in that country in 1855 of middle class parents, was well-schooled and received his degree despite his being involved in much student revolutionary activity, due mainly to the influence of his elder brother. His brother's death led Emilio to join the revolution. He became a colonel, but had to flee into exile into the United States, in 1884. Nunez worked in New York, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, and Key West. His chief efforts were directed to contraband gun-running from Jacksonville. For this successful work he was promoted general. He took an active part in fighting against the Spaniards and was a delegate to the Cuban Constitutional Convention. He became a Provincial Governor, and later was promoted to the Vice Presidency of the Republic of Cuba.
Sea Breezes March 1957.
Cuba SG757, 758.