he Story of the Granma Expedition

 

The Story of the Granma Expedition (1956)

In late 1956, a battered old yacht named the Granma left the port of Tuxpan, Mexico, carrying 82 revolutionaries determined to overthrow the U.S.-backed Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Among them were Fidel Castro, Raúl Castro, Camilo Cienfuegos, and an Argentine doctor named Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

The voyage was plagued with problems. The boat was overcrowded, supplies were scarce, and the sea was rough. What was meant to be a quick 5-day trip turned into a grueling 7-day journey. They arrived two days later than expected, on December 2, 1956, near the mangrove swamps of Playa Las Coloradas in eastern Cuba.

The delay proved catastrophic.

Because they missed their planned coordination with underground resistance forces on the island, Batista’s army was already on high alert. As soon as the Granma group landed, they were ambushed in the swamps by government forces. Only about 20 of the 82 men survived the initial clash and scattered into the Sierra Maestra mountains to hide.

Among the survivors were Fidel, Raúl, Che, and Camilo. Though badly beaten and demoralized, they slowly regrouped, recruited peasant support, and began building the guerrilla force that would eventually defeat Batista’s army.

The Granma expedition is remembered today as the true beginning of the Cuban Revolution—even though it began with failure. Despite the betrayal and bloodshed, the survivors' resilience laid the foundation for a revolutionary victory that came just two years later, on January 1, 1959, when Batista fled the country and the rebels took Havana.