Ambush at Sea. The Unprovoked
Attack That Stole Four of Our Own
On Saturday, May 10th, 1980, a day that would become etched in the memory of a nation, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force patrol vessel HMBS Flamingo was on a mission to assert the sovereignty of a newly independent Bahamas. The RBDF itself was a fledgling organization, officially commissioned just six weeks prior, and this patrol was a critical demonstration of its mandate to protect the vast maritime territory of the archipelago.
The Apprehension and Unprovoked Attack
Under the command of Commander Amos Rolle, the HMBS Flamingo was patrolling the southern Bahamas near Cay Santo Domingo, an area known for illicit poaching. The crew identified and successfully apprehended two Cuban fishing vessels, the Ferrocem 165 and Ferrocem 54, which were actively poaching in Bahamian waters. With the two vessels secured and under tow, the Flamingo began its journey back, its mission seemingly accomplished.
Shortly after the arrest, the routine patrol escalated into a terrifying international incident. Without warning, two Cuban military MiG-21 fighter jets appeared in the sky, descending rapidly on the Bahamian vessel. The jets made an initial pass before circling back to launch a full-scale, unprovoked assault. Machine-gun fire ripped across the deck, and rockets slammed into the hull of the Flamingo, causing catastrophic damage. The vessel, completely outmatched by the air-to-sea attack, was engulfed in fire and began taking on water rapidly.
Abandoning Ship Under Fire
Faced with the destruction of his ship and imminent danger to his crew, Commander Rolle made the difficult decision to give the order to abandon ship. As the Bahamian marines plunged into the water, the Cuban jets continued their ruthless attack, strafing the area around the sinking vessel and the defenseless crew members in the sea. It was during this brutal assault that four marines lost their lives in service to their country:
Able Seaman Fenrick Sturrup
Marine Seaman Austin Smith
Marine Seaman David Tucker
Marine Seaman Edward Williams
The Aftermath and Diplomatic Fallout
The fifteen surviving crew members, including Commander Rolle, managed to survive the ordeal by clinging to a small whaler and eventually boarding one of the Cuban fishing boats they had just captured. They navigated to Ragged Island, bringing news of the attack to a shocked and outraged nation.
The incident immediately triggered a major diplomatic crisis. The Bahamian government, led by Prime Minister Lynden Pindling, vehemently condemned the “barbaric and unprovoked act of aggression.” The international community, including the United States and the United Kingdom, expressed grave concern.
Initially, the Cuban government under Fidel Castro claimed the sinking was a mistake and that their pilots had confused the Flamingo with a pirate vessel. However, as international pressure mounted and the facts became undeniable, Cuba shifted its position. They eventually admitted their pilots had acted improperly, took full responsibility for the attack, and offered a formal apology. As part of the resolution, Cuba paid $10 million in reparations to The Bahamas—$5 million for the loss of the vessel and $5 million to be distributed among the survivors and the families of the four deceased marines.
The sinking of the HMBS Flamingo remains a defining moment for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force and a profound event in the history of The Bahamas, serving as a solemn reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made to defend the nation’s sovereignty.
Our Fallen Heroes
Fenrick Sturrup
Able Seaman
Austin Smith
Marine Seaman
David Tucker
Marine Seaman
Edward Williams
Marine Seaman
We solemnly remember the four marines who made the ultimate sacrifice defending Bahamian sovereignty during the sinking of the HMBS Flamingo on May 10th, a defining event in our nation’s history. The portraits above are artistic renditions created to honor these heroes lost at sea.
