In an extraordinary display of ingenuity and determination, a group of 12 Cuban refugees arrived on the Florida coast on July 16, 2003, after crossing the treacherous waters from Cuba to Key West, Florida, in a modified 1951 Chevrolet truck.

The resourceful group had converted the truck into a makeshift boat, equipping it with 200-gallon drums for buoyancy and a propeller attached to the gimbal bar for propulsion. The unusual vessel reached a speed of 20 km/h as it traversed the ocean.

Upon spotting the unusual craft, the US Coast Guard was astonished by the refugees’ creativity and determination. Instead of intercepting them, the authorities decided to take them in, impressed by their remarkable attempt to reach American shores in search of freedom.

This daring and unconventional escape attempt has become a remarkable story of human ingenuity and the quest for a better life.