José Monteagudo
José B. Monteagudo Fernández (born November 15, 1923 in Santa Clara , † July 18, 2009 ) was a high-ranking officer in the Navy in Cuba .
Life
He studied from 1944 to 1948 at the Naval Academy in Mariel, Cuba (Academia Naval del Mariel). In 1948 he got the rank of Alférez de Fragata (lieutenant at sea) and he was later promoted to Alférez de Navío (first lieutenant at sea). Until 1957 he taught as a lecturer at the Naval Academy. José Monteagudo was awarded various orders, such as the medal “50. Anniversary of the Granma ”.
Role in the 1957 uprising
On September 5, 1957 he took part in the "uprising of Cienfuegos" - see (Levantamiento de Cienfuegos) against the Batista regime with the following plan:
A frigate and the coast guard ships that were in the harbor of Havana in the roadstead were supposed to fire at the seat of government (Palacio Presidencial / today Palacio de la Revolución). At the same time, the naval academy was supposed to be taken and thus the insurgents would have gained control of the naval air force base. In addition, the Naval Hospital (Hospital Naval) should be occupied by Doctors Vidal Yebra and Cuervo. In Cienfuegos , a port city in the southern center of Cuba, the navy police and police station as well as the barracks of the "Guardia Rural" (field guards) were supposed to be taken by a population uprising. The aim of the uprising was Batista's resignation. Monteagudo had the mission to occupy the naval academy.
On the evening of September 4th he drove to the academy and on the morning of September 5th he took over the position of officer on watch. Because of discrepancies between the Communists ( Communist Party of Cuba ) and the " July 26th Movement ", the uprising in Havana failed. In Cienfuegos the police stations were taken, but the uprising was bloodily crushed. José Monteagudo was captured in Mariel that day. A few days later, a military court with ten other naval and several air force officers sentenced him to six years in prison in the “Presidio Modelo” on Pine Island for high treason .
Functions and ranks
After the triumph of the Cuban revolution under Fidel Castro , he was appointed corvette captain (Comandante, at that time the highest rank in the new Cuban armed forces - Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias ) and commander of the naval base of Casablanca, a district in the port of Havana. In this position he was responsible for arms deliveries, initially from Belgium and Czechoslovakia , from 1962 from the Soviet Union , and equipment for the Navy ( torpedo boats and speedboats ) until 1965. Among other things, he was responsible for the unloading and transport of the new Cuban currency in August 1961, for the currency exchange thought out by Fidel Castro, which was kept top secret.
In 1965 he was promoted to commander of the Naval Engineering Division (Ingeniería Naval). In 1968 he was sent into civilian life with all the other academy officers. The military leadership under Raúl Castro filled all positions of staff officers in the Navy with fighters from the rebel army of the Sierra Maestra under the pretext that the uprising in Cienfuegos had failed because of the indecision of the Navy.
Web links
- Dayamí Tabares: The lifting of Cienfuegos: a necessary action against Batista dictatorship, in: Radio Ariguanabo from September 5, 2011 (English)
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Monteagudo, José |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Monteagudo Fernández, José B. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Cuban revolutionary and military |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 15, 1923 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Santa Clara |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 18, 2009 |
| Place of death | Havana |