Granma, Museum ship at Museum of the Revolution, Havana, Cuba
The Granma is a motor yacht displayed inside a glass pavilion beside the Museum of the Revolution overlooking Havana Bay. The restored vessel lets visitors see the actual boat that carried revolutionaries across the sea, preserved much as it was when it arrived.
The vessel was originally built in New York as a military boat before being acquired for the revolution in the 1950s. Its journey from Mexico to Cuban shores in late 1956 launched the armed struggle that would reshape the island's future.
The boat represents the beginning of Cuba's revolutionary struggle and what it meant to the nation. People come from all over to stand before it and feel connected to this turning point in their country's past.
The display is accessible from the street, and you can photograph the boat through the glass enclosure from different angles. The site sits near the waterfront in central Havana, making it easy to include in a walking tour of the old city.
The boat's name comes from an English word meaning grandmother, a nickname given by its former owner that stuck through history. Few visitors expect such a tender origin for an icon of revolution, making it a detail that often surprises people standing before the vessel.
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