The St. Louis

On May 13, 1939, the passenger ship St. Louis departed Hamburg, Germany, and sailed to the island of Cuba and its capitol city of Havana

On board the ship were 937 passengers, almost all of them Jews, who were leaving Germany to escape the discrimination and violence Jews faced on a daily basis under Nazi rule

The trip to Havana took the St. Louis two weeks

Upon their arrival in Cuba, unfortunately, the passengers were not allowed to disembark

Cuban officials claimed that the travel visas of the passengers were invalid due to corruption

22 passengers were allowed to get off of the ship

Upon leaving Cuba, the ship sailed slowly towards Miami

The captain and crew of the St. Louis made requests with the White House and the U.S. State Department, seeking permission to dock and to allow for the passengers to enter the United States. All requests were denied

Canadian authorities rejected overtures as well, fearing that if the country accepted this ship full of refugees that more ships would come

The St. Louis had no other option but to return to Europe

Prior to the ship's arrival back in Europe, permission was received for the St. Louis to dock in Antwerp, Belgium, which took place on June 17, 1939

Once the passengers arrived in Belgium, help was given in finding new homes.

Belgium, France, Great Britain, and the Netherlands all took refugees

Unfortunately, once the war started and the Germans took large swaths of Europe, many of the passengers found themselves under Nazi threat once again

It is estimated that around 250 of the St. Louis passengers did not survive to see the end of the war