# Roberto Leonardo Roque Núñez

**Date of birth:** November 6, 1915

**Date of death:** December 1, 1989

**Categories:** Society, military

Revolutionary combatant, he was one of the 82 expeditionaries of the Yacht Granma, served time in the Presidio Modelo de Isla de Pinos, and upon the triumph of the Revolution was released and promoted to Captain of Corvette - Commander of the Revolutionary Navy.

He was born on Pórtela Street # 73 between Estrada Palma and Cerice, municipality of Palmira, Province of Las Villas.

Son of a humble class, his mother was Edelmira Nuñez, a teacher, and his father was Rufino Roque, a tailor. He completed his primary education through the sixth grade at School # 1 for Boys Agustín de Cerice y Xenes.

He studied in Cienfuegos until reaching ninth grade and while working as a bus driver, he obtained a scholarship to study at the Naval Academy of Mariel. Upon completing the test of navigation for 2,000 nautical miles, he obtained outstanding grades, graduating as a deep-sea pilot with the rank of Frigate Ensign.

He began working on warships as Commander. During World War II, he was at the helm of submarine chaser # 2. He was Chief of the Naval Post of Manzanillo, preventing smuggling in that area.

The coup d'état of March 10, 1952, caught him at the Naval District of Cayo Largo. When the Officers gathered, he announced his disagreement by surrendering the ship and the machine gun, saying that Fulgencio Batista did not command him.

He went to Santiago de Cuba where there was some movement against the coup, where he was accepted by the Navy and headed to the Naval Base of Guantánamo, requesting asylum on the American warship the US Greqwish Bay, anchored in Guantánamo Bay, and from there he departed to Miami in the United States.

Later his family, wife and son, reunited with him; his son became ill due to the climatic conditions of that area.

His friends explained to him that they could return, that the coup d'état had taken place but the Constitution had not changed. He returned and in Cuba he was offered the opportunity to join the Navy. He did not accept, and for this he was sanctioned to two months of deprivation of liberty in the Castillo del Príncipe in La Habana.

Upon completing the sanction, he joined as Commander of a small merchant vessel in the Sindair FC Ronda CC, where he navigated for more than three years, becoming surplus in the month of July 1956. All this time he was thinking about how to join the movement that was fighting to defeat the tyrant.

In a letter sent by Melba Hernández to Fidel, she explains that she had met Ensign Roque Nuñez, who seemed like a very impulsive man but "is the type of man that is needed in these times."

In October, three months later, he is visited by a lady he did not know, but she came on behalf of Fidel Castro Ruz, to invite him to join his revolutionary group. Two days later he meets with Fidel, who tells him that they would rise up in any case, days before or after, but before the end of 1956, the trip would be by sea or air, and that in any case he would lead a platoon of men upon landing.

When the organization of the Granma expedition began, he stayed in Mexico and joined the group of expeditionaries under the direction of Juan Manuel Márquez, being named second chief of the expedition jointly with Pino Izquierdo.

During the voyage, finding themselves south of the eastern provinces, very close to Cayman Brac, bad weather begins. On several occasions he climbs on top of the Yacht's command cabin worried about locating the flashes of the Cape Cruz Lighthouse beacon, and while moving from bow to stern, he falls into the water, the expeditionaries begin to shout man overboard.

Immediately Fidel orders the search to begin and to find him; in the early morning hours, Soria locates him at the bow and shouts, there he is. Fidel directs them to turn on the searchlights but they did not turn on; they illuminated with flashlights and threw him a life preserver and pulled him up on deck, already without strength, almost lifeless, the expeditionaries begin to give him first aid, by the expedition's doctor Ernesto Che Guevara, he recovers and shouts ¡Long Live Free Cuba! and all the expeditionaries sing the National Anthem.

When the landing occurred together with Juan Manuel Márquez's group in the Battle of Alegría de Pío, the group splits up and together with Jesús Montané Oropesa they begin to move toward the south coast, seeking the naval port of the Navy. There they are captured and sent to Santiago de Cuba where they are sentenced to 6 years of deprivation of liberty in the Presidio Modelo de la Isla de Pinos – today Isla de la Juventud – where they remain until the triumph of the Revolution.

Upon being released, he is promoted to Captain of Corvette, commander of the Revolutionary Navy, holding the position of Chief of the Superintendence Section for several years.

He held other positions such as supervisor of the Ñico López Refinery and others in the Navy.

At the end of 1970, he requests his retirement due to liver disease, but remains on active duty in service to the combatants.

He was a delegate of the Popular Power Bodies in the Sol y Mar neighborhood, in the municipality of Guanabacoa.

He was a founder of the Communist Party of Cuba.

He died on December 1, 1989, at 74 years of age, from illness.