Dockan

The Dockan (Docan), a 40-foot-long (12.2 meter) boat, arrived in Miami, Florida, on October 1, 1947, following an 83-day journey from Göteborg. There were eight people on board, including two babies. Leonhard Veski, a ship master from Hiiumaa, served as captain, and the owner was fisherman Heinrich Redik, who had used the boat to flee from Estonia in 1944. The two men met in Göteborg and made plans to escape from Sweden with their families. Veski, a refugee since 1940, had been sailing on English and American steamers and was eager to take the boat across the Atlantic. A few days after arriving in Florida, the refugees were flown to New York on October 4 where they were detained on Ellis Island for nine months before obtaining permission to stay in America.

Crew and passengers:

• Captain Leonhard Veski, Hilda Veski, and their children Vello, 18 months, and Hillard, 3 months
• Heinrich and Elfride (Alfrida) Redik 
• Einar (Elmar) and Akelina Kalme