In 1942, a German U-boat skipper began operating near Cayo Bernardo, off the coast of Cuba. Eventually, the U-boat encountered the Pilar, a fishing ship owned by the famous American author, Ernest Hemingway. While the skipper had initially planned to sink the Pilar, he paused when Hemingway identified himself and offered the Germans some of his catch. When Hemingway also asked to refill his fire extinguisher, the skipper agreed to let the Pilar come beside his ship. Hemingway then dropped the bomb down the hatch, crippling the U-boat. The United States Navy sank it shortly thereafter.