Aita Mari

On January 9, 1866, José María Zubia died trying to rescue the fishermen of a small boat that was hit by a galley near the port of San Sebastián (Spain). 38 people died that day. José María helped throughout his life to rescue boats that were shipwrecked off the coast of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country. The myth of José María Zubia is remembered today as Aita Mari. 150 years later, the Basque NGO Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario (SMH) acquired an old Basque tuna boat to convert it into a rescue ship. They christened it Aita Mari in honor of José Mari Zubia and it currently helps people fleeing war and famine who end up adrift in the Mediterranean. On February 19, 2021 it carried out a rescue of 102 people traveling on board a wooden boat, in what became its fourth mission of the Aita Mari. A rescue marked by strict health measures on board due to the COVID-19 pandemic.