USS MULLINNIX DD-944

1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis
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“The Most Dangerous Two Weeks in History”





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Excerpt from "The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944"
A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood

1900 22 October: The DEFCON 3 notice is sent to US forces worldwide. Admiral Tyree detaches Mullinnix for El Callao, leaving Captain R. Maza, Peruvian Task Force Commander, in charge of the remaining ships. Within a few hours the COMSOLANT staff was en route to its shore-based headquarters in Trinidad in planes from the Unitas air detachment.

Mullinnix sights Pta Arvejas Light bearing 041, distance 23 miles at 2330.

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ICBM missile crews are alerted and Polaris nuclear submarines in port are dispatched to pre-assigned stations at sea.

1900 22 October: In a 17-minute televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F. Kennedy announced that U.S. spy planes have discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites—under construction but nearing completion—housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C. Kennedy announced that he was ordering a naval "quarantine" (choosing not to use the word 'blockade') of Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from transporting any more offensive weapons to the island and explained that the United States would not tolerate the existence of the missile sites currently in place.



USS Cecil is east-northeast of the Bahamas, all hands listen to President Kennedy's speech over the 1MC.

Kennedy states, "The United States will regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack by the Soviet Union on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response against the Soviet Union."

Khrushchev responds to the speech by "issuing orders to the captaions of Soviet ships...approaching the blockade zone to ignore it and to hold course for the Cuban ports." (Note: Khrushchev's order was reversed at the prompting of Anastas Mikoyan as the Soviet ships approached the quarantine line on the morning of 24 October)

During the president's speech, twenty-two interceptor aircraft go airborne in the event the Cuban government reacts militarily.

1930 22 October: Assistant Secretary of State Edwin Martin conducts a further closed-door briefing for Latin American ambassadors at the State Department.

2000 22 October: Secretary Rusk speaks to a meeting of all other ambassadors in Washington. Rusk tells the group, "I would not be candid and I would not be fair with you if I did not say that we are in as grave a crisis as mankind has been in."

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0000-0400 23 October: During the midwatch, communication restriction MINIMIZE was received by the Mullinnix radiomen. MINIMIZE is set into effect on a worldwide basis.

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0800 23 October: TASS begins transmitting a Soviet government statement. At the same time US Ambassador Foy Kohler is called to the Soviet Foreign Office and given a copy of the statement with a letter from Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy. Khrushchev writes, "I must say frankly that the measures indicated in your statement constitute a serious threat to peace and to the security of nations...We reaffirm that the armaments which are in Cuba, regardless of the classification to which they may belong, are intended solely for defensive purposes in order to secure the Republic of Cuba against the attack of an aggressor. I hope that the United States Government will display wisdom and renounce the actions pursued by you, which may lead to catastrophic consequences for world peace."

Kohler notes that both the statement and letter "avoid specific threats and are relatively restrained in tone."

1000 23 October: At an ExComm meeting, Kennedy approves plans for signing an official quarantine proclamation. ExComm decides that if a U-2 aircraft is shot down, that the SAM site responsible for the downing will be attacked and destroyed.

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1435 23 October: During ASW exercises, GQ was sounded as a fire broke out in the Mullinnix sonar equipment room. The fire was put out immediately but the sonar was rendered out of commission. Unbeknownst to the crew, the sonar would come in handy - soon!

The ship steamed towards Callao, Peru in accordance with 'verbal' instructions of COMSOLANT. The unscheduled stop is to drop of Admiral Tyree so he can fly to Trinidad to establish TF 137 and make quarantine plans. That ship is only in port the one day ( Mullinnix would head towards the Panama Canal the following day).

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1600 23 October: At a special meeting of the UN Security Council, Adlai Stevenson issues a sharply worded statement in which he characterizes Cuba as "an accomplice in the communist enterprise of world domination." Cuban representative Mario Garcia Inchaustegui responds by denouncing the quarantine as an "act of war," and Soviet representative Valerian Zorin calls US charges of missiles in Cuba "completely false." Zorin submits a draft resolution demanding an end to US naval activity near Cuba and calling for negotiations to end the crisis.

1740 23 October: Fidel Castro announces a combat alarm, placing the Cuban armed forces on their highest alert. Cuban armed forces subsequently reach a size of 270,000 men, following a massive mobilization effort.

1800 23 October: ExComm members are informed that an "extraordinary number" of coded messages have been sent to Soviet ships on their way to Cuba, although the contents of these messages are not know. In addition, Soviet submarines have unexpectedly been found moving into the Caribbean. The US Navy is given "the highest priority" to tracking the subs and to put into effect the greatest possible safety measures to protect our own aircraft carriers and other vessels.

1851 23 October: Kennedy transmits another message to Khrushchev asking that he direct Soviet ships to observe the quarantine zone.

1906 23 October: In a ceremony at the White House, the president signs Proclamation 3504, formally establishing the quarantine. CINCLANT is directed to enforce the blockade beginning at 1000 24 October.

2035 23 October: Fidel Castro tells the Cuban public that Cuba will never disarm while the United States persists in its policy of aggression and hostility. Castro categorically refuses to allow inspection of Cuban territory, warning that potential inspectors "must come in battle array."

2130 23 October: Robert Kennedy meets with Anatoly Dobrynin at the Soviet embassy. Dobrynin still has not been told about the missiles by his own government. He is not aware of any change in instructions to captains of Soviet ships steaming toward Cuba.

That same day, Moscow places the armed forces of Warsaw Pact countries on alert. A Gallup poll survey shows that 84% of Americans favor the blockade. Roughly one out of five Americans believes the quarantine will lead to World War III.

0600 24 October: Official world reaction is reported to be generally favorable, particularly in Latin America. Surveillance of Cuba indicated continued rapid progress in completion of IRBM and MRBM missile sites. Nuclear storage buildings are being assembled with great speed.

Later that morning, Soviet ships in route to Cuba appear to have slowed down, altered, or reverses their courses. Sixteen of nineteen Soviet ships reverse course and are returning to the Soviet Union. Only the tanker Bucharest continues toward the quarantine line.

In addition, Khrushchev announces that he will eventually give orders to sink a US vessel enforcing the blockade if Soviet ships are stopped.

0935 24 October: The Kennedy brothers meet, during which the president expresses deep concern that Soviet ships appear ready to challenge the quarantine. "It looks really mean, doesn't it? But then, really there was no other choice. If they get this mean in our part of the world, what will they do next?"

"I just don't think there was any choice, Robert said, "and not only that, if you hadn't acted, you would have been impeached."

The president thought for a moment and said, "That’s what I think - I would have been impeached."

1000 24 October: The US naval quarantine of Cuba officially goes into effect. Two Soviet ships, the Gagarin and the Komiles, are within a few miles of the line. Naval intelligence reports that a Soviet submarine has moved into position between the two ships. The aircraft carrier USS Essex has been directed to make the first interception, and that antisubmarine tactics, including the use of small explosives, has been ordered to prevent the Soviet sub from interfering with the blockade.

1025 24 October: A new intelligence message arrives and John McCone announces, "...some of the Russian ships have stopped dead in the water."

Dean Rusk leans over to McGeorge Bundy and says, "We're eyeball to eyeball and I think the other fellow just blinked," The president directs that no ship be intercepted for at least another hour while clarifying information is sought.

1400 24 October: UN Acting Secretary General U Thant sends identical private appeals to Kennedy and Khrushchev urging that their governments "refrain from any action which may aggravate the situation and bring with it the risk of war."

1715 24 October: A Defense Department spokesperson announces publicly that some of the Soviet vessels appear to have altered their course.

Later that evening, in his first public statement since the onset of the crisis, Khrushchev warns that if the United States carries out its program of "pirate action," the Soviet Union will have no alternative but to "make use of the means of defense against the aggressor." Khrushchev also proposes a summit meeting with Kennedy to discuss how to end the conflict and "remove the threat of the unleashing of a thermonuclear war."

2124 24 October: Kennedy receives a message from Khrushchev, "if you coolly weigh the situation which has developed, not giving way to passions, you will understand that the Soviet Union cannot fail to reject the arbitrary demands of the United States." Khrushchev warns that the Soviet Union views the blockade as "an act of aggression" and that, as a consequence, he will no instruct Soviet ships bound for Cuba to observer the quarantine.

At the direction of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, SAC increases its alert posture to DEFCON 2 for the first time in history.

President Kennedy orders the Defense Department to draft two separate plans to increase civil defense preparations - one for conventional weapons, one for nuclear attacks.

24 October: The Chikaskia, Wrangell, Cecil and Stickell continue via the Windward Passage into the Caribbean Sea where the USS Adams DDG-2 joins them.

0145 25 October: Kennedy transmits a message to Khrushchev acknowledging his letter of yesterday. Kennedy makes it perfectly clear he is not going to back down and requests Khrushchev to "take the necessary action to permit the restoration of the earlier situation (e.g. – no missiles in Cuba)."

0715 25 October; USS Essex and USS Gearing DD-710 hail and attempt to intercept the Soviet tanker Bucharest. Since there is no reason to suspect the ship carriers contraband, the Bucharest is allowed to continue its voyage to Cuba.

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25 October: Mullinnix arrives and moors port side to pier at the naval arsenal, Callao, Peru. Later, she moved to the Repair Pier, Callao, at which the ship took on an additional 56,006 gallons of fuel.

Note: The crew is not told about Cuba until they are in the Panama Canal the following day.

GO TO Liberty Call Callao, Peru 1962

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1426 25 October: At the prompting of the United States, U Thant sends a second message to Khrushchev and Kennedy asking them to avoid direct confrontations between Soviet and US ships will the quarantine remains in effect.

1700 25 October: During an ExComm meeting, CIA Director McCone tells the group that some of the missiles are now operational in Cuba.

1743 25 October: The Commander of US quarantine forces, Admiral Alfred Ward, orders the USS Kennedy DD-850 to proceed toward a Lebanese freighter, the Marucla. The USS Kennedy informs the Marucla that night by radio that the ship will be boarded the following morning. (the Marucla was cleared through the blockade after its cargo was checked.)

The president issues National Security Action Memorandum 199 authorizing the loading of multistage nuclear weapons on aircraft under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR).

A CIA sabotage team, dispatched to destroy facilities at the Matahambre copper mine in Cuba is prevented from executing their attack by Cuban authorities.

25 Oct: U.S. Navy surveillance of first Soviet F-class submarine to surface near the quarantine line (conning tower number 945, Soviet fleet number B-130, commanded by Shumkov).

0600 26 October: the CIA reports that construction of IRBM and MRBM bases in Cuba is proceeding without interruption.

26 October: US conducts a low Kiloton yield test, code name "BLUEGILL TRIPLE PRIME Dominic test High altitude" on a Thor IRBM over Johnston Island area.

1000 26 October: Kennedy tells ExComm that the blockade alone won't stop the Soviet Union. They discuss an invasion again. Kennedy decides to up the pressure on the Soviets by increased the frequency of low-level flights over Cuba from twice per day to once every two hours.

Later that morning, the president orders the State Department to proceed with preparations for a crash program aimed at establishing a civil government in Cuba after an invasion and occupation of the country. CINCLANT estimates that up to 18,000 US casualties might occur during the first ten days of fighting.

1300 26 October: John Scali, State Department correspondent for ABC News, lunches with Aleksandr Fomin at the Occidental Restaurant in Washington at Fomin's urgent request. Formin, officially the Soviet embassy public affairs counselor, is (unofficially) known to be the KGB's Washington station chief. Noting that "war seems about to break out," he asks Scali to contact his "high-level friends" in the State Department to ascertain whether the United States would be interested in a possible solution to the crisis.

Blink

Fomin's proposal runs along the lines of "Soviet bases would be dismantled under UN supervision and Castro would pledge not to accept offensive weapons of any kind, ever, in return the US pledge not to invade Cuba."



Following lunch, Scali heads directly to the State Department and reports on the meeting to Roger Hilsman.

1400 26 October: The United States asks Brazil to have the Brazilian ambassador to Havana, Luis Batian Pinto, to meet privately with Fidel Castro and give him reassurances that the United States is unlikely to invade Cuba if the missiles are removed.

1800-2100 26 October: The State Department begins receiving a message from the US embassy in Moscow containing a new, private letter from Khrushchev. The message arrives in four sections over the span of three hours. It appears to have been written by Khrushchev himself, Bobby Kennedy calling it "very long and emotional". It contains a proposal for a settlement: "I propose: we, for our part, will declare that our ships bound for Cuba are not carrying any armaments. You will declare that the United States will not invade Cuba with its troops and will not support any other forces which might intend to invade Cuba. Then the necessity of the presence of our military specialists in Cuba will disappear."

Blink

Mid-evening 26 October: The USS Cony DD-508, part of the Randolph task group, investigates a sonar contact (possibly C-19).

1935 26 October: Scali meets with Fomin again, reciting a message given to him by Dean Rusk, "I have reason to believe that the US government sees real possibilities and supposes that the representatives of the two governments in New York could work this matter out with U Thant and with each other. My impression is, however, that time is very urgent."

2200 26 October: ExComm reconvenes to consider if the Khrushchev letter is authentic and compare it to the proposal from Aleksnadr Fomin.

Later that night, unknown to ExComm members, Bobby Kennedy and Anatoly Dobrynin meet at the Soviet embassy (one of a series of secret meetings between the two). Robert Kennedy offers to introduce the Turkish missiles into a potential settlement.

At about the same time, Khrushchev receives a communique from Castro, stating he feared the US invasion was imminent. Khrushchev apparently understands the cable as a warning of an impending invasion and as an attempt to get Khrushchev to launch the missiles in Cuba against the United States.

Castro orders Cuban antiaircraft forces to open fire on all US aircraft flying over the island. When Soviet Ambassador to Cuba Alekseyev asks Castro to rescind his order, he is rebuffed.

New additional targets are identified with the low-level surveillance. Military planners consequently revise air attack targeting and plans. The airstrike plan now includes three massive strikes per day until Cuban air capability is destroyed. Some 1,190 bombing sorties are planned for the first day of operations.

26 Oct: The U.S. destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy stops, boards and inspects the Marucla, a dry-cargo ship of Lebanese registry under Soviet charter to Cuba.

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2004 26 October: USS Picuda gets underway. At 2122, Picuda sailor TM1 Glassford is returned to Mullinnix by the Shore Patrol. Missing ship's movement during a world cruise, not your best day torpedoman.

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27 October: US conducts an 800 Kiloton yield Hydrogen bomb test, code name "CALAMITY Dominic Airdrop" over Johnston Island area by a B-52 bomber.

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0406 27 October: The word came early, "Steam to Cuba!" Fires were lit under 2B boiler. The crew mustered at 0700. Fortunately no one was absent, as this would have been the worst day in anyone’s career to be AWOL and miss ship's movement - headed to war!

She stationed the Special Sea and Anchor detail, shifted the electrical load to 2 and 4 s/s generators. As USS Lester stood out in the harbor, Mullinnix took the lead, and the pair steamed at flank speed north towards Rodman Panama Canal Zone as a unit of Task Group 86.4 in compliance with CTF 86 message 251641Z of 27 October, 1962.

In support of their US allies, the response from South America was almost immediate as several nations offered ships to assist, with many of the ships participating in Unitas with Mullinnix.



0600 27 October: The latest CIA reports states that three of the MRBM sites at San Cristobal and the two sites at Sagua la Grande appear to be fully operational.

0900 27 October: Radio Moscow begins broadcasting a message from Premier Khrushchev. In contrast to the private message of the day before, the new message calls for the dismantling of US missile bases in Turkey in return for the removal of the Soviet missiles in Cuba.

1000 27 October: ExComm decides that the US should be prepared to board the Grozny, which is now out about 600 miles. As the Soviets didn't know the extent of the quarantine zone, the president agreed to ask U Thant to tell the Russians in New York where we are drawing the quarantine line. During the meeting, Khrushchev's second message begins to be received. He compares offensive missiles in Turkey to the missiles in Cuba and their closeness to the respective countries and proposes that both be removed.

Around 1015-1100 27 October: A U-2 from a SAC base in Alaska strays into Soviet airspace. The pilot radios for assistance and a US F-102 fighter aircraft in Alaska scrambles and heads toward the Bering Sea. At the same time, Soviet MiGs take off from a base near Wrangel Island to intercept. The U-2 eventually manages to fly out of Soviet territory without shots being fired.

When Secretary of Defense McNamara heard that a U-2 was in Soviet airspace, "he turned absolutely white, and yelled hysterically, 'This means war with the Soviet Union.'"

President Kennedy's reaction to the incident was to simply laugh and remarked, "There is always some son of a bitch who doesn't get the word."

1200 27 October: A U-2 is shot down over Cuba and its pilot, Major Rudolf Anderson, killed. ExComm feels that downing was on orders from Moscow (years later it was determined that it was the decision of local Soviet officers on the ground in Cuba that gave the order to fire the SAM).

1529 27 October: The USS Cony, USS Beale DD-471, and USS Murray DDE-576 investigate possible submarine contact C-19. The USS Cony also challenges the submarine contact (B-59/C-19) by dropping five hand grenades. Although aware of the U.S. notification that practice-depth charges would be used, the initial impression of the Soviet submariners was that they were under attack.

1531 27 October: Cuban troops open fire with antiaircraft guns and small arms at low-level reconnaissance planes. One of the US aircraft is hit by a 37mm antiaircraft shell but manages to return to its base.

1600 27 October: During an ExComm meeting, Kennedy is told of the U-2 being shot down. Kennedy orders to call of the planned reprisal (this first time) and is received with disbelief in the Pentagon.

1945 27 October: Dobrynin and Robert Kennedy meet at the Justice Department. Kennedy tells Dobrynin that the missiles must be removed by tomorrow or the United States would remove them.

Upon Robert telling the president that update status after his meeting with Dobrynin, the president instructs McNamara to order the Secretary of the Air Force Eugene Zuckert to order to active duty twenty-four Air Force Reserve units totaling 14,200 personnel.

Robert Kennedy says the mood at the White House: "We had not abandoned hope, but what hope there was now rested with Khrushchev's revising his course within the next few hours."

It was a hope, not an expectation. The expectation was a military confrontation by Tuesday, 29 October.

2005 27 October: President Kennedy's letter to Khrushchev is transmitted to Moscow. It states that with UN observation, all missiles are removed from Cuba and therefore the US with immediately remove the quarantine measures and give assurances against the invasion of Cuba. No mention was made of the US missiles in Turkey. The letter is also released directly to the press to avoid any communication delays.

2016 27 October: CINCLANT reports that information "to date indicates four positive conventionally powered ong range submarines (3 Foxtrot and one Zulu) in Western Atlantic." No contact evidence indicates the presence of nuclear powered or missile-configured submarines.

The Essex task group holds continuous contact with Soviet submarine B-130 (C-18). It signals the Soviet "F" class submarine, spotted south-southwest of Bermuda, to surface and then escorts it heading east for 48 hours. 945's diesel engines had broken down "which decamouflaged it and revealed the presence of other submarines..."

2050-2052 27 October: With its batteries running low, submarine B-59/C-19 is forced to surface and heads east. Although surrounded by US ships, submarine captain Vitali Savitsky realizes that they are not in a "state of war”; one of the destroyers has a lively band playing jazz. The Cony communicates with it via flashing lights; Savitsky identifies the submarine as "Ship X" ("Korablx") and declines assistance. B-59 identifies itself to other nearby ships as "Prinavlyet" (by the USS Murray), and "Prosnablavst" (by the USS Bache DD-470 and the USS Barry DD-933). Aircraft illuminate and photograph it.

2050 27 October: Castro tells U Thant and the UN he would order work to cease on the missile sites if the US lifted the blockade. Castro also invites U Thant to Cuba, which U Thant does on October 30, travelling to Havana.

2100 27 October: U Thant informs Adlai Stevenson that Soviet representative Zorin has refused to accept information about the exact location of the quarantine interception area that the US passed on earlier in the day.

At the same time, ExComm again reviews various options for the following day, including ordering an airstrike on the missile sites in Cuba and extending the blockade to include petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL). As the meeting closes, Robert McNamara turns to Robert Kennedy and says, "the United States had better be damned sure that we have two things ready, a government for Cuba, because we’re going to need one…and secondly, plans for how to respond to the Soviet Union in Europe, because sure as hell they’re going to do something there."

Unknown to other members of the ExComm, later that evening, President Kennedy and Dean Rusk prepare a contingency plan to facilitate a public Turkey-for-Cuba missile trade. The plan is for U Thant to announce the removal of both the Jupiters in Turkey and the Soviet missiles in Cuba.

27 Oct: Soviet ship Grozny crosses the quarantine line, but stops after U.S. Navy ships fire star shells across her bow.

U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare (ASW) forces surface Soviet submarines B-59 to surface . No one on the U.S. side knew at the time that the Soviet submarines were nuclear-armed; no one knew that conditions in the Soviet submarines were so physically difficult and unstable that commanding officers, fearing they were under attack by U.S. forces, may have briefly considered arming the nuclear torpedoes. The 15 kiloton explosive on each torpedo approximated the bomb that devastated Hiroshima in August 1945.

Communications Intelligence Officer Vadim Orlov recalls the tense and stressful situation when U.S. destroyers lobbed PDCs at B-59. According to Orlov, a "totally exhausted" Captain Valentin Savitsky, unable to establish communications with Moscow, "became furious" and ordered the nuclear torpedo to be assembled for battle readiness. Savitsky roared "We're going to blast them now! We will die, but we will sink them all." Deputy brigade commander Second Captain Vasili Archipov calmed Savitsky down and they made the decision to surface the submarine.

This is one of the most dangerous days of the missile crisis, only hours after the Soviet shoot-down of a U-2 over Cuba and as President Kennedy was intensifying threats to invade Cuba.

27 Oct Soviet ship Grozny crosses the quarantine line, but stops after U.S. Navy ships fire star shells across her bow.

28 October: The Soviets conduct a 300 Kiloton High Altitude Nuclear Test at Kapustin Yar. It is a Hydrogen Bomb on a rocket.

0012 28 October: Instructions are sent to Ambassador Finletter to review the deepening crisis with the NATO allies. The cable states, "the situation as we see it is increasingly serious and time is growing shorter...The United States may find it necessary within a very short time in its interest and that of its fellow nations in the Western Hemisphere to take whatever military action may be necessary."

0600 28 October: The CIA reports that all 24 MRBM sites in Cuba are operational. Construction of one nuclear bunker is complete as well.

0900 28 October: A new message form Khrushchev, which effectively terminates the missile crisis, is broadcast on Radio Moscow.

Blink.

Although there is a sense of relief and exultation among most of the ExComm members, several members of the JCS are less enthusiastic. Admiral George Anderson complains, "we have been had," while General Curtis LeMay suggests that the US "go ahead and make a strike on Monday anyway." The alert status stays the same by order of the Joint Chiefs.

Castro, who was not consulted or informed of the decision beforehand, goes into a rage upon hearing of the Soviet move, cursing Khrushchev as "son of a bitch, bastard, asshole." (A few days later, Castro will publicly state in a speech that Khrushchev lacked "conjones" (balls).)

The USS Beale, USS Cony, USS Lowry, and USS Murray circle around Soviet submarine "Korablx" (B-59). Shortly after, according to COMASWFORLANT, C-19 is "raising and lowering masts and snorkel possibly indicating hydraulic difficulties and/or repairs." Mid-Day, joining the Randolph group (CTG 83-2), the USS Bache takes position 3000 yards ahead of submarine C-19 (identified as the "Prosnablavst").

According to an ASW summary, the Navy makes two positive and one highly likely "F" class submarine contacts 300 miles south of Bermuda, as well as two positive contacts along the Windward Island chain and two possible contacts in the Windward Passage. Finally, there is one positive "Z" class submarine and one possible contact north of the Azores.

1200 28 October: Castro declares that the US assurance of nonaggression against Cuba is unsatisfactory unless it includes additional measures (known as "Castro's five points").

1300-1500 28 October: Instructions to dismantle the missiles in Cuba are received by the Soviet military in Cuba.

1607 28 October: The JCS asks CINCLANT to reevaluate Oplan 316, the invasion plan of Cuba, and determine what modifications should be made based on the most recent estimates of military equipment in Cuba. CINCLANT is specifically directed to consider whether tactical nuclear weapons, both air and ground, should be included.

1700 28 October: Actual dismantling of the sites begins.

Blink.

Later that evening, the Soviet embassy in Havana receives a lengthy telegram from the Kremlin explaining the decision to withdraw the missiles. Any other move would have meant, "Global conflagration and consequently the destruction of the Cuban revolution."

The USS Barry relieves the Bache in surveillance of Soviet submarine B-59 (C-19), "Prosnablavst". A short time later, USS Barry witnesses it submerge "without warning." Jezebel sonobouys and radar track it intermittently after it submerges.

Then later, the Essex task group sights Soviet "F" class submarine B-130 (C-18) on the surface at 24-08N 61-20W. Moments later C-18 submerges. The last contact with B-130 (C-18) is reported at 27-46N 59-47W shortly before midnight.

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0000-0400 29 October: Mullinnix steamed pass the coast of Ecuador in company of USS Lester. The ship arrived at US Naval Station, Rodman at 0723. As soon as the main engines could be secured, the crew started the transfer of ammunition. They also off-loaded all training ASW ammunition. This was the real deal! After the ammunition detail was secured, the ship topped of her tanks with fuel, all completed by Noon.

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Later that morning 29 October: Soviet First Deputy Premier Vasily V. Kuznetsov tells U Thant that the Soviet missiles are in the process of being dismantled. U Thant suggests that once complete, the Soviets should report to the Security Council so on-site verification can begin.

1000 29 October: Kennedy orders US Navy ships to maintain their quarantine stations. Low-level reconnaissance flights are resumed.

1530 29 October: U Thant briefs Adlai Stevenson, John McCloy, and Charles Yost on his earlier meeting with Kuznetsov and suggests that the US suspend the quarantine. The Americans disagree but do agree to suspend it for the duration of U Thant's visit to Cuba scheduled for 30 October.

1904 29 October: USS Cecil's Radarman Third Class Russell Napier observes a small radar contact, distance 15,000 yards. The contact did not show any lights. Sonar is shifted to passive mode.

1918 29 October: Contact has closed to 9,000 yard. OOD is ordered to investigate, and changes course toward the contact and increases speed to 22 knots. At 1919 the contact disappeared from the radar scope.

1940 29 October: Sonarman Third Class Elroy M. Nelson notices a dim sonar contact, classification procedures deemed contact a possible submarine. The ASW attack are at their stations. The gun mounts are loaded and manned. Depth charge racks are manned, the torpedo system is ready, and the hedgehog mounts are loaded. The hedgehogs are loaded with dummy charges. Commander Rozier wanted this done to prevent an accident or communications error causing world war. Thus, the dummy loads would have to be fired first, then reloaded with service ammunition hedgehogs.

1949 29 October: After six or seven transmissions the keying relay on the transmitter stopped operating and sonar contact was lost. Sonarman Third Class Joel Smith grabs a screwdriver and keys the relay every time Sonarman Nelson shouts "Key". Contact was regained at 2007. A P2V ASW patrol aircraft was directed over the contact and the first of a series of MAD (magnetic anomaly detection) contacts confirms Nelson's sonar contact as a possible submarine.

1025 29 October: USS Sellars DDG-11 joins USS Cecil and gains sonar contact.

1048 29 October: CINCLANT informs the JCS that, in view of reports that Cuban forces have nuclear-capable FROG short-range missiles, he intends to modify invasion plans so that US air and ground forces would be armed with tactical nuclear weapons.

30 October, Midwatch: The submarine begins a series of evasive actions. False targets are released. Increased speed causes doppler effects. An on-off cycle noise maker is turned on, causing enough noise to cover the contact.

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Early morning 30 October: Mullinnix left Rodman and heads to Trinidad, West Indies via the Panama Canal. She approached the Miraflores Locks at 0700, competing passage through Miraflores at 0758. Next stop, Pedro Miguel Locks, completing transit at 0912.

While Gaillard Cut, Commander Shaw notifies the crew that they are in route to Cuba to support the president’s quarantine. WTFO! By 1002, she had completed the transit of the cut, heading toward Gatun Locks. The ship had to moor starboard side of Gatun Locks, waiting for it to clear. At 1206, she entered Gatun Locks, and cleared it at 1306.

1345 30 October: Mullinnix enters the Caribbean Sea. (In the days ahead, USS Lester will have to return to Newport to her recurring boiler problems.)

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0015 30 October: USS Blandy spots a Soviet submarine on the surface and pursues it. It submerges at 0128. Blandy identifies it as Soviet "F" class C-18 (Side number 945). COMASWFORLANT reports that the Barry loses contact after it "went deep."

Meanwhile, the USS Charles P. Cecil DDR-835 makes radar and sonar contact at 23-25N 65-48W. Photographs are taken of Soviet "F" class submarine C-18 (Side number 945) on the surface at 24-55N 1-00W. USS W. C. Lawe DD-763 and a patrol aircraft maintain contact with the submarine.

Later, Soviet "F" class B-130 (C-18), running low on oxygen and needing to recharge batteries, resurfaces. USS Keppler DD-765 escorts the submarine at 7 knots on course 060. C-18's destination appears to be the Soviet auxiliary, the Terek. USS Keppler contacts C-18, but it declines assistance.

Late in the evening, patrol aircraft flying south of Guantanamo Bay see a "large swirl and black smoke." Air and surface units using MAD and Julie sonobouys pursue C-21.

1500 30 October: U Thant meets with Castro. U Thant presents several verification proposals. Castro rejects all of them, saying they are "intended to humiliate the Cuban State."

That same afternoon, Khrushchev sends Kennedy a 16-page message covering the missile crisis, the naval quarantine, a nuclear test-ban treaty, and the Berlin question. It also suggests that the United States withdraw from its base in Guantanamo.

Robert Kennedy calls Ambassador Dobrynin back to his office to discuss the letter Dobrynin had given him the day before spelling out the terms of the US-Soviet agreement. Kennedy tells Dobrynin, “no quid pro quo as I told you. The letter makes it appear that there was. You asked me about missile bases in Turkey. I told you we would be out of them - four to five months. That still holds...You have my word on this and that is sufficient. Take back your letter - reconsider it and if you feel it is necessary to write letters then we will also write one which you cannot enjoy. Also, if you should publish any document indicating a deal then it is off and also if done afterward will further affect the relationship. Dobrynin acquiesces to Kennedy's demand and withdraws the letter.

Blink.

All operations by Task Force W, the CIA's action arm of Operation Mongoose, are called to an immediate halt. However, Director of Task Force W, William Harvey orders teams of covert agents into Cuba on his own authority to support any conventional US military operation that might occur. One of the operatives sends a message to Attorney General Kennedy to verify that the mission is in order. Kennedy, angered to learn that CIA missions are continuing, chastises Harvey and asks CIA Director McCone to terminate the operations. However, three of ten scheduled six-man sabotage teams have already been dispatched to Cuba. (On 8 November, one of the teams carries out its assigned sabotage mission).

30 Oct: U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare (ASW) forces surfaced Soviet submarine B-130.

With U.S. destroyers pitching PDCs at it, Captain Nikolai Shumkov ordered the preparations of torpedoes, including the tube holding the nuclear torpedo; the special weapon security officer then warned Shumkov that the torpedo could not be armed without permission from headquarters. After hearing that the security officer had fainted, Shumkov told his subordinates that he had no intention to use the torpedo "because we would go up with it if we did."

1000 31 October: Due to the lack of progress with the talks between U Thant and Castro, Kennedy orders reconnaissance missions to resume the next day. Castro warns U Thant that “the Cuban people can no longer tolerate such daily provocations,” and that Cuba will “destroy any plane any time which intrudes into Cuban airspace.” No inspection approval is received from Castro.

1545 31 October: USS Cecil’s Sonarman Third Class Tuell hears the submarine blow its tanks, an indication that it was in the process of surfacing.

1553 31 October: The Cecil’s IMC blared "The Russian submarine has surfaced." This caused the fastest reveille the ship had ever had. The entire rail is manned by the ship's crew, standing in their skivvies and shower shoes.

After thirty-five hours of tracking, the USS Charles P. Cecil, supported by ASW aircraft, surfaces "F" class submarine B-36 (C-20/C-26) in the vicinity of 23-40N, 65-00W. (Cecil will follow the submarine on the surface until Friday, November 2.) CINCLANTFLT sends a congratulatory message to the Cecil: "Your persistent and expert holding of contact until exhaustion with Soviet "F" class 011 has been followed with pride and admiration. Well done."

Helicopters hover nearby dropping "explosives" (PDCs) and the Cecil transmitted a Russian text "Do you need help?" to which B-36 responded: "We do not need any help. Asking you not to interfere with my actions”.

Later, a VP5 Aircraft reports contact with Soviet "F" class C-20/C-26 (B-36) on the surface. The Cecil and the VP5 aircraft photograph the submarine. The submarine does not respond to communication attempts. Four Russian "F" class submarines operating east of the Bahamas contribute to the eleven total submarines identified outside of Soviet waters. All of the submarines have been spotted on the surface, and two U.S. destroyers escort one submarine on the surface for 45 hours.

31 Oct: U.S. Navy forced to the surface a Soviet submarine. This was the third surfacing of a Soviet submarine during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After a day of persistent tracking by the U.S. destroyer, the USS Charles P. Cecil, commanded by Captain Charles Rozier, Soviet submarine B-36, commanded by Captain Aleksei Dubivko, exhausted its batteries forcing it to come to the surface.

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000-0400 1 November: Mullinnix is steaming independently off the coast of Columbia, headed towards Port of Spain, Trinidad.

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0100 1 November: Adlai Stevenson receives a report from U Thant that says that the relations between Cuba and the Soviet Union are "unbelievably bad."

1000 1 November: President Kennedy again authorizes continued low-level reconnaissance flights over IL-28 airfields and missile bases but decides that no immediate retaliatory measures will be carried out if any US aircraft are shot down.

1930 1 November: Anastas Mikoyan meets with John McCloy and Adlai Stevenson and is given a list of weapons that the US considers "offensive" and expects the Soviet government to withdraw.

That same day, photoreconnaissance shows that all MRBM sites in Cuba have been bulldozed and that the missiles and associated launch equipment have been removed. Construction at the IRBM sites appears to have stopped, and the installations are partially dismantled. It is unclear whether the IL-28 bombers are being assembled or dismantled.

1 November: The Submarine Contact Evaluation Board estimates that there have been at least four and as many seven Soviet submarines in the southwestern Atlantic. Additional analysis is necessary to positively identify a contact made south of Jamaica as a Soviet submarine.

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0000-0400 2 November: Mullinnix is steaming off the coast of Venezuela in route from Rodman, Canal Zone to Port of Spain, Trinidad in accordance with COMSOLANT message 251641Z October 1962. On course 060, speed 20 knots. 1A boiler and 1 and 2 ship's service generators are on the line cross connected, conditions of readiness FIVE and material condition YOKE are set.

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1000 2 November: At an ExComm meeting, Kennedy confirms that the US will press for the removal of the IL-28 bombers. He also orders that the quarantine must continue but only by hailing all vessels entering the quarantine zone. He reconfirms orders to US Navy vessels not to board Soviet Bloc ships.

1730 2 November: Kennedy informs the nation that the missile bases in Cuba are being dismantled.

Castro believes that the US will invade Cuba despite its pledges. Because of his distrust, Castro agrees to the missile withdrawal only after receiving assurances from the Soviet government; including a pledge to maintain one Soviet combat brigade on the island.

2 November: The USS Keppler begins tracking Soviet submarine C-18 (Side number 945). Later, Soviet "F" class submarine C-20/C-26 (Side number 011/911) submerges at 23-49N 59-56W. The contact is lost after it moves to deep water.

3 November: CNO Anderson is concerned by the absence of Soviet submarines from the list of "offensive" weapons to be removed from Cuba.

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1204 3 November: Mullinnix arrives at Pier 2, Port of Spain, Trinidad. First order of business is to top off the fuel tanks again.

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2044 3 November: Kennedy issues additional directions that state, "we have good evidence that the Russians are dismantling the missile bases...but the assembly of IL-28s continues. There is some evidence of intent to establish a submarine-tending facility. The future of the SAM sites is unclear. We have no satisfactory assurances on verification..."

Kennedy also replies to Khrushchev’s letter of 30 October citing "very serious problems" if Castro cannot be convinced to allow on-site verification.

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Mid watch 4 November: Mullinnix is moored portside to the east side of Pier 2, US Naval Station, Port of Spain, Trinidad. At 0030, ship received telephone call from the Corporal of the guard stating that Seaman Riley owed $4 to Desmond Gytan, a taxi driver who had brought him back to the base.

GMG2 Mosley drew the short straw. He and three shipmates reported for shore patrol duty. At 2330, they delivered their shipmate BT2 Brewer aboard ship accused of drunk and disorderly conduct.

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4 November: Vasitly Kuznetsov tells John McCloy that all missile sites were dismantled as of 2 November.

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5 November: Mullinnix is at Pier 2 in Port of Spain. At 0945, LT Jones open the summary court-martial in the case of Fireman Schaeffer.

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Commander Shaw was a mustang. Like the crew, he was of the opinion that if his ship was going to be in it, then - she was going to be in it to the full maximum. Over the days of countless sightings, documenting same, and reporting in to the high command boys, he became frustrated with the limited action the ship was experiencing.

He'd finally had enough. Moments later, the port lookout yelled, "Contact, Bearing 210 degrees approximately 2 miles". The captain immediately ordered a new course, and Mullinnix, once again, was in pursuit. On this particular occasion, Mullinnix tried to get the commercial ship to turn around so the crew could photograph both sides to insure themselves of the cargo that may be on board. The ship refused. Commander Shaw requested permission to fire on the ship but was not turned down, again. He was so angry that he ordered flank speed and headed straight for the "Russian" fantail, The Mullinnix looked like a speedboat spewing a mountainous rooster-tail. Men and woman could be seen running forward, trying to escape the pending collision. Just as it appeared that a collision was intimate, Shaw ordered, "Hard right rudder!" The ship, responding to her skipper's orders, swerved with only feet so spare.

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1515 5 November: President Kennedy dispatches a brief memo to Robert McNamara warning "the Russians may try again. This time they may prepare themselves for action on the sea in the Cuban area. Does Admiral Anderson think they could build up a secret naval base which will put them on a near parity with us if we should once again blockade?"

Admiral Anderson later advises McNamara that he believes US intelligence would detect all but the most "austere" buildup. Anderson also feels that submarines operating out of, or supported from, Cuban bases should be declared offensive weapons.

Later in the day, Khrushchev writes a three-page letter to Kennedy stating he is "seriously worried" about the way in which the US has defined "offensive weapons", that is, as including the IL-28s and Komar-class missile boats.

Soviet ships begin to return the first MRBMs and associated launch equipment to the Soviet Union.

Blink. (The process of removing the equipment is completed on 9 November).

President Kennedy tells McNamara he has concerns that the US invasion plans seem “thin”. Kennedy recommends calling up three Army Reserve divisions, and, if necessary, building additional divisions.

Robert Kennedy continues to exert pressure on the IL-28 question, telling Anatoly Dobrynin, that "it was very clear...IL-28s had to go."

Later in the day, an aerial encounter between a US reconnaissance aircraft and Cuban-based MiG fighters occurs. No shots are fired. But US policymakers express concern that the incident suggests that more attempts to intercept reconnaissance aircraft would be made in the future.

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6 November: LTJG Carven III convenes the special court martial of Seaman Evangelista.

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6 November: Kennedy sends another letter to Khrushchev, restating the US position on this definition of "offensive weapons." He also expresses concern over possible Soviet submarine facilities, telling Khrushchev that he attaches "the greatest importance to the personal assurances you have given that submarine bases will not be established in Cuba."

6 November: Pollysboy 12 has a "lofar" contact evaluated as "XNAS nuclear submarine". It is tracked with Julie and MAD until contact is lost.

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7 November: Mullinnix is pier side in Port of Spain. At 0840, LTJG Maier opens the special court martial of Seaman Mayzak.

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1602 7 November: US Ambassador to Moscow Foy Kohler reports, "there seems to me no doubt that events of the past ten days have really shaken the Soviet leadership." One Soviet military official, Kohler says, "told my wife he was now willing to believe in God."

Blink.

1700 7 November: Kennedy tells the ExComm that the US "wouldn't invade with the Soviet missiles out of Cuba."

2132 7 November: Adlai Stevenson cables Secretary of State Rusk and advises, "our primary purpose is to get the MRBMs and IL-28 bombers out of Cuba, and we would go far in reducing our list of offensive weapons in order to achieve this purpose." (The US eventually drops its demands for the removal of Komar-class missile boats.)

1630 8 November: The ExComm discusses ways in which the US can pressure Cuba into removing the IL-28 bombers.

Later, a six-man CIA sabotage team blows up a Cuban industrial facility. The incident is never raised in US-Soviet talks and remains unknown to most if not all members of the ExComm.

8 November: The Soviet tug "Pamir" tows B-130 back to the Soviet Union.

9 November: The last of the ships removing Soviet MRBM missiles from Cuba leave the island. During the day, five of the Soviet ships are inspected at sea, with the Soviets pulling canvas covers off the missile transporters to allow US ships to observe and photograph their contents.

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12 November: Other ships in Port of Spain included ARA Rosales D-21, ARA Espora D-22, ARV Nueva Esparta D-11, and ARV Zulia D-21. After taking on 11,000 gallons of fuel, Mullinnix was underway again as a unit of Task Force 137.

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12 November: The US Navy pursues one positive submarine contact. All other submarine contacts are "cold" for more than 72 hours. The Argentina Barrier is removed during the day.

1100 12 November: Adlai Stevenson reports to the ExComm that negotiations on the IL-28 issue are deadlocked. Kennedy decides not to lower SAC alert levels at the time.

Later, Khrushchev sends Kennedy a message confirming the removal of the missiles. The letter adopts a friendly tone.

Blink.

Later that night, Kennedy instructs his brother Bobby to inform the Soviets that Khrushchev's "word" on the IL-28s will "suffice" and the US will not insist on an immediate withdrawal of the bombers.

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13 November: Mullinnix was back in the Cuban operating area the morning of 13 November, stationing the ASW attack team which was eventually classified as non-submarine. At 1548, the ship made "visual contact" bearing 038, distance 8 miles on course 222, speed 20 knots, designated Mullinnix One. A few minutes later, Mullinnix Two was identified. The ship stirred various courses and speeds and fell in behind the Mullinnix One contact. She was the German Tanker ESSO Frankfurt bound from Nordenham, Germany in route to Arubu. She then came within 500 yards on starboard side of Mullinnix Two - the French Freighter Santa Maria bound from Pointe A Pitre, Guadalipe.

Mullinnix Three was identified as Swedish Tanker Vistasvagge bound from Bagnoli, Italy to Maracaibo, Venezuela. At 1858 the ship identified two more radar contacts. Mullinnix Four was identified as West German Freighter Blumenthal bound from Bremmerhaven, Germany to Aruba. Mullinnix Five turned out to be United States vessel Alaskan, a tanker from Donges, France in route to Ponca, Puerto Rico. The ship returned to her patrol track at 1958.

By midnight, Mullinnix had identified the following contacts:

* Mullinnix Six – Norwegian freighter Hoegh Skean in route to Panama from Amsterdam
* Mullinnix Seven – German freighter Clivia in route to St. John from Chaquaramas
* Mullinnix Eight – Norwegian freighter Anna Odland in route to Curasco from Rotterdam

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13 November: ExComm recommendations that if a "last chance" private message to Khrushchev doesn't work, then the US should tighten the blockade and arrange for other countries in Latin America to apply diplomatic pressure on Castro.

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14 November: During surveillance on 14 November, she identified 7 more ships (Mullinnix Nine through Mullinnix Fifteen), ranging from a Liberian tanker to British tankers. By the beginning of the midwatch on 16 November, the ship had identified Mullinnix 16-29. At 0932 on the 16th, Mullinnix 35 was identified as Greek Freighter Angelos in route from Abidvan to Havana. Mullinnix begin trailing Mullinnix 35, who stated he had "general cargo aboard."

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Morning, 14 November: Only two possible submarine contacts are obtained by the US Navy. There is no further submarine activity. C-21 goes cold after possibly escaping under a Liberian tanker "Aragon"

14 November: Khrushchev sends another message to Kennedy on the IL-28 issue, hedging when the Soviet Union will remove the bombers, but states that "it can be done in 2-3 months." He also complains that the US is "not carrying out its commitments" to end over flights and quarantine, nor has it agreed to "register" the non-invasion pledge.

1900 15 November: Castro warns that Cuba will fire on US reconnaissance planes: any aircraft flying over Cuban airspace, he says, do so "at the risk of being destroyed."

Later, Kennedy writes to Khrushchev complaining that the three major parts of the agreement have not be met by the Soviets.

Anatoly Dobrynin is informed that the IL-28 issue has "reached a turning point," and that unless the matter is resolved, the US and Soviet Union will "soon find ourselves back in a position of increasing tension."

0700 16 November: The largest amphibious landing since WWII begins as part of an exercise at Onslow Beach, North Carolina. The two-day exercise is a full-scale rehearsal for an invasion of Cuba.

1605 16 November: The JCS meets with Kennedy and tells him that US forces massed for a Cuban invasion have reached their peak strength. The JCS reports that some 100,000 Army troops, 40,000 Marines and 14,500 paratroopers stand ready, with 550 combat aircraft and over 180 ships available to support an invasion. Kennedy is advised that this advanced state of readiness can be maintained for about 30 days.

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17 November: By the end of the day the Mullinnix' count stood at 46. By 18 November, 56 contacts.

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18 November: John McCloy and Adlai Stevenson meet with Vasily Kuznetsov and Valerian Zorin to try to force the dispute over the IL-28s to a head. Later, Stevenson reports to ExComm that no agreement is reached.

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19 November: Early Monday morning, Mullinnix left the quarantine area and steamed towards San Juan, Puerto Rico. Upon arriving, she tied up starboard side to USS Vulcan AR-5 and commenced taking on fuel.

GO TO Liberty Call San Juan, Puerto Rico 1962

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1000 19 November: President Kennedy authorizes high-level reconnaissance flights at the ExComm meeting. Later, during the day, Attorney General Kennedy meets with Georgi Bolshakov and warns him that low-level reconnaissance will begin again unless the Soviet Union promises to remove the bombers. Kennedy states that he needs a response to the IL-28 issue before the president's press conference the next day.

2025 19 November: President Kennedy writes letters to Charles de Gaulle, Konrad Adenauer, and Harold Macmillan warning the European leaders that if the IL-28s are not withdrawn, further US action might result, including the extension of the quarantine to include POL and the possibility of an air attack against Cuba in response to attacks on US reconnaissance planes.

Later, Castro informs U Thant that the Cuban government will not object if the Soviet Union removes the IL-28s from Cuba, thereby ending the crisis over the Soviet bombers.

Blink.

Castro again threatens to destroy any aircraft that enters Cuban airspace and rejects any unilateral inspection of Cuban territory.

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20 November: Mullinnix is moored starboard side to USS Vulcan AR-5 in a nest of four ships in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Outboard to port are ARD Captain General Pedro Santana F-104 and ARD Gregorio Luperon F-103. Engineering plant is cold iron. At 1005, the ship off loaded three MK 32 exercise torpedoes to the USS Grand Canyon AD-28.

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20 November: President Kennedy directs an oral message through the Soviet ambassador for Chairman Khrushchev stating that he will announce a lower state of alert for US forces at his press conference.

Permier Khrushchev formally agrees to remove the IL-28s from Cuba in a fourteen-page letter to President Kennedy.

Blink.

1530 November 20: ExComm agrees to lift the quarantine. In addition, the SAC alert is ordered canceled and no low-altitude flights are authorized for November 21. U-2 missions are scheduled to verify the dismantling and withdrawal of the bomber aircraft.

1800 20 November: President Kennedy announces at a press conference, "I have today been informed by Chairman Khrushchev that all of the IL-28 bombers in Cuba will be withdrawn in thirty days...I have this afternoon instructed the Secretary of Defense to lift our naval quarantine." Even though the non-invasion guarantee 'preconditions' have not been met, Kennedy states, "If all offensive weapons are removed from Cuba and kept out of the hemisphere in the future...and if Cuba is not used for the export of aggressive Communist purposes, there will be peace in the Caribbean."

2321 November 20: The JCS orders SAC to return to its normal airborne alert status, effective immediately. During the day, SAC forces lower their alert status from DEFCON 2, and other US military commands reduced their alert status DEFCON 3 to DEFCON 4.

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0820 21 November: Mullinnix commenced breasting out to allow the USS Dahlgren DLG-12 to moor alongside USS Vulcan AR-5.

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2149 November 21: Dean Rusk cables Stevenson and McCloy, stating that he favors settling the issue by having the US and Soviet Union issue parallel declarations before the UN Security Council. The US declaration will state, "our non-invasion assurances, contingent on Cuban behavior."

Later, Kennedy sends a brief letter to Khrushchev welcoming the Soviet leader's decision to remove the IL-28s.

The president officially lifts the naval quarantine of Cuba, and measures are taken promptly by the US Navy to return to a normal readiness posture.

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22 November: Mullinnix is moored starboard side of USS Dahlgren DDG-12 and receiving fresh water, electrical power and steam from USS Vulcan AR-5. Ships present or USS Grand Ganyou AD-28, USS Purdy DD-734, and USS William C. Lawe DD-763. At 1105 she commenced to bringing on board two warshot Mark 32 Model 2 torpedoes, serial numbers 134762 and 127573.

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22 November: Khrushchev sends a five-page letter to Kennedy regarding the Soviet leader’s views of Cuba and opinions on Fidel Castro. Cuban leaders, he observes, are "young, expansive people - Spaniards in a word, to use it far from the pejorative sense."

Blame the other guy.

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23 November: Numerous ships were present during Mullinnix' stop in San Juan. However, on this day, Mullinnix was witness to three of her sister ships in the harbor:

1. USS Davis DD-937
2. USS John Paul Jones DD-932
3. USS Decatur DD-936

25 November: the US ships are joined by Ard Captain General Pedro Santana F-104, Ard Capitan Luperon F-103, ARA Rosales D-22, Ara Espora D-21, Zulia D-12, Nueva Espara D-11, and Carite SS-11.

26 November: Aboard Mullinnix: LT Remoll commences the special court martial of Seaman Tegtmeier.

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26 November: The President, in Key West, Florida, commends the Navy stating, "We express particular thanks to you for your work of the last five weeks..."

To be continued...GO TO 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis (Page 3 of 3)



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