50 Years Ago Today – Soviet Union Blinks

Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel by Frank A. Wood

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.

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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).

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

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

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 us 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 communiqué 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.

To be continued... Woody

50 Years Ago Today – Cuban Crisis About To Explode Into WWIII

Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel by Frank A. Wood

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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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.

To be continued... Woody

50 Years Ago Today – “The Most Dangerous Two Weeks in History”

Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel by Frank A. Wood

0900 20 October: ExComm finalizes the planning for the implementation of a naval blockade. Sorensen’s draft speech for the president is amended and approved. As McNamara leaves the room, he phones the Pentagon and orders four tactical squadrons to be readied for a possible airstrike on Cuba. He explains, “If the president doesn’t accept our recommendation, there won’t be time to do it later.”

20 October: The USS Charles P. Cecil DDR-835 receives word to get underway in the afternoon. The Cecil had two of three duty sections on liberty, causing the ship to be shorthanded. The Norfolk shore patrol locate Cecil’s CO Rozier having lunch with his family at Fat Boy's North Carolina Pit Barbecue, notifying him to report to the squadron commodore at D&S Piers. Commander Destroyer Squadron 26, Captain William Hunnicutt, after discussion with the commanding officers, agreed that USS Charles P. Cecil DDR-835 and USS Stickell DDR-888, should sail for combat operations with no fewer than 225 men on board. The Stickell departs at 8:30 P.M. with only 150 of her crew aboard. Cecil gets underway shortly after with 200 and a mixed group of 100 men borrowed from other ships, 25 for the Cecil and 75 to be transferred to the Stickell upon rendezvous later.

21 October: USS Cecil gets underway at 0200. The crew has no idea where they are headed (the oral orders were turn south and sail…).

21 October: Despite all precautions, several newspapers have pieced together most of the details of the crisis. The president is notified that security is crumbling. Kennedy contacts the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the New York Herald Tribune, all agree to hold their stories.

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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 captains 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.

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.”

To be continued... Woody

50 Years Ago Today – As Cuban Situation Heats Up, Mullinnix Enroute to Mejillones Bay

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

17 October: In the morning, Adlai Stevenson writes to President Kennedy that world opinion would equate the US missiles stationed in Turkey with Soviet bases in Cuba. Warning that US officials could not “negotiate with a gun at our head,” he states, “I feel you should have made it clear that the existence of nuclear missile bases anywhere is negotiable before we start anything.” Stevenson suggests that personal emissaries should be sent to both Fidel Castro and Premier Khrushchev.

At about the same time, Georgi Bolshakov, a Soviet embassy official who served as an authoratitative back channel for communications between Soviet and US leaders, relays a message from Premier Khruskchev to Attorney General Robert Kennedy that the arms being sent to Cuba are intended only for defensive purposes. Bolshakov had not been told by Khrushchev that the Soviet Union is actually in the process of installing MRBMs and IRBMs in Cuba. By the time Bolshakov’s message reaches President Kennedy, he has already been fully briefed on the Soviet missile deployment. An SS-5 IRBM is detected. The SS-5s have ranges of up to 2,200 nautical miles, more than twice the range of the SS-4 MRBMs. The GMAIC estimates that the IRBM sites would not become operational before December but that sixteen and possibly as many as thirty-two MRBMs would b e operational in about a week.

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17 October: Mullinnix conducts general visiting for the local population in Valparaiso. At 2245 she completed taking on 42,294 gallons of NSFO.

18 October: A Chilean boy scout, Hugo San Marteen, receives a contusion aboard Mullinnix of his right lower leg and foot, when his foot became pinned under the outboard end of the ship’s brow, which was surging considerably. HMC Freeman examined him and sent him to the local hospital for x-rays.

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18 October: United States conducts a 1.59 Megaton yield Hydrogen bomb test, code name “CHAMA Dominic Airdrop test” over Johnston Island area

1100 18 October: The ExComm convenes for further discussions. The JCS, attending part of the meeting, recommends that President Kennedy order an airstrike on the missiles and other key Cuban military installations. Robert Kennedy responds by asking whether a surprise air attack would be a morally acceptable course of action.

1430 18 October: More discussions take place in Dan Rusk’s conference room at the State Department. President Kennedy, who does not attend the talks, confers privately with Dean Rusk and Robert McNamara at 1530. Kennedy also meets privately with Dean Acheson for over an hour. The president raises his brother’s concern over the morality of a “Pearl Harbor in reverse.” Acheson tells Kennedy that he was being “silly” and that it was “unworthy of him to talk that way.”

This discussion was persuasive to some, as with Secretary of the Treasury Douglas Dillion. It becomes the deciding factor behind the support for a blockade.

1700 18 October: Andrei Gromyko meets with President Kennedy at the White House. Gromyko charges that the United States is “pestering” a small country. Gromyko states that “he was instructed to make it clear…that Soviet military assistance, was pursued solely for the purpose of contribution to the defense of Cuba…If it were otherwise, the Soviet Government would never had become involved in rendering such assistance.”

Kennedy decides not to discuss US awareness of the missiles to Gromyko.

2100 18 October: ExComm presents its recommendations to the president. By this time most members of the committee support the blockade option. As the meeting progresses however, individual opinions begin to shift and the consensus behind the blockage breaks down. Kennedy directs the group to continue its deliberations.

The first of a series of daily “Joint Evaluation” reports is released. The evaluation, the product of collaboration between the Joint Atomic Energy Intelligence Committee (JAEIC) and the Guided Missile and Astronautics Intelligence Committee (GMAIC), states that the MRBMs in Cuba could probably be launched within eighteen hours.

1100 19 October: ExComm decides to break into separate working groups to develop the blockade and airstrike options, drafting speeches for each plan. The groups exchange and critique each other’s speeches. Support for the airstrike begins to shift towards the blockade and the airstrike speech is abandoned. Theodore Sorensen works on the president’s speech until 0300.

2040 19 October: A specific timetable is developed to carry out all diplomatic and military actions required. The schedule includes raising military alert levels (for all forces around the world including Mullinnix), reinforcing Guantanamo naval base and briefing NATO allies. All timing revolves around the “P Hour” – the time when President Kennedy would address the nation to inform Americans of the crisis.

That evening, a Defense Department spokesperson has to respond to an article dealing with Soviet missiles in Cuba. His reply is that the Pentagon has no information indication that there are missiles in Cuba and denies that emergency military measures are being implemented

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0434 19 October: Mullinnix liberty was officially over at 0300. However, YN3 Alton Keith staggered on board at 0434. But, he beat BM3 John Burden by 30 minutes. Not to be out done by his shipmates, SK2 Elbert Cunningham waltz onboard at 0530. Cunningham could always hold his liquor.

Task Force 86 left Valparaiso at 0855, enroute to Mejillones Bay (Del Sun), just north of Antofagasta, on the edge of Chile’s immense northern desert. At the same time, units of the Peruvian fleet left El Callao for Mejillones Bay.

En route to Mejillones, Presidente Pinto (ex-USS Zenobia) served as a simulated convoy while Picuda, Simpson and Thomson skillfully tried to penetrate the destroyer screen around her. Chilean Air Force aviators joined the exercise, cooperating with the surface units in their relentless hunt for the ‘attacking’ submarines. Later that day, the ship refueled from the anchored ship MONTT, taking on 49,492 gallons of NSFO, then anchored out in Mejillones Bay.

At Mejillones three Peruvian destroyers joined the task force. They were the BAP Villar DD-71 (ex-USS Benham DD-796), BAP Guise DD-72 (ex-USS Isherwood DD-520) and BAP Castillas DE-61 (ex-USS Bangust, DE-739). The submarines, BAP Dos De Mayo SS-41, BAP Abtao SS-42, BAP Angamos SS-43 and BAP Iquique SS-44, which joined en route, were Abtao class (initially known as the Lobo class), modified US Mackerel class, 825 tons standard, 1,400 tons submerged.

The submarines attempted to bottle up the task force in Mejillones Bay, but the surface unites succeeded in evading the subs’ surveillance, heading for the calm waters of the open Pacific.

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20 October: US conducts a Low kiloton yield text, code name CHECKMATE Dominic High Altitude test on Missile test over Johnston Island Area.

0900 20 October: ExComm finalizes the planning for the implementation of a naval blockade. Sorensen’s draft speech for the president is amended and approved. As McNamara leaves the room, he phones the Pentagon and orders four tactical squadrons to be readied for a possible airstrike on Cuba. He explains, “If the president doesn’t accept our recommendation, there won’t be time to do it later.”

1430 20 October: The president meets with the full group of planners. He notes that the airstrike plan is not a “surgical” strike but a massive military commitment that could involve heavy casualties on all sides. As if to underscore the scale of the proposed US military attack on Cuba, one member of the JCS suggests the use of nuclear weapons, saying that the Soviet Union would use its nuclear weapons in an attack. President Kennedy focuses on implementing the blockade option, calling it the only course of action compatible with American principles. Kennedy’s address to the nation is set for 1900 on 22 October. Kennedy cancels the remainder of his midterm election campaign trip. Kennedy instructs Sorensen to redraft the quarantine speech, although he notes that he would not make a final decision on whether to opt for the quarantine or an airstrike until he has consulted one last time with air force officials the next morning.

Later than night, James Reston, Washington Bureau Chief for the New York Times is given a partial briefing on the situation but is requested to hold the story in the interests of national security. In addition, a nuclear warhead storage bunker is identified at one of the Cuban MRBM sites.

20 October: The Navy activates Task Force 135, consisting of the attack carriers Enterprise and Independence. The Atlantic Fleet Commander ordered A-3J heavy attack squadrons from Air Wing 6 to be replaced by Marine Corps A-4D Skyhawk Squadron 225, a light attack unit. The Air Force's Defense Command deployed several of F-104 fighters to Key West.

The USS Charles P. Cecil DDR-835 receives word to get underway in the afternoon. The Cecil had two of three duty sections on liberty, causing the ship to be shorthanded. The Norfolk shore patrol locate Cecil’s CO Rozier having lunch with his family at Fat Boy's North Carolina Pit Barbecue, notifying him to report to the squadron commodore at D&S Piers. Commander Destroyer Squadron 26, Captain William Hunnicutt, after discussion with the commanding officers, agreed that USS Charles P. Cecil DDR-835 and USS Stickell DDR-888, should sail for combat operations with no fewer than 225 men on board. The Stickell departs at 8:30 P.M. with only 150 of her crew aboard. Cecil gets underway shortly after with 200 and a mixed group of 100 men borrowed from other ships, 25 for the Cecil and 75 to be transferred to the Stickell upon rendezvous later.

To be continued... Woody

50 Years Ago Today – As Cuban Situation Heats Up, Mullinnix at Valparaiso, Chile

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

14 October: In the early morning, a U-2 aircraft flies over western Cuba from south to north. The reconnaissance mission, piloted by Major Richard Heyser, is the first Strategic Air Command (SAC) mission after authority for the flights is transferred from the CIA to the air force. The photographs obtained by the mission provide the first hard evidence of MRBM sites in Cuba.

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Mid watch 14 October: Mullinnix is steaming from Concepcion Bay, Chile to Valparaiso. At 0745 the ship commenced ASW operations with Lester, Riveros, Williams, and Picuda. The majority of the day was spent in two ship search lines, stationint the ASW attack team, and conducting ASW exercises.

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15 October: All six U.S. Polaris ballistic missile submarines based in Holy Loch, Scotland, deploy to wartime stations. The Polaris boat USS Abraham Lincoln shortened her overhaul and deployed from Holy Loch along with two others from New London.

In the morning, quick readout teams at the National Photographic Interpretation Center (NPIC) in Washington analyze photos taken by Richard Heyser’s U-2 mission. Late in the afternoon, one of the teams finds pictures showing the main components of a Soviet MRBM in a field at San Cristobal. Analysis of reconnaissance photos during the day also identifies all but one of the remaining twenty-four SAM sites in Cuba. Other photographs of San Julian airfield show that IL-28 light bombers are being uncrated.

That evening, key Kennedy administration officials are tracked down in Washington and briefed about the discovery of the missiles. National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, who is given the news by Ray Cline, decides to wait until morning to alert President Kennedy.

Meanwhile, the SGA orders the acceleration of covert activities against Cuba. In particular, the group agrees that “considerably more sabotage should be undertaken” and that “all efforts should be made to develop new and imaginative approaches with the possibility of getting rid of the Castro regime.”

A major US military exercise named PHIBRIGLEX-62 is scheduled to begin. The two-week long maneuver was to have employed twenty thousand Navy personnel and four thousand Marines in an amphibious assault on Puerto Rico’s Vieques Island and the overthrow of its imaginary tyrant, “Ortsac” – “Castro” spelled backwards. However, because of the impending crisis, PHIBRIGLEX-62 is used primarily as cover for troop and equipment deployments aimed at increasing military readiness for a strike on Cuba.

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0837 15 October: Mullinnix arrives at Valparaiso, Chile, mooring port side to Berth “A”.

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0845, 16 October: McGeorge Bundy informs President Kennedy that “hard photographic evidence” has been obtained showing Soviet MRBMs in Cuba.

1150, 16 October: President Kennedy calls together a group of his closest advisers (the group that becomes known as the “ExComm” – the Executive Committee of the National Security Council) at the White House. They are informed of the detailed photo intelligence identifying Soviet nuclear missile installations under construction on the island of Cuba. The president and his men discuss the dangerous decision of how the United States should respond.

In the afternoon, the missiles are identified as long range SS-4s. No nuclear warheads are reported seen in the area. CIA photo analyst Sidney Graybeal informs the group that “we do not believe the missiles are ready to fire.” Six additional U-2 missions are ordered and flown over Cuba later in the afternoon.

As discussions continue on proposals to destroy the missiles by airstrike, Robert Kennedy passes a note to the president: “I now know how Tojo felt when he was planning Pearl Harbor.”

1630 16 October: At the second ExComm meeting, Marshall Carter states that the missiles could be “fully operational within two weeks,” although a single missile might achieve operational capability “much sooner."

Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara outlines three possible courses of action for the president: "the political course of action" of openly approaching Castro, Khrushchev, and U.S. allies in a gambit to resolve the crisis diplomatically, an option that McNamara and others considered unlikely to succeed; "a course of action that would involve declaration of open surveillance" coupled with "a blockade against offensive weapons entering Cuba"; and "military action directed against Cuba, starting with an air attack against the missiles." Much of the conversation centers on the military option and the hazardous unknowns of Soviet retaliation, including the possibility of nuclear escalation. "I don't believe we have considered the consequences," McNamara tells the president. "I don't know quite what kind of a world we live in after we've struck Cuba, and we, we've started it.... How, how do we stop at that point?"

In Moscow, Premier Khrushchev receives US Ambassador to the Soviet Union Foy Kohler for a three-hour conversation in a variety of subjects. Khrushchev reassures Kohler that the Cuban fishing port that the Soviet Union has recently agreed to help build will remain entirely nonmilitary. Once again, Khrushchev insists that all Soviet activity in Cuba was defensive and sharply criticizes US bases in Turkey and Italy.

To be continued... Woody

50 Years Ago Today – As Cuban Situation Heats Up, Mullinnix Anchors in Concepcion Bay, Chile

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

12 October: Mullinnix is steaming at 12 knots with Task Group 86.8 composed of USS Lester DE-1022, Williams DD-19, Riveros DD-18, and USS Picuda SS-382 enroute from Punta Arenas to Valparaiso, Chile in accordance with CTF 86 Op Order 5-62. What was more that just normal protocol, during the daily inspection of magazines samples were taken of the smokeless powder and the magazine sprinkling and flooding systems were also inspected to satisfaction. At 1300 the ship went to GQ, setting material condition ZEBRA and commenced Damage Control exercise.

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13 October: State Department Ambassador-at-Large Chester Bowles has a long conversation with Soviet Ambassador Dobrynin. Bowles, after having been briefed by Thomas Hughes of the State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research, tells Dobrynin that the United States “had some evidence” indicating that Soviet nuclear missiles were in Cuba. Dobrynin, who had not been told of the missile deployment by the Kremlin, repeatedly denies that the Soviet Union harbored any intention of placing such weapons in Cuba.

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1205 13 October: Mullinnix anchored in Concepcion Bay, Chile in 33 fathoms of water. After shipmate R.G. Torns, Jr returned to the ship after being AWOL for 2 ½ hours, the ship pulled up anchor and continued steaming towards Valparaiso, Chile.

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Author’s Note: On 27 February 2010, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake would strike the city of Concepción, killing more than 521 people and injuring thousands nationwide. Following the earthquake, geologists relying on global positioning satellite (GPS) data concluded that the city had been displaced roughly 10 feet to the west as a result of the event. Fortunately, the city avoided the tsunami that followed. [authors note: I worked in Santiago, Chile in the spring of 2010 and witnesses first hand some of the damage from the Concepción earthquake.]

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13 October: The Second Marine Air Wing deployed elements of Air Groups 14 and 32 to the naval air station at Key West. The U.S. Army and Air Force pre-positioned supplies to bases and ports in the southern states. The Air Force moved selected squadrons and consumables to Florida bases.

To be continued... Woody

50 Years Ago Today – As Cuban Situation Heats Up, Mullinnix Transits the English Narrows

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

9 October: USS Oxford AG-159, fitted with listening devices, patrolled the Cuban zone in order to intercept radio communications, detected the presence of air traffic controllers speaking Spanish with strong Slavic accents.

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Morning 10 October: Mullinnix stationed the Special Sea and Anchor details for transiting the English Narrows. At 0958 she fired a 1 round from saluting gun as signal prior to entry into the narrows. Averaging 12 knots, she completed the transit at 1025.

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10 October: CIA receives Navy photographs taken of the Soviet ship “Kasmimov” off Cuba, showing clearly identifiable IL-28 crates (which later show up in U-2 photography of 17 October at San Julian airfield).

11 October: Atlantic Fleet Command deploys the attack aircraft carrier USS Independence CV-62 with the aircraft of Air Wing 7 aboard from Norfolk with destroyers USS English DD-696, USS Hank DD-792, USS O'Hare DD-889, and Corry DD-817 as escorts.

To be continued... Woody

50 Years Ago Today – As Cuban Situation Heats Up, Mullinnix Underway for Valparaiso, Chile

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

7 October: The Soviet Union armed forces are put on strategic alert.

8 October: Cuban President Dorticos, addresses the UN General Assembly, and calls upon the United Nations to condemn the US trade embargo against Cuba. Near the end of his address, Dorticos declares: “If…we are attacked, we will defend ourselves. I repeat, we have sufficient means with which to defend ourselves; we have indeed our inevitable weapons, that weapons which we would have preferred not to acquire and which we do not wish to employ.”

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Early morning 8 October: Mullinnix was underway for Valparaiso, Chile. The stormy waters south of Tierra del Fuego (close to Antarctica) make the Strait of Magellan, to the north, more attractive. Although the landmasses protect the strait from harsh Antarctic weather, the Strait of Magellan is still difficult to navigate. It is narrow and the islands of Tierra del Fuego can lead to confusion in stormy weather. The temperatures can reach freezing. Strong wind and waves make visibility and steering complex.

To be continued... Woody

50 Years Ago Today – As Cuban Situation Heats Up, Mullinnix at Punta Arenas, Chile

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

4 October: The SGA meets to discuss the progress of Operation Mongoose. Robert Kennedy states that the president is “concerned about progress on the Mongoose program” and believes that “more priority should be given to trying to mount sabotage operations.” The attorney general also expresses the president’s “concern over the developing situation,” and urges that “massive activity” be undertaken within the Mongoose framework. The group agrees that plans for the mining of Cuban harbors and for capturing Cuban forces for interrogation should be considered.

5 October: Another U2 mission over Cuba reveals the nature and pace of the Soviet military buildup. Following the mission, a policy-level decision limits future US missions because of the administration’s concerns that a SA-2 might shoot down a U2, thereby escalating the crisis.

Dr. No, the first James Bond film, premiers in United Kingdom cinemas. The Beatles released their first single, ‘Love Me Do’.

6 October: CINCLANT directs increased readiness to execute an invasion of Cuba. On 1 October, CINCLANT had ordered military units to increase their readiness posture to execute Oplan 312, the airstrike on Cuba. With the new orders, the prepositioning of troops, aircraft, ships, and other equipment and supplies are directed to increase readiness to follow an airstrike with a full invasion of the island using one of two US invasion plans known as Oplan 314 and Oplan 316.

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At 0801 on 6 October, the ship fired a 21 gun salute followed by a 13 gun salute while standing out in the harbor at Punta Arenas, Chile. After putting the Admirals barge in the water, the ship moored port side of Chilean tanker Montt AO-52 to take on fuel. The Admiral left the ship to call officially on RADM Balaresque, CINC Operations Forces, Chilean Navy and RADM Solar, Commandant Third Naval Zone, Chilean Navy and Intendente of Punta Arenas.

Finished refueling, she moored portside to the pier in Punta Arenas. At 1100 Commander Chilean Fifth Army Division came on board to officially call on COMSOLANT.

From Punta Arenas the combined U.S.-Chilean task force headed north through the Inland Passage and along the Pacific coast toward Talcahuano and Valparaiso. The Chilean Units which joined the force in Punta Arenas included the recently acquired British-built destroyers Williams and Riveros, and the French-built oiler Almirante Montt. Riveros had arrived in Chile from England only a month before the start of Unitas.

On the Pacific side, Mullinnix was making 20 knots through a shining srface which gave seafaring its traditional aspect of a perfect existence. The sea was a mirror. It was brighter than the sky. There was nothing to reflect. The lone exception was dolphins frolicking in the ship’s bow wave.

To be continued... Woody

50 Years Ago Today - Mullinnix Off West Coast of Chile

50 Years Ago Today - Mullinnix Off West Coast of Chile Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood 1730 1 October: Mullinnix completes taking on 62,392 gallons of fuel from Puasin Puerto Belgrano. The first phase of Unitas III ended at Argentina’s naval base in Puerto Belgrano, and the U.S. ships steamed on alone to rendezvous with the Chilean Navy at the world’s southernmost city, Punta Artenas, in the middle of the Strait of Magellan. Punta Artenas is also home to the southernmost brewery in the world. At the same time, the U.S. Unitas III air detachment headed across the Andes to Santiago for a period of maintenance and ground school with the Chilean Air Force. In Uruguay and Argentina the aircraft had operated with local naval air groups flying ASW missions in conjunction with the surface units. 0655 2 October: Mullinnix shifts electrical load to 1 and 3 ship’s service generators. Tug R-7 came along side shortly after and at 0705 all hands were ordered to quarters for leaving port. At 0713, the ship was underway for Punta Areanas, Chile. As she headed south, visibility was reduced to 200 yards by thick fog at 1145. The ship stationed the fog lookouts at 1155. A luminous mist settled over Mullinnix, whose dark shape seemed to float, insubstantially between sea and sky in a hazy continuum of light. The mist was gray and swirling, as thick and damp as wet cotton. It thickened into a damp, occlusive fog, shrouding the blue of the sea, transforming the superstructure into a looming presence. Shipmates disappeared into the obliterating mist and their voices faded and then died. The ARA Rosales broke off and returned with their squadron to Puerto Belgrano. The remaining ships entered the Straits of Magellan and Chilean waters leaving behind the moderate climate of Uruguay and Argentina. The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego. The waterway is the most important natural passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans, but it is considered a difficult route to navigate because of the unpredictable winds and currents and the narrowness of the passage. The strait is approximately 310 nautical miles long and about 1.1 nautical miles wide at its narrowest point (Carlos III Island, west of Cape Froward). The northwestern portion of the strait is connected with other sheltered waterways via the Smyth Channel. This area is similar to the Inside Passage of Alaska. Southward from Cape Froward, the principal shipping route follows the Magdalena Channel. They crew enjoyed a beautiful view of the colorful city of Punta Arenas and its hills, besides being able to spot dolphins, sea lions, and the local bird population. Old docks, sunken ships, and historic piers were not uncommon to spot along the shoreline. In the Straits the ship witnessed snow drifted and glacier-covered as well as one or two boatloads of the natives, called Patagonians (Patagonia is all the name of one of the author’s favorite brews in the world). As the passage narrowed the importance of having the services of a local pilot aboard, who was familiar with the waters, became more evident. The crew saw glaciers, granite towers, turquoise lakes and the vast grasslands of Patagonia. In addition, the oversized grandeur of the ice from the largest non-polar glaciers in the world that spilled into cold pristine lakes was breathtaking. Awesome spires dramatically piercing the sky to penguin colonies made many feel like they were literally at “the ends of the earth”. --- 2 October: U.S. Atlantic Fleet Amphibious Command conduct a multiple Marine Battalion Team amphibious landing exercise with Amphibious Squadrons 8 and 12 at Vieques Island, just off Puerto Rico. The objective of the exercise was to oust the Orange dictator Ortsac (Castro spelled backwards) from power. --- On the evening of 3 October, the #1 ship’s service generator went out due to a pinhole in the reduction gear casing. One shipmate that would have an opportunity to help the snipes in repairs was SA “Randy” Evangelista, as the CO sentenced him to 20 days of confinement at hard labor. At 1700 on 4 October, the ship’s clocks were set back one hour to conform to +4 Q time. To be continued... Woody