50 Years Ago Today - Mullinnix Heads Home To Norfolk

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

1100 3 December: John McCloy meets with Soviet negotiators. Earlier, in one of the final sessions between the US and Soviet negotiators, Vasily Kuznetsov told McCoy, “all right, Mr. McCloy, we will get the IL-28’s out as we have taken the missiles out. But I want to tell you something, Mr. McCloy. The Soviet Union is not going to find itself in a position like this ever again.”

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4 December: Mullinnix sat outboard of USS Borie DD-704 and US Soley DD-707, when she departed San Juan for exercises at sea while enroute to Trinidad, W. I., arriving on 4 December.

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1730 4 December: ExComm discuss future policy toward Cuba with President Kennedy. They agree to continue aerial reconnaissance to verify the removal of the IL-28s and to insure offensive weapons are not reintroduced into Cuba. If another U-2 is shot down, ExComm decides that the US should respond by attacking one or more SAM sites. (John McCone writes to McGeorge Bundy the following morning to recommend that “diplomatic measures be taken” to assure that the US does not find itself in the position of having to attack Soviet-controlled bases in Cuba.

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5 December: Mullinnix is starboard side to Pier 2, US Naval Station, Trinidad, West Indies. Alongside port is HMS Ulster. At 0800 RADM Tyree Jr., COMSOLANT struck his flag from Mullinnix. Crew manned the starboard rail for observance of the COMSOLANT departure ceremonies on the pier.

6 December: The ship got underway for Norfolk, Virginia.

To be continued... Woody