The Cuban Missile Crisis

John F. Kennedy was our President of The United States of America, and in September and October of 1962 the “Cold War” was heating up fast. 

Russia was supplying Cuba with missiles. Cuba was denying they had missile bases in Cuba. But a U-2 spy plane flew over and filmed four missile bases being built.

President John F. Kennedy

President Kennedy was considered to be a soft touch as far as Russia was concerned, but they totally underestimated him. 

Our President was far from it, he ordered a blockade across the Atlantic and he told Russia "You will not send any more missiles into Cuba." He firmly took this stand, and he would not back down regardless of threats of a nuclear war!

Chuck, center, nearest camera,
on the deck of the USS Grenadier SS 525
in the Key West harbor March 1962

My husband was a submarine sailor and at the time he was stationed aboard the USS Grenadier SS 525 based in Key West, which is located across a 90 mile stretch of the Atlantic from Key West to Cuba.

On an early morning in late October, he’d had the duty the night before so he was aboard the Grenadier. I still can not remember the date, but I vividly remember the day! The phone rang, and woke me up. Our conversation went like this:

Me - hello

Chuck – Baby Love get my sea bag packed, and get it down here within 30 minutes, if you don’t make it in that time I’ll be gone!

Me - Where are you going?

Chuck - I don’t have time to tell you, just do it!

Me - But how long are you going for?

Chuck – Just get it down here, bye!

I rushed to get it done as quickly, as he had asked, and drove as fast as I possibly could to get his sea bag to him, with a gauntlet of emotional thoughts assaulting my heart and mind.

When I arrived he was standing on the dock, he ran across and grabbed his sea bag gave me a quick peck on my lips, and yelling over his shoulder as he ran for the gangplank, “We are sailing under sealed orders, don’t know where to or how long I’ll be gone, you won’t get any mail while I’m gone, take care of our kid’s, I love you, bye!” As soon as he crossed the gang plank it was pulled in and the Boat got underway.

When I arrived home and opened the door my phone was ringing, I answered and it was my daddy, he said, “Get yours and the kids clothes packed Ted (his sister), and I are coming to get you.” I asked, “Why?”

Daddy asked, “Haven’t you heard the news?”

 “No I’ve been too busy getting Chuck’s sea bag packed and taking it to him since he called early this morning and woke me up.” He answered, “That crazy Cuban s-o-b Castro is on T V, threatening to blow Key West off the map with a missile, you be ready to leave when we get there.” The time was now 8:00 a. m...

They arrived at my house about two o’clock p m. They made an eight to ten hour trip in six hours, and I am happy to say I was glad I was not riding with them on the way down!

I was all packed up and ready to go when they arrived, we loaded up and headed out. It was a really scary situation, from Key West north, to just past Moore Haven, it was a solid bumper to bumper convoy of Army and Air Force moving south into the Keys with all equipment needed to set up our own missile sites along the Keys!

The trip back to the mainland and home to Dade City was at a slower pace, you could not have passed a car in front if you had wanted to. There were no breaks in the solid convey. I stayed with my folks for about three months.

An Old Missile Launching Pad
Somewhere in the Keys

Castro never shot off the missile at Key West; I decided it was time to return home. And still, the entire Keys were solid with missile sites and they remained for quite a long time.

When my husband returned home, he could not tell me where he had been, all of the men aboard had been sworn to secrecy. I did not know where he had been till about ten years after he retired from the Navy and all this information had been de-classified, he then shared it with me.

Some of the Officers and crew having
Thanksgiving dinner on the dock 

Officers and crew of USS Grenadier SS 525
 having Thanksgiving dinner
on the dock in Gitmo 1962

During this time the Boat was one of the Boats that took part in the blockade that President Kennedy ordered. 

Along with the Balao SS 285,Threadfin SS 410, Trutta SS 421, Chopper SS 342, and the Quillback SS 424. Numerous surface Ships also took part in that blockade.

Then the Boat was sent to Guantanamo (Gitmo) in November, they were the only Boat in the Harbor at that time. They had their Thanksgiving dinner on the dock they were tied up to.

Chuck said, “Sitting on the deck of the Boat many times during this time I would have the loneliest feeling come upon me that I had ever experienced in my life.”

Photo by Wekipedia

Up until this time Guantanamo had been a busy sea port, and now it was deserted except for one Boat in the harbor; with the threat of a nuclear powered war hanging over it!

Years after he retired and we had moved to Cedar Key, he met two guys who had also been there during this same time. One had been in the Seabees Construction gang; they were building bunkers, laying down roads on the top of the mountain separating the Base from the rest of Cuba. He became Chuck’s nephew-in-law, A J Brown.

The other was a Marine, Arnie Bible who was up on top of the mountain; he and his Company were on guard, just in case an attack came from this direction. They could both look down and see the Submarine in the Harbor, but at that time none of them knew each other. They all came home safe and eventually met, and shared their experiences!

Old Cedar Key School

This is just one of my many stories of being the wife of a sea going sailor till he retired. And though he was born in Lake Wales Florida, he spent a lot of time in Cedar Key when he was growing up; it is located on the central west coast of Florida. 

He also went to High School there till he joined the Navy in December of 1947 and then he went to Submarine School.

All wives or husbands of Military service active duty men/women spend a lot of long lonely time waiting for our mates to come home. This is just one of the sacrifices we all make for our country to keep America a FREE Nation.

It saddens me to see the state our nation is quickly falling prey to. The only way it can be changed is for America to become a praying nation again as it did during WWII!

Alan J Shapiro

Note:  Photos of Chuck and the USS Grenadier were courtesy of Alan Shapiro. He donated them to the USS Grenadier SS 525 web site, and he also gave me his permission to use them in my story. Mr Shapiro served aboard the USS Grenadier SS 525 as an enlisted man and as an Officer 1960-1969.