Chronological view
…
Step 6 of 14 · Sunday 21 October 1962
The quarantine force sails
The final decision is taken: the quarantine goes ahead and the air strike is put off. Warships leave Norfolk and Florida for the approaches to Cuba.
- The air force says it cannot promise to destroy every missile in one strike.
- Kennedy asks newspapers to hold the story until his address.
- United States
- Soviet Union
- Submarine
- R-12 range, ~1,900 km
- R-14 range, ~4,000 km
On the map
United States
- USS Essex · Sailing from Norfolk
- USS Newport News · Sailing from Norfolk
- USS Enterprise · Moving to the Windward Passage
Soviet Union
- Aleksandrovsk · Carrying nuclear warheads
- Kimovsk · Carrying R-14 missiles
- Yuri Gagarin
- Poltava
- B-59 · Foxtrot submarine with a nuclear torpedo
- B-130 · Foxtrot submarine
Ship positions are approximate and show the situation of the day, not exact tracks.