Chronological view

…

Step 9 of 14 · Wednesday 24 October 1962

Eyeball to eyeball

The quarantine takes effect at 10 am. Soviet ships approaching the line stop dead in the water or turn around. Strategic Air Command goes to DEFCON 2, the only time in US history.

  • Kimovsk and Yuri Gagarin, carrying missiles, turn back before reaching the line.
  • Dean Rusk: "We're eyeball to eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked."
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  • United States
  • Soviet Union
  • Submarine
  • R-12 range, ~1,900 km
  • R-14 range, ~4,000 km
  • Quarantine line, 500 nmi

On the map

United States

  • USS Essex · Anti-submarine group on the quarantine line
  • USS Newport News · Quarantine force flagship
  • USS Enterprise · Covering Guantánamo and the Windward Passage

Soviet Union

  • Aleksandrovsk · Docked at La Isabela
  • Kimovsk · Turning back
  • Yuri Gagarin · Turning back
  • Poltava · Turning back
  • Bucharest · Tanker, still on course
  • 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.

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