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War time at sea!! Destroyers are the back bone for the fleet.. That means that we were usually the first to the fight or fame... This was the first time I served under wartime conditions... General Quarters " Set Condition Zebra!!"
This is the logo for the USS Furse. In the event of a national emergency, a series of seven different alert Conditions (LERTCONs) can be called. The 7 LERTCONs are broken down into 5 Defense Conditions (DEFCONs) and 2 Emergency Conditions (EMERGCONs). Defense readiness conditions (DEFCONs) describe progressive alert postures primarily for use between the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commanders of unified commands. DEFCONs are graduated to match situations of varying military severity, and are numbered 5,4,3,2, and 1 as appropriate. DEFCONs are phased increases in combat readiness. In general terms, these are descriptions of DEFCONs: EMERGCONs are national level reactions in response to ICBM (missiles in the air) attack. By definition, other forces go to DEFCON 1 during an EMERGCON. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the US Strategic Air Command was placed on DEFCON 2 for the first time in history, while the rest of US military commands (with the exception of the US Air Forces in Europe) went on DEFCON 3. On 22 October 1962 SAC responded by establishing Defense Condition Three (DEFCON III), and ordered B-52s on airborne alert. Tension grew and the next day SAC declared DEFCON II, a heightened state of alert, ready to strike targets within the Soviet Union. On 15 November 1962 the day Strategic Air Command (SAC) postured down to defense condition (DEFCON) III. On 6 October 1973 Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a surprise attack on Israel. On 25 October U.S. forces went on Defense Condition (DEFCON) III alert status, as possible intervention by the Soviet Union was feared. On 26 October, CINCSAC and CINCONAD reverted to normal DEFCON status. On 31 October USEUCOM (less the Sixth Fleet) went off DEFCON III status. The Sixth Fleet resumed its normal DEFCON status on 17 November 1973. http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/usa/c3i/defcon.htm
While I served on the this ship; we were called on to get as close to all out nuclear war as the USA has ever come.... We faced death and lived to tell about it... This is not to brag, or boost; but to state the fact that there are times in people's life that will forever change them.... This was one of those times... You grow up quickly, and learn the real dangers in this life when you have to face them... Well as I have said before, being part of the Gunnery Division, I served in the combat arms, meaning we carried firearms, stood sentry watches, and was part of the Landing Force... BTW: The Landing Force was a Armed Squad of the ships company, who were called on to land or board other vessels as needs be... Since small ships did not carry Marines, I was part of this squad... Well we will move now to October 1962, better know to most of the world as the Cuban Missile Crisis.... For those of you who may remember, the Cold War was in full swing... We were facing the USSR all across the globe... Cuba had become a Communist State, with the support of the USSR... And was a real threat to the US.. In Oct, 1962; one night I was standing pier sentry duty on the mid watch, 00:01 to 04:00... Well just after dark, a couple of the Navy Supply Semi Trucks had pulled out on the pier, and we had an all hands working party, to load stores... {Food & Supplies} This was very unusual; normally it only occurred during the day watch.... Then several line handlers came off the ship, and we singled up all six of the mooring lines... The lines were set so we could slip the lines loose from the ship... Normally the four inch diameter nylon line; which has a large loop or eye in the end when sent out from the ship, and that was placed over a cleat or bollard... Then they told me and the other pier sentries to secure the watch, and come aboard, as we were getting underway.... This was weird, since over seventy of the ships crew was a shore on leave; out of the 235 man ships company... Ships very seldom left port at night, especially short handed, unless there was an emergency.... We were armed and under way... We steamed at near flank speed, 32 knots... South to the Striates of Florida, under secret orders from the President.... Well it took into the next evening to reach Cay Sal, just below the Bahamas... Where we took up station on a three mile track, using echo sonar off the coral reef to maintain location... Once we were on station an Fleet oiler came out and pumped fuel aboard... It was the next day that President Kennedy; made the worldwide announcement that we were blocking Cuba.... As a Radar Tracking Ship, we were capable of detecting and tracking all aircraft, satellites over the whole island of Cuba... We knew when the chickens got off the ground... We tracked everything including the U2 spy plane that got shot down by the Russian missiles over Cuba... This was a very tense time, The entire Fleet Marine Force, was afloat off Cuba, prepared to go ashore... We plotted and tracked all air traffic to Homestead AFB in South FLA... The DEFCON was raised to 2, the highest ever, just short of an all out nuclear war.... BTW: DEFCON is Defense Condition of readness... It graduates down from the normal peace time operation of 5, toward total Nuclear war at condition 1..... Condition 2 meant we had the weapons loaded, armed , Safety removed, just waiting for DEFCON 1 where they would be fired or launched... [Review the attached form above on DEFCON...} Thank GOD; that on that day, sane minds prevailed and we did not go to an all out nuclear war, this is as close as we ever got, and I was there... There are times in history that we should be grateful for our leaders making the right choice.... This was one of them.... Thank you President Kennedy, and your staff... We were ready to take the Russians out, but it would have been a bloody complicated conflict, with perhaps many thousands of US casualties, in cities, hit by Russian ICBMs..... This was truly a dark period in our history... But the truth prevailed, and I lived to get married and have sons of my own.... If anyone in a war time or other national disaster distressful situation, tells you that THEY WERE NOT FRIGHTENED OR SCARED; they are either lying, or out of their minds... Not that we cowered and shook; as we had duties and carried them out with due course... But keeping busy with our duty helped keep your mind off the awful truth at hand at that time... A week later; We went into Key West, to refuel, and pick up the members of the crew we left in Charleston, SC... That helped since we were working 16 hour days, and being on call 24 Hours a day... So we were very happy, to get the whole crew, and help with the work load... I will cover more details of this activity on the next blog.... Will discuss going to Havana; and boarding a Russian ship with missiles aboard.... See ya.. K
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