Destroyer Kennedy at Battleship Cove.

In September 1962, the USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. was in Newport, Rhode Island, where she hosted President and Mrs. Kennedy for the America's Cup yacht races. While diplomatic tensions simmered over the growing evidence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, the President declared to the crew of DD-850 that if anything happened in the world, the USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. would be in the thick of it. Merely six weeks later, JFK would honor that pledge, when Kennedy sailors and officers boarded and searched the Soviet chartered Marucla during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Click here to read a firsthand account of the boarding of Marucla by USS Kennedy's executive officer, Captain K.C. Reynolds.

USS Kennedy is a movie star!

BLOC-BUSTER ENTERTAINMENT: Destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., Battleship Cove staff members, and Kennedy volunteers all participated in filming the marine phase of the Kevin Costner film Thirteen Days, in which the Kennedy reprises her role and that of the USS John R Pierce in the Cuban Missile Crisis. During those historic two weeks in October 1962, the Kennedy, the Pierce, and other US Navy vessels shadowed Soviet freighters that were suspected of delivering missiles to Cuba.

After four weeks of intense preparations at Battleship Cove, the Kennedy was towed to Goat Island Marina in Newport, the first time a destroyer had been at that pier in about forty-five years. There, the New Line Cinema film crew loaded about 35 tons of gear on board the Kennedy, including cameras, costumes, and an immense amount of lighting equipment.

Click here to read more.

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Renowned ocean explorer Dr. Robert Ballard has fulfilled his quest to locate John Kennedy’s PT 109. Ballard's team, along with National Geographic, met with Cove staff...Ctd.

STARS & STRIPES: Join the elite ranks of the Stars & Stripes Commission! Battleship Cove's most prestigious level of annual membership, Stars & Stripes enlists an exclusive group of...Ctd.

I spy: The U2 spy planed played a pivitol role in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Click the thumbnail to enlarge.

Sites to behold: Photographs like these alarmed the US intelligence community. Click the thumbnail to enlarge.

The most dangerous game: A US Navy chopper shadows a Soviet sub in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. Click the thumbnail to enlarge.