New book sheds light on Canada’s maritime response to the Cuban Missile Crisis
October 28, 2022 - Defence Stories
Latest study by senior naval historian Michael Whitby marks the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis
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Exceptional Circumstances – Canada's Maritime Response to the Cuban Missile Crisis October-November 1962.
By Michael Whitby.
Directorate of History and Heritage
In October 1962, following the American discovery that the Soviet Union was placing missiles in Cuba capable of hitting targets in Canada and the United States, Canada's maritime forces reacted decisively – demonstrating their capacity to apply advanced training in short order. A new commemorative book produced by the Directorate of History and Heritage tells the little-known story of those sailors and aircrew, during what we now know as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
"Exceptional Circumstances": Canada's Maritime Response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, October-November 1962, by Michael Whitby, marks an underappreciated chapter in Canadian naval history and pays tribute to the courage and professionalism of our forces. This historical account of people and events also offers a wealth of lessons that can help inform current military operations and contemporary decision making.
The study focuses on command relations between naval leaders in Halifax and Ottawa, the potential threat posed by the submarines and auxiliary vessels of the Soviet Union, and the close cooperation between Canada's maritime forces and those of the United States.
“Exceptional Circumstances” is available for reading on Canada.ca. The book is a complement to a larger, comprehensive study of Canada's postwar navy, which will be published in the near future.
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