The waship that bound three brothers: How USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. connected America’s most famous political family

Three Kennedy Brothers and the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.

One destroyer tied three Kennedy brothers together through war, sacrifice, and the world’s closest brush with nuclear war. The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was named after the Navy pilot who died in a secret bombing mission over England in 1944.

Robert Kennedy sailed aboard during her first cruise in 1946. Then in 1962, President John F. Kennedy used the same ship to stop and board the only vessel during the Cuban blockade, becoming the sole boarding action of the missile crisis.

Here’s how one ship connected the Kennedy family to some of history’s most dangerous moments, and how you can visit this floating piece of Cold War history at Battleship Cove.

Joe Kennedy Jr.’s Last Flight Ended in Flames

Joe Kennedy Jr. flew a PB4Y-1 Liberator bomber with Wilford Willy on August 12, 1944.

Their secret mission, Operation Aphrodite, aimed to blow up German V-3 rocket sites in France. The plane carried 21,170 pounds of Torpex explosive, making it a flying bomb.

The plan was for pilots to arm the explosives, set the radio controls, and jump out at 2,000 feet. Just 18 minutes after takeoff, Kennedy radioed “Spade Flush” when the plane suddenly blew up over Suffolk, killing both men.

Witnesses said nothing bigger than a basketball survived.

Jean Kennedy Broke Champagne on Her Brother’s Memorial Ship

The Navy named a ship after Kennedy, launching the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. on December 15, 1945, at Boston Harbor.

Jean Kennedy, Joe’s sister, smashed the traditional champagne bottle against the destroyer’s bow during the ceremony.

Bethlehem Steel built the ship at their Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, finishing it in just eight months.

The Kennedy family watched as the Navy paid tribute to the young pilot. Jean stood with two friends, cousin Mary Jo Gargan and family friend Mary Carroll Mann.

Bobby Sailed as a Regular Sailor on His Brother’s Namesake

The Kennedy family first connected with Joe’s memorial ship when 20-year-old Robert F. Kennedy joined the crew in February 1946.

Bobby worked as an apprentice seaman during the destroyer’s trip to the Caribbean, sleeping in regular sailor quarters. He asked to pause his officer training so he could serve on the ship named after his brother.

Both Kennedy brothers served in the Navy, Joe in planes and Bobby on ships. Robert left the Navy on May 30, 1946, after finishing this personal trip on the floating memorial.

Three Siblings Reunited When JFK Became President

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. sailed up the Potomac River to Washington D.C. in January 1961 for John F. Kennedy’s presidential swearing-in.

The destroyer brought all three siblings together through Navy service at this big moment.

The ship stood for Kennedy family political dreams first meant for Joe Jr., now coming true through his younger brother John.

Navy officers and sailors stood at attention on deck as the ship bearing one brother’s name honored another brother becoming president.

JFK Put His Brother’s Ship Between America and Nuclear War

President Kennedy started a naval blockade of Cuba on October 22, 1962, after U. S. spy planes spotted Soviet nuclear missiles on the island.

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., under Commander Nicholas S. Mikhalevsky, sailed from Newport to join over 100 Navy ships circling Cuba.

The Kennedy family destroyer became part of the biggest naval blockade since World War II, tasked with stopping Soviet military supplies from reaching the island.

The youngest Kennedy brother now used a ship named for his oldest brother in the most dangerous standoff of the Cold War.

The Destroyer Prepared to Stop a Soviet-Chartered Ship

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. and USS John R. Pierce got orders on October 24-25, 1962, to stop the first ship coming to the blockade line.

The destroyers moved to intercept the Lebanese freighter Marucla, which carried cargo to Cuba for the Soviets.

Navy leaders picked this specific ship for boarding to show American strength while avoiding direct conflict with Soviet ships.

The Kennedy destroyer got into position for what would become the only ship boarding during the entire Cuban Missile Crisis.

"That’s My Brother’s Ship. Let’s Use It."

When President Kennedy learned the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was part of the Caribbean blockade force, he told advisors, “That’s my brother. Let’s use that ship.”

This choice held deep personal meaning, linking the Kennedy family directly to the most visible show of American resolve during the crisis.

The destroyer with the name of a brother who died on a dangerous military mission now carried out the youngest brother’s most risky presidential decision.

The three Kennedy brothers came together through this single Navy ship during a moment that could have started nuclear war.

American Sailors Boarded a Freighter While the World Watched

On the morning of October 26, 1962, the second-in-command and three sailors from USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. joined a team to check the Marucla.

American sailors climbed aboard the Lebanese freighter in broad daylight with news crews and Soviet watchers looking on.

The boarding team spent over two hours carefully checking the cargo list against shipping papers for sulfur, asbestos, paper, factory equipment, and twelve trucks.

Finding no missiles, they let the ship go to Cuba, having made their point about American determination to enforce the blockade.

The Only Ship Boarded During Thirteen Days of Crisis

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.’s boarding of the Marucla was the only actual ship inspection during the entire thirteen-day Cuban Missile Crisis.

President Kennedy chose this specific action to show American determination without causing a direct Soviet military response.

The Kennedy family name on the destroyer’s hull sent a message that the president would risk nuclear war to protect American interests.

News photographers took pictures of the boarding that went worldwide as proof of American naval power during mankind’s closest brush with nuclear war.

Soviet Missiles Left Cuba After Kennedy’s Naval Gamble

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced the removal of missiles from Cuba on October 28, 1962, ending the crisis that brought the world closest to nuclear war.

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. stayed on patrol in Caribbean waters until returning to Newport on December 7, 1962.

The Kennedy family destroyer successfully carried out the presidential order that avoided nuclear disaster through a mix of strength and careful diplomacy.

One Ship Connected Three Siblings in America’s Darkest Hour

The USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. served another decade after the Cuban Missile Crisis, supporting the Polaris submarine program and recovering astronauts.

The destroyer represented a unique convergence of Kennedy family sacrifice, service, and leadership during America’s most dangerous Cold War moment.

All three Kennedy siblings connected through this single naval vessel, Joe Jr. as its namesake, Robert as a crewman during its first deployment, and John as the commander-in-chief who deployed it during nuclear crisis.

Visiting Destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. at Battleship Cove

At Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts, you can tour the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., a destroyer that connected all three Kennedy brothers through naval service.

You can walk the decks where sailors monitored Soviet vessels, see the actual radar equipment used during the blockade, and check out photos of JFK’s 1962 visit to the ship.

The ship played a key role during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The museum displays personal items from the Kennedy brothers’ naval careers and Cold War artifacts.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• How Frederick Olmsted transformed Boston’s sewage nightmare into the famous Emerald Necklace
• How Scottish POWs from Cromwell’s wars became Massachusetts iron masters in 1650s
• The 1787 farmers’ revolt where artillery killed American patriots who couldn’t pay crushing war debts