 Near the end of September, she left Norfolk on her way south for and extended period of drills and exercises in the West Indies.The eruption of the Cuban missile crisis in mid-October, found "Basilone" still engaged in training operations out of Guantanamo Bay.She immediately joined the "quarantine" of Cuba that finally forced the removal of the Russian nuclear missiles from the island; "Basilone" served on the quarantine from 24 October to 18 November 1962.