Friday, May 17
0001Z: Departing the Mediterranean, the USS Scorpion formally “chops” from Sixth Fleet control to COMSUBLANT control.

0130Z: Scorpion arrives at entrance to Rota naval base and transfers two crewmen and mail to a navy tug, then heads out into the Atlantic.

Sunday, May 19
U.S. Navy curtails ongoing patrol aircraft surveillance of Soviet Navy ships in Canary Islands area, resuming flights on May 21.

Tuesday, May 21
212354Z: Scorpion message gives position report of 31:19 N 27:37 W with an arrival time in Norfolk of 1700Z on Monday, May 27.

Thursday, May 23
Senior U.S. Navy admirals become more concerned over status of Scorpion when it fails to reply to messages. Schade onboard the Ray requests a classified search of the Atlantic for the submarine involving navy ships, submarines, and aircraft.

0414Z (12:14 A.M. EDT): First of three routine messages to Scorpion sent during May 23-25 requesting replies (but not necessarily while operating at sea) is transmitted over Fleet Broadcast System.

Monday, May 27
1130Z (7:30 A.M. EDT): Admiral Schade and three aides depart Norfolk to embark on the Groton-based submarine USS Pargo (SSN 650).

1352Z (9:52 A.M. EDT): Pargo underway from New London with Vice Admiral Schade.

1400Z (10 A.M. EDT): Families of Scorpion crew begin gathering at Pier 22 at Norfolk Naval Station.

1640Z (12:40 P.M. EDT): Submarine Squadron 6 contacts COMSUBLANT headquarters asking if the Scorpion has broken radio silence.

1700Z (1 P.M. EDT): Scorpion’s scheduled arrival time at Pier 22.

1915Z (3:15 P.M. EDT): COMSUBLANT headquarters transmits SubMiss alert for Scorpion, ordering all submarines under its control to surface and radio in.

2015Z (4:15 P.M. EDT)—Pargo copies SubMiss message from COMSUBLANT headquarters.

2200Z May 68 (6 P.M. EDT)—WTAR broadcasts CBS bulletin that the Scorpion is overdue.

Thursday, May 30
0028Z (8:28 P.M. EDT May 29): Search units respond to a radio transmission from “Brandywine,” which is the Scorpion’s call sign. The transmission is later determined to be operator mistake or a hoax.

1749Z (1:49 P.M. EDT): Admiral Bernard orders five submarines and six surface ships to follow down Scorpion’s projected course track from the Azores area to Norfolk with the two groups each in a line abreast 50 miles wide and with the submarines and USS Petrel following twelve hours behind the surface ships for continuous daylight coverage of the corridor.

Navy scientists plot initial estimate of Scorpion location from acoustic signals.

Monday, June 3
2000Z (4 P.M. EDT): Compass Island completes survey of Scorpion course track and heads for Azores.

Wednesday, June 5
0800Z (4 A.M. EDT): Compass Island anchors at Bahia Praia, Terceira, Azores for pickup of personnel (crewmen and scientists) and supplies; underway at 1035Z for Punta del Gada, mooring at 1624Z.

1739Z (1:39 P.M. EDT): Scorpion court of inquiry convenes in Norfolk with Schade as the first witness.

2000Z (4 P.M. EDT): CNO formally declares Scorpion “presumed lost.”

2005Z (4:05 P.M. EDT): Open-ocean search force passes over Scorpion’s last known position at 31:19 N, 27:37 W.

2340Z (7:40 P.M. EDT): Admiral Moorer publicly announces Scorpion lost.

Monday, June 10
Mizar rendezvous with Compass Island in focused-operations search area to transfer supplies and personnel.

Friday, June 14
Compass Island anchored at Bahia Praia to transfer medical patient and to take on provisions; departs Bahia Praia for search area.

Monday, June 17
1932Z (3:32 P.M. EDT): Petrel arrives Bahia Praia, Terceira, Azores

Saturday, June 22
1248Z (8:48 A.M. EDT): Petrel underway for Scorpion search area.

Tuesday, June 25
Compass Island detached from search to return to New York.

1000Z (6 A.M. EDT): Petrel arrives at Bahia Praia, Terceira, Azores, moored to pier.

Thursday, June 27
Mizar’s towed sled photographs twisted metal fragment that later is identified as part of Scorpion but is unable to relocate it in subsequent attempts.

Sunday, June 30
0858Z (4:58 A.M. EDT): Petrel returns from search area, arriving in Bahia Praia, Azores, moored next to Mizar and Ozark.

Sometime between Petrel arrival and change of command ceremony on July 3, a Mizar crewman shows two Petrel crewmen photographs of the Scorpion wreckage taken by the Mizar’s towed sled camera.

Monday, August 12
Mizar departs Azores for third search cruise, arriving on station on August 14.

Tuesday, September 24
Vice Admiral Schade recommends to CNO Admiral Moorer that Scorpion search operations be suspended until the spring of 1969 if no new artifacts are found in ongoing Mizar search period.

Wednesday, October 16
Mizar departs Azores for fifth search cruise (“research phase”).

Monday, October 28
Mizar towed sled magnetometer and still camera detects wreckage of Scorpion.

Saturday, May 18
USS Josephus Daniels (DLG 27) in Norfolk is scrambled to sea to search for the Scorpion. Sometime before May 22 senior U.S. Navy admirals become concerned about hostile Soviet intent toward the Scorpion.

Sometime during May 18–22 Scorpion radios COMSUBLANT that it is being followed by a Soviet submarine and is unable to elude the shadower.

Monday, May 20
Vice Admiral Arnold F. Schade, Atlantic Submarine Force commander, is at sea off the Virginia Capes on the submarine USS Ray (SSN 653).

Wednesday, May 22
1844Z: Scorpion explodes and sinks 400 miles southwest of the Azores.

Within hours, U.S. naval intelligence agents raid Sosus facilities worldwide to seize all evidence of Scorpion sinking.

Friday, May 24
1330Z (9:30 A.M. EDT): USS Compass Island (AG 153) arrives in Brooklyn from operations in the western Caribbean. 1600Z (12 noon EDT): Submarine Squadron 6 officials tell Scorpion family members the submarine’s arrival has been delayed from May 23 until Monday, May 27 at 1 P.M. 2230Z (6:30 P.M. EDT): Compass Island ordered underway as part of secret Scorpion search.

CNO Admiral Thomas H. Moorer believes that Scorpion has sunk with all hands.

Tuesday, May 28
Open-ocean search for Scorpion is underway in earnest with several dozen ships and submarines at sea. Search force will grow over the next three days to 55 surface ships and submarines and over three dozen land-based patrol aircraft.

Wednesday, May 29
0715Z (3:15 A.M.): Rear Admiral Lawrence G. Bernard on board USS Petrel (ASR 14) arrives in Lynnhaven Roads, Virginia from Charleston, transfers to USS William H. Standley (DLG 32) as Senior Officer Search Force. 0746Z (3:46 A.M. EDT): USS Pargo reports Admiral Schade has departed the submarine to return to his headquarters. Daytime: Scorpion Technical Advisory Group under John P. Craven forms at navy headquarters.

2315Z (7:15 P.M. EDT): Scorpion search force begins to shrink as all but a dozen ships and submarines are directed to return to port.

Saturday, June 1
Sometime around June 1, crew of Canadian CP-107 patrol plane spot a heavily damaged Soviet submarine on the surface near the Cape Verde Islands. Early June: U.S. Navy ships receive intelligence report including photograph of damaged Soviet submarine being towed by a larger Soviet surface ship. 1945Z (3:45 P.M. EDT): Open-ocean search force is now about halfway between Norfolk and the Azores.

2000Z (4 P.M. EDT): USNS Mizar leaves Norfolk for “focused operations” search area southwest of the Azores.

Thursday, June 6
0645Z: Compass Island departs Ponta Delgada, Azores, for Scorpion focused-operations search area.

Friday, June 7
1000Z (10 A.M. local): Compass Island begins dropping demolition charges to calibrate accuracy of calculated hydrophone positions of the Scorpion sinking location.

Sunday, June 9
Compass Island passes within detection range of Scorpion wreckage location at 32:54.9 N 33:08.89 W. Three former crewmen say this is most likely date of the actual Scorpion discovery.

Thursday, June 13
Compass Island completes seven days of demolition charge drops and departs search area for Bahia Praia, Terceira, Azores.

Scorpion TAG Chairman John P. Craven testifies to Scorpion court of inquiry concerning ongoing demolition charge drops.

Sunday, June 16
1338Z message from COMSUBLANT to search force identifies Point Oscar (32:52.2 N 33:11.5 W) as most accurate estimate of Scorpion location, superseding earlier estimates.

Friday, June 21
Conference of ship commanders aboard Mizar.

Sunday, June 23
1756Z (1:56 P.M. EDT): Mizar rendezvous with USS Ozark (MCS 2) in search area for personnel transfer and return to Azores.

Wednesday, June 26
0853Z (4:53 A.M. EDT): Petrel underway for search area.

Friday, June 28
First Mizar search cruise ends, ship proceeds to Azores.

Wednesday, July 3
Change of command ceremony aboard Petrel.

Monday, July 8
Mizar leaves Azores for second search cruise.

Friday, September 20
Mizar departs Azores for fourth search cruise.

Monday, October 7
Mizar fourth search cruise 4 ends.

Friday, October 18
Atlantic Fleet officials preparing planned news release for November 8 announcing suspension of the Scorpion search.

Wednesday, October 30
U.S. Navy publicly announces discovery of Scorpion.