There is no uniformity in the witness accounts. That's one of the problems. But assume for a moment that this is accurate. There were no reports of a navy ship that close to shore. If there had been then the launch, including the flash and smoke, could have been seen from shore. And nobody has admitted to that.
read #243 - and go to the link:
"What this indicates is that the missile was flying (generally) toward the witnesses in the central zone. With an almost head-on view of the approaching missile, the missile did not have a significant degree of lateral or sideways movement as it approached the aircraft. In contrast, most of the witnesses on the periphery – who viewed the missile from the side – saw a significant curvature in the flight. Since the majority of the witnesses in the central zone did not see this curving, it would seem to indicate that the missile was moving in a vertical (up and down) pattern as it approached the aircraft with very little lateral or sideways movement. "
If you ever spent any time at JFK, outside the airport, you would know that at sunset (the time of the incident) there are many different vistas, vantages and colors in the smog of NY, creating totally different views, depenting on which direction you are looking.
I have seen too many missiles take off (I grew up at Cape Canaveral), to disregard reports because of the variation in shape/color of the the trail. It changes radically with angle, distance, and time - even a few seconds - depending upon the winds aloft.
PS - I have also seen a lot explode. My brother was so startled, he fell of his firetruck perch when the Challenger exploded.