Category Archives: US Navy

Required Sorties and Weapons to Degrade Syrian Air Force

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The ISW posted a very interesting study on the Required Sorties and Weapons to Degrade Syrian Air Force Excluding
Integrated Air Defense System (IADS). Includes number of TLAM sorties (150), JSOW/JDAM sorties, targets, etc.

In short, it says a single CVBG supported by a squadron of F15E’s out of Incerlick could take the Syrians fixed-winged assets apart overnight without a manned aircraft entering thier airspace or even coming in range of thier SAM network.

Its almost a shame to waste a million dollar Tomahawk land attack missile on a flying classic such as this MIG21 Fishbed.

Its almost a shame to waste a million dollar Tomahawk land attack missile on a flying classic such as this Syrian MIG21 Fishbed. But the rebels will sure love not ducking every-time one of these zip past

Warship Wednesday August 21 The Tale of the Lost Confederate Egyptian Dragon

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Here at LSOZI, we are going to take out every Wednesday for a look at the old steam/diesel navies of the 1859-1946 time period and will profile a different ship each week.

– Christopher Eger

El Monassir/CSS Mississippi forground being watched by the HMS Majestic while the El Tousson/CSS North Carolina sits at the rear

El Monassir/CSS Mississippi foreground being watched by the HMS Majestic while the El Tousson/CSS North Carolina sits at the rear

Above we see the mighty armored steam turret ship of the Sultan of Egypt, the El Monassir as she lies fitting out in England. Laid down in 1862 at Laird, Son & Co., Birkenhead, her North African identity was a ruse as her actual owners was the Confederate States Navy and she was to be the CSS Mississippi.

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Built to an innovative amalgam that combined armor plate, a ram, movable armored turrets and steam propulsion with an economical full-rigged three masted sailing suite to enable her to cross the oceans on only the coal in her bunkers, she was an interesting design. Three times the mass of the US Navy’s USS Monitor and with a comparable armor, she carried four 9-inch naval rifles in two twin turrets vs the Monitor’s pair of larger 11-inch (280 mm) smoothbore Dahlgren guns. Yet, she was almost twice as fast as the union ship. Even compared to the 1864-designed Canonicus-class monitors, she was still faster and better armed. Had she been taken over by the Confederacy, the Union navy was in trouble.

But alas, it was not to be. The British government, after the shattering Vicksburg and Gettysburg defeats in the summer of 1863, saw that the tide was turning against the greycoats. With the writing on the wall, they seized El Monassir/CSS Mississippi and her sistership the El Tousson/CSS North Carolina in October. They were completed on the Queen’s dime and put on the Royal Navy List in 1865 as the HMS Wivern and HMS Scorpion respectively.

The wivern, is a legendary winged creature with a dragon's head, reptilian body, two legs (sometimes none), and a barbed tail, which may be said to breathe fire or possess a venomous bite.

The wivern, is a legendary winged creature with a dragon’s head, reptilian body, two legs (sometimes none), and a barbed tail, which may be said to breathe fire or possess a venomous bite.

The ships, even though advanced for their time, were quickly outclassed by later naval developments and hindered by their heavy weight and low freeboard. By the 1880s they were in reserve. The Wivern was sent to Hong Kong where she performed harbor duties such as barracks duty and brig boat until she was scrapped in 1922. She outlived her sister Scorpion who had spent the last three decades of her life as a guard ship in Bermuda before being sunk as a target in 1901.

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Still, unless I can find otherwise, I think the  El Monassir/CSS Mississippi/HMS Wivern was the last serving Confederate naval ship in the world when she was scrapped, having a lifespan of some 57-years.

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Specs;

Displacement:             2,751 tons

Length:            224 ft 6 in (68.43 m) p/p

Beam: 42 ft 4 in (12.90 m)

Draught:          15 ft 6 in (4.72 m) light, 17 ft (5.2 m) deep load

Propulsion:      Lairds horizontal direct action; 1,450 ihp. Inoperable by 1910.

Sail plan:         Ship-rigged

Speed:             10.5 knots

Complement:   153

Armament:      Four 9-inch muzzle-loading rifles (disarmed 1904)

Armour:           Belt 4.5 inches, 3 inches at bow, 2 inches at stern

Turret faces 10 inches

Sides 5 inches

If you liked this column, please consider joining the International Naval Research Organization (INRO)

They are possibly one of the best sources of naval lore http://www.warship.org/naval.htm

The International Naval Research Organization is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the encouragement of the study of naval vessels and their histories, principally in the era of iron and steel warships (about 1860 to date). Its purpose is to provide information and a means of contact for those interested in warships.

Nearing their 50th Anniversary, Warship International, the written tome of the INRO has published hundreds of articles, most of which are unique in their sweep and subject.

I’m a member, so should you be!

The Armored Dive Suit of 1911

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No this is not from Pacific Rim.

The time is 1911.

The man is inventor Chester E Macduffee and he is shown with his experimental Aluminum Alloy Suit.

US Patent 989530, “Submarine Armor “, this German aluminum alloy (Duraluminum) suit weighed over 550-pounds (without the man inside! ) The cylindrical joints mounted on ball bearings allowed movement in one direction only. They do not appear to be watertight due to the fact Macduffee implemented a waterpump in the suit. This pump was able to pump water from the leg section into the sea. The pump operated on compressed air supplied from the surface. The used air from the pump then expanded into the suit and was used by the diver for breathing.  The suit was equipped with a 12 section-gripper mounted on one arm and an electric light on the other arm.

This steampunk nightmare actually worked and was tested in 1915 to a depth of 214 feet in Long Island Sound.

Warship Wednesday, Aug 14 One Hard Serving Yacht

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Here at LSOZI, we are going to take out every Wednesday for a look at the old steam/diesel navies of the 1859-1946 time

period and will profile a different ship each week.

– Christopher Eger

Warship Wednesday,  Aug 14

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Here we see the patrol yacht USS Cythera (SP-575/PY-26) in her former livery as a Agawa, personal yacht. Owned by William Lamon  Harkness, an Ohio-born oil tycoon who owned a big portion of Standard Oil at the turn of the century, Agawa was actually Harkness’s second large yacht, but both would have a sad history.

yacht Gunilda, now almost perfectly preserved in the freshwater of the Great Lakes. She was Harknesses first yacht and the Agawa favored her, even being build in the same yard

yacht Gunilda, now almost perfectly preserved in the freshwater of the Great Lakes. She was Harknesses first yacht and the Agawa favored her, even being build in the same yard

You see Harkness, born with a silver spoon (he inherited his stake in Standard), was something of an arrogant person. His first yacht, the 195-foot mega cruiser Gunilda, was a work of art. Designed by Cox & King in London, England, and built by Ramage & Ferguson in Leith, Scotland. The yacht Gunilda launched from Scotland in 1897 and sailed across the Atlantic with a crew of 25 after being chartered in 1901 by a member of the New York Yacht Club. Press reports of the vessel’s arrival in America describe her as a schooner rigged with a sail area of 4,620 sq. ft of canvas. Harkness bought her in 1903 in a fit of extravagant spending, then in 1911 sank her in Lake Superior, apparently being too cheap to spend money on a pilot.

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His new yacht, Agawa, was laid down at Ramage and Feguson as well. She was launched 20 September 1906, Mrs Harkness being her sponsor. A 215-foot long statement in white, she was beauty in motion. She won the Mill Trophy, an award for a long-distance yacht race, in both 1907 and 1909.  When the US entered World War One, the Navy was in fast need of boats that could be used as escort ships to convoy troops and supplies ‘Over There’. Harkness volunteered the love of his life for service and on 20 October 1917, the Agawa became the USS Cythera (SP 575). She served for a total of just under 18 months on the Naval List, being returned to her owner on 19 March 1919. In the war she sailed with Patrol Force, Atlantic Fleet, towing small boats to France and then escorting coastal convoys in the Med.

In WWI Dazzle Scheme

In WWI Dazzle Scheme

Harkness himself died on May 10, 1919, but his family put her back into civilian use for another two decades. At the time of his death, his estate was worth some $700-million in today’s dollars.

When WWII erupted, the Navy found itself in the same old problem as before, being eaten alive by German U-Boats in the Atlantic as well as Japanese ones in the Pacific. Mrs Harkness leased the now 30+ year old yacht back to the Navy for $1 on 3 Mar, 1942. On her first cruise, leaving Norfolk for Hawaii just a few months after Pearl Harbor, she was encountered by U-402 a Type VIIC German submarine under the command of Kaleu Siegfried von Forstner. Firing a single torpedo (of three fired) the U-boat broke the Cythera in half while she was zigzagging some 115-miles off the North Carolina Coast.

In World War Two haze grey

In World War Two haze grey

From U-boat.net ” The ship immediately split in two, and the forward half rose steeply out of the water. The ship sank very quickly and at least two of her depth charges that were preset exploded underwater. This information was told to me by one of the two survivors, Mr. James M. Brown, who I located in Maine in 1991. He was on forward lookout at the time of the attack. The other survivor was Charles H. Carter, but I was never able to locate him. He was standing on the bridge next to the Commander when they were attacked. As a side note, Charles H. Carter was at Pearl Harbor aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma (BB 37) that was sunk during the Japanese attack. He survived two attacks within 5 months when the ships he was aboard were sunk – incredible!

Shortly after USS Cythera went down, U-402 surfaced and turned on its search light looking at whatever debris was floating in the large oil slick that was all that remained from the ship. Brown and Carter were found clinging to a small raft and were taken aboard as prisoners. They asked to be left back in the water but Von Forstner replied: No, boys, the war´s over for you. Both survivors were covered in oil, and Von Forstner gave his sweater to Mr. Brown. Both were also given some brandy to drink. Brown also spoke fluent German, but I never thought to ask if he revealed that to Von Forstner. He did say, however, that the Chief Engineer on the U-Boat spoke fluent English, so I suppose that´s how they communicated. When Brown asked Von Forstner why they were not machine-gunned in the water, Von Forstner and crew members present expressed shock that the Americans would even think of such a thing.

During the return trip to France the Americans were treated well. They were given cigarettes every day and allowed to go topside for fresh air every day. Brown said Von Forstner was a compassionate man who was not signed on to Nazi ideology. He was a professional sailor who came from a family of military background. He was not enthusiastic about war, but he did his job well as a German officer. When the Americans were turned over to the German Army in France there apparently was consternation between the U-Boat crew and the German soldiers, who may have manhandled the POWs. In the almost three-week trip to France, the crew and prisoners formed somewhat of a bond between them; in fact, the Americans even invited the crew to visit them in America after the war.

Brown, at least, wound up in a POW camp in Upper Silezia, Poland for the remainder of the war. The camp produced synthetic fuel and held mostly British POWs. Later in the war, the camp was abandoned because of advancing Soviet forces approaching from the east, and the POWs were force-marched toward Moosburg, Germany, to another camp. He was finally liberated in late April 1945 by forward units of Patton´s 3rd Army and made his way back across Europe where he was put in a military hospital for several weeks.”

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U-402 herself was sunk on the 13th October 1943 in the middle of the North Atlantic, in position 48.56N, 29.41W, by an acoustic torpedo (Fido) from TBD Avenger supported by F4F Wildcat aircraft  of VC-9 flying from the escort carrier USS Card. Unlike the Cythera, she went down with all hands. Fortsner was credited with 15 ships sunk (71,036 tons) and 3 ships damaged (28,682 tons), of which Cythera was both the smallest and the only warship.

Cythera‘s name was recycled on 26 October 1942 when the yacht Argosy was commissioned into the US Navy

Mr. Harkness is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Specs:
Displacement 1,000 t.
Length 215′
Beam 27′ 6″
Draft 12′
Speed 12 kts.
Complement 113 in WWI,  71 in WWII
Armament: WWI : One 3″ gun, depth charges. WWII: Three 3″ gun mounts, 50 depth charges on roll-off racks, four .50 caliber
HMGs
Propulsion: One 1,350ihp steam engine, one shaft.

If you liked this column, please consider joining the International Naval Research Organization (INRO) They are possibly one of the best sources of naval lore http://www.warship.org/naval.htm

The International Naval Research Organization is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the encouragement of the study of naval vessels and their histories, principally in the era of iron and steel warships (about 1860 to date). Its purpose is to provide information and a means of contact for those interested in warships.

Nearing their 50th Anniversary, Warship International, the written tome of the INRO has published hundreds of articles, most of which are unique in their sweep and subject.

I’m a member, so should you be!

Huge Chinese Diesel Boat

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After generations of not being able  to get their nuclear powered boats to work right, the Chinese have gone and built the world’s largest conventional (diesel) sub. The Type 032 Qing-class test submarine is thought that this big diesel boomer will replace a forty-year old Golf class submarine that has been used since the Nixon era to test Chinese SLBMs.

For reference, it is thought to be over 6628-tons, making it very nearly the largest diesel boat ever made (the Japanese I-400 series boats, profiled on a previous Warship Wednesday, in fact drew 6670-tons at full load).  Except where the I400 was capable of carrying 3 seaplanes, a 140mm gun, and 8-torpedo tubes, the Qing is capable of carrying the 4500-nm range the JL-2A submarine-launched ballistic missile, CJ-20A cruise missiles and the YJ-18 anti-ship missile. Oh yeah, plus torpedoes.

Previous Chinese nuclear powered boats were considered the brass bands of the Pacific, being heard from miles away by P-3 crews and 688 boat passive arrays. These new ones may be an interesting move in the quiet direction.

Only time will tell.

Hattip to MP.net  for breaking the story even before Janes.

Say what you want, but the LCS can really shake it

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The littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2) demonstrates its maneuvering capabilities in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel M. Young/Released)

The littoral combat ship USS Independence (LCS 2) demonstrates its maneuvering capabilities in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel M. Young/Released)

USS Independence operations

Warship Wednesday: Aug 8, 2013, The Lost Wake

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Here at LSOZI, we are going to take out every Wednesday for a look at the old steam/diesel navies of the 1859-1946 time period and will profile a different ship each week. – Christopher Eger

Warship Wednesday:  Aug 8, 2013

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Here we see the river gunboat USS Guam steaming down the Yangtze river in old China. Unlike most of Uncle’s warships, she never once sailed US waters.

Built in China at the Kiangnan Dock and Engineering Works, Shanghai specifically for the US Navy, she was one of the first new-built Chinese gunboats for the US. Uncle had for generations maintained a fleet of coastal and river gunboats in Chinese waters. These boats, immortalized in the book and film the Sand Pebbles, were known as the Yangtze Patrol (COMYANGPAT), after the huge river system they commonly haunted. The first modern patrol started in 1901, was with three captured Spanish shallow draft gunboats (USS Elcano, Villalobos, and Callao) that had previously been used in the Philippines. Two more gunboats, USS Palos and Monocacy, were built at Mare Island in California in 1913 and shipped across the Pacific. By 1926 these five boats were all worn out and the navy went shopping for replacements.

The_Sand_Pebbles_film_poster

With dollars always short in the Navy budget, it just made sense to build these new boats in China, to save construction and shipping costs. These new ships consisted of two large 500-ton, 210-foot gunboats (USS Luzon and Mindanao); two medium-sized 450-ton, 191-foot boats (USS Oahu and Panay) and two small 350-ton, 159-foot boats (USS Guam and Tutuila).

Guam was commissioned 28 December 1927 and carried a designation as a patrol gunboat number 43 (PG-43), then reclassified the next year as patrol-boat, river, number 3 (PR-3) six months later. This change was due to the flat-bottom hulled craft being incapable of at-sea operations. Her 5-foot draft meant she could travel all over the inland river systems and she spent the next 14-years of her US Navy career doing so.

USS TUTUILA (PR-4) or USS GUAM (PR-3) Ship’s officers and crew, photographed at Hankow, China, on 14 July 1930. Note armored covers of bridge windows, awning frames, 3″/23 gun. Description: Courtesy of Ted Stone, 1977 Catalog #: NH 85840

She had a quiet life but it was exotic. Warlords, bandits, White Russian refugees, Communist rebels, and corrupt local governments changed every few miles along the river. By 1931, Japanese interests in the country meant a dangerous future for the Yangtze Patrol.

When Americans in China were in sticky situations from 1901-1941, this is how the brown-water sailors of the US Navy's YANGPAT came ashore.

When Americans in China were in sticky situations from 1901-1941, this is how the brown-water sailors of the US Navy’s YANGPAT came ashore.

In December 1937, 12 Japanese fighter-bombers attacked and sunk the larger USS Panay in Nanking, China as the boat was evacuating Americans from the embattled city.

Ichang, China view taken 18 May 1937, showing USS GUAM (PR-3), moored astern of USS PANAY (PR-5) prior to their inspection by the Commander in Chief Asiatic Fleet. British river gunboat GANNET (1927) is in the background, seen above PANAY. Description: Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Philip Yarnell, 1975 Catalog #: NH 81615

Following this incident tensions grew between the Japanese and US Navy ships in Chinese waters and Guam wandered around, decked in as many US flags as could be found, keeping quiet tabs. Just before Pearl Harbor, the four larger ships were withdrawn to the Philippines but Guam and her sister Tutuila were forced to remain behind, planned to be turned over to the Chinese.

On December 5, 1941, two days before the US entered WWII, COMYANGPAT was disbanded and the USS Guam renamed USS Wake earlier in the year, was the last US Navy ship in Chinese waters. Most of her crew had already left, transferred to the larger boats, and were in the Philippines. Just the captain and 14 crewmen remained aboard, destroyed vital papers, and wired the ship with scuttling charges.

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On December 8, 1941, the USS Wake surrendered to the Japanese military as crack marines of the Special Naval Landing Force stormed the ship before news of Pearl Harbor reached the naval vessel. Trapped in a no-win situation at the start of WWII, her captain did what he could to ensure the safety of his sailors who were marched off into five years of Japanese imprisonment.

Capture of USS WAKE (PR-3), 8 December 1941 Japanese special naval landing force personnel celebrate after they captured USS WAKE on the first day of World War II in the Pacific. The Shanghai “Bund” is in the background. Description: Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Catalog #: NH 96568

Japanese naval infantrymen aboard a ship off Shanghai, China, 8 Dec 1941 note captured American flag, 1928 Thompson sub-machine guns, and 12 gauge M1897 Winchester riot guns, all likely from USS Wake

She is the only US Navy ship to surrender in modern times.

It is perhaps this fact that has kept the US Navy from commissioning another USS Wake. As of this date, there has never been another. The captain and two other men escaped confinement in 1944 and walked 700 miles to Allied lines.

gunboat

The Japanese used her as a gunboat manned by their local Chinese surrogates under the name of Tatara. Surviving multiple US air raids during WWII, she was captured by the US Army in 1945 and given to the Nationalist Chinese who used her as the Tai Yuan.

In a final, and fitting chapter of her life, she was captured by Mao’s Red Chinese in 1949. They kept the old girl poking around until at least the late 1960s.

Her final disposition is unknown.

Specs:
Displacement: 350 long tons (360 t)
Length:     159 ft 5 in (48.59 m)
Beam:     27 ft 1 in (8.26 m)
Draft:     5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Installed power:     1,900 ihp (1,400 kW)
Propulsion:     2 × triple expansion steam engines
2 × screws
Speed:     14.5 kn (16.7 mph; 26.9 km/h)
Complement: 59
Armament:     1927: 2 × 3in guns (2×1) 8 × .30-06 Lewis machine guns (8×1), infantry weapons
1942: US-made 3″ guns replaced with Japanese 3″ AA guns.
Jan 1945 several Type 93 13.2mm M.G.s installed
1946 more light machineguns added. Presumably, refit with Soviet weapons in the 1950s.

Specs:
If you liked this column, please consider joining the International Naval Research Organization (INRO)

They are possibly one of the best sources of naval lore http://www.warship.org/naval.htm

The International Naval Research Organization is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the encouragement of the study of naval vessels and their histories, principally in the era of iron and steel warships (about 1860 to date). Its purpose is to provide information and a means of contact for those interested in warships.

Nearing their 50th Anniversary, Warship International, the written tome of the INRO has published hundreds of articles, most of which are unique in their sweep and subject.

I’m a member, so should you be!

Union Captures Hamptons Flag…..again

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WASHINGTON (July 31, 2013) A Confederate flag captured from the CSS Hampton lies on a protective sheet during a ceremony celebrating the transfer of ownership of the flag from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society to Navy History and Heritage Command. The note attached to the flag reads “That of Confed gun boat Hampton burnt in James River at the taking of Richmond. The flag was taken from the burning ship by Liet. Ladd (13th N. Hampshire), Gen. Devens staff.” The flag has been in the historical society’s possession since the 1960s. The museum plans to preserve the flag and make it a part of their Civil War exhibit. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tim Comerford/Released)

 

 

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The Hampton was a Confederate gunboat built at Norfolk in 1862 then participated in significant river actions including the battle at Dutch Gap on August 13, 1864; operations against Fort Harrison on September 29-October 1; and the engagement at Chaffin’s Bluff on October 22.

Hampton was burned by the Confederates as they evacuated Richmond, Virginia on April 3, 1865.

Displacement:     166 tons
Length:     106 ft (32 m)
Beam:     21 ft (6.4 m)
Draft:     6 ft (1.8 m)
Propulsion:     Steam engine
Armament:     1 9″ cannon, 1 32-pounder cannon

Disney Insignia from WWII

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You may or may not know that Disney and the guys in the art studio over there did thier part in the Big One back 70+ years ago. Walt had served  in France during WWI as a infantryman amongst the mustard gas so when WWII came about, he offered his studios services. They made all sorts of insignia (over 3000) for the military and the USNI has a gallery of it over at their website

Enjoy!

 

Get it, “Mine…Sweeper”
HAaaa

Warship Wednesday, July 31 The Lost Pueblo

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Here at LSOZI, we are going to take out every Wednesday for a look at the old steam/diesel navies of the 1859-1946 time period and will profile a different ship each week.

– Christopher Eger

Warship Wednesday,  July 31

PuebloLarge
Here we see the humble technical research ship USS Pueblo (AGER-2 ) chugging across the seas in 1967.

In the 1960s the US Navy commissioned several of what were termed ‘auxiliary environmental research ships’ (AGER). Offically these ships wandered the seas conducting research into atmospheric and communications phenomena for the sake of science. This of course was a cover for soaking up juicy bits if SIGINT and ELINT from Soviet, Chinese, North Korean, and other ships at sea and shore inland.

pueblo electrionics

These ships had a special system named Technical Research Ship Special Communications, or TRSSCOM (pronounced tress-com). This Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) communications system used a special gyroscope-stabilized 16-foot parabolic antenna, in which Radio signals were transmitted toward the moon, where they would bounce back toward the Earth and be received by a large 64-foot parabolic antenna at a Naval Communications Station in Cheltenham, Maryland (near Washington, D.C.) or Wahiawa, Hawaii. Communications could occur only when the moon was visible simultaneously at the ship’s location and in Cheltenham or Wahiawa. The gyro stabilization of the antenna kept the antenna pointed at the moon while the ship rolled and pitched on the surface of the ocean.

Some 11 ships altogether were converted as spyships. Most were cargo ships, old Liberty and Victory, and C1-M-AV1 types which had high free board and lots of room for cargo which led to lots of space for spy gear (err…atmospheric instruments). Three of the 11 were small Army Freight Supply ships which were much lower to the surface of the ocean. The Army had used these boats (yes the Army has a fleet too) during WWII to resupply garrisons and bases strung all across Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. These ‘wackiest ships in the army’ were simple boats that could motor around little harbors and discharge drums of diesel, cases of C-rats, tents, toilet paper and ammo then head to the next port.

This is how the Pueblo looked when she served in the US Army during WWII

This is how the Pueblo looked when she served in the US Army during WWII

One of these three 177-foot Army ships transferred to the Navy for use as a spy (sorry, research) boat was Army Freight and Supply ship 344 (FS-344). Commissioned at New Orleans on 7 April 1945, she had a crew of USCGR officers who used the ship as a training boat for new sea-going Army sailors. Laid up she was brought back into service to shuttle cargo around during Korea. The Army, with a huge number of these boats in their possession, placed FS-344 in their version of mothballs in 1954. The Navy picked her up quietly in 1966, made a few simple improvements, added a lot of commo gear, and named her USS Pueblo.

commissioned into the USN on 13 May 1967, she carried a crew of navy and marine communications technicians on a mission in support of the National Security Agency. It should be remembered that the NSA didn’t officially exist as far as the public was concerned at the time and was commonly called ‘No Such Agency’ by those who did know. The ship was commissioned just three weeks before another intelligence gathering auxiliary, the USS Liberty (AGTR-5), was attacked in the Med on 8 June 1967 by the Israeli Defence Forces during the Six Day War. The Liberty was hit while in international waters off the northern coast of the Sinai Peninsula and her armament of four M2 machineguns was outclassed against modern attack aircraft and three torpedo boats– an ominous harbinger for what the smaller Pueblo had in her future.

On January 23, 1968, as the Pueblo sat 15.4-miles off the North Korean coastline, she was approached at some 4000-yards by an unidentified Project 201M (“SO-1”) class Soviet made subchaser. This 1950s designed 138-foot patrol boat wasn’t very capable against submarines, but she did have a Reya (“Pot Head”) surface search radar with a 25nm range, a 57mm popgun, and some 23mm anti-aircraft guns. Worse, the Pueblo could only make 12-knots downhill with a tailwind while the commie subchaser could bust out 27.

PUEBLO Under attack drawing

Then four torpedo boats showed up and that’s when the wheels fell off. These boats were Chinese made P4 boats, an improvement of the old Soviet G5-class motor torpedo boat made during WWII from a hybrid British-Italian design. Only 63-feet long they could make over 55-knots on a pair of 1200hp engines and packed a twin 14.5mm heavy machineguns mount forward and a pair of 450mm torpedoes each. The PT boats had almost three times the horsepower as the 25-year old freighter and showed it.

The Pueblo could not outrun the subchaser and the four torpedo boats in anyone’s imagination. If she stood and fought it out, she only four M2 machineguns mounted on deck. While the old Ma Duece is a 12.7mm (50 cal) heavy, Pueblo’s were in no condition to fight. To appear as inoffensive as possible, they were slimed with CLP and covered by tarps (it was January in Korea guys, which means they were frozen) and their ammo was stored below deck. Only one bluejacket had a working knowledge of these guns and their were no Gunners Mate ratings aboard. Sure the nearly 1000-ton converted freighter could have tried to ram her way out of trouble against the smaller craft, but it would be like a turtle fighting four rabbits– armed with torpedoes.

Nevertheless the Pueblo maneuvered wildly and dodged Korean attempts to board her for over two hours, catching shellfire and 12.7mm rounds during the chase in her hull and superstructure. Repeated calls for assistance from the US fleet got no help and soon a pair of MIGs were circling the boat. Taking fire and with the torpedo boats taking the covers off of their tubes, it was a no-win situation. With no other option, the ship turned and followed the subchaser into North Korean waters where the crew was captured (one of which, Fireman Duane Hodges, was killed by a Korean shell) and held for 11 months. The ship’s captain, LCDR. Lloyd M. Bucher was wounded and later received the purple heart.

Anybody recognize the one-finger salute?

Anybody recognize the one-finger salute?

After much political passion play, the crew was finally released and walked over the DMZ in single file, leaving the Pueblo in North Korean hands. They endured 335 days of harsh imprisonment.

Hodges earned the silver star posthumously as did the ships Operations Officer, LTJG Schumacher. Six men earned Bronze stars for their actions. All crewmembers earned the Navy Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the POW medal. One marine won the Navy Cross for his heroism during the internment as follows, “The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Sergeant Robert J. Hammond, United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism as a crew member of the U.S.S. PUEBLO (AGER-2) during their period of captivity in North Korea from 24 January to 23 December 1968.

Following his capture, Sergeant Hammond, through his unyielding resistance and fierce loyalty to his shipmates and his country, became a symbol of resistance, courage, and dedication to the United States. This infuriated the North Koreans, who singled him out for more frequent and far more severe brutalities than were administered to the other prisoners. When the North Koreans learned that the U.S.S. PUEBLO crew had duped them in their international propaganda efforts, they intensified their efforts to break the will and spirit of the crew through the administration of indiscriminate beatings. Realizing that many of his shipmates were in danger of being permanently injured or killed, Sergeant Hammond willingly attempted to sacrifice his own life in order that his shipmates might be spared further torture. The following day the North Koreans ceased their beatings and tortures. Sergeant Hammond’s devotion to duty and heroic actions against seemingly impossible odds reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”

The writing was on the wall for the AGER/AGTR project and by 1970 the entire fleet had been taken offline.

USS_Pueblo_(AGER-2)_02

The Pueblo herself has been kept in decent condition by her current possessors (the US Navy still ‘owns’ her and as such is still carried on the US Navy List as ‘In commission’). Her keel laid in 1944 she is the oldest commissioned warship in the US fleet at age 77 with only Old Ironsides having more history on her hull. From time to time the ship gets a new coat of paint and has been towed from one harbor to another, posing a very curious tourist attraction wherever it goes in the freedom loving Peoples Republic.

The Pueblo Veterans Assoc is keeping the lights on for her in the States  . Perhaps she will return to the US one day.

Stranger things have happened.

Specs
Displacement: 550 tons light, 895 tons full, 345 tons dead
Length:     177 ft (53.9 m)
Beam:     32 ft (9.7 m)
Draft:     9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion:     twin 500hp GM Cleveland Division 6-278A 6-cyl V6 diesel engines
Speed:     12.7 knots (23.5 km/h)
Complement:     42 mariners as a cargo ship  (had a 82 man crew in 1968 as a AGER)
Armament:     None as freighter, 4 × Browning .50-caliber machine guns as AGER

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