- H-Grams
- H-Gram 001
- H-Gram 002
- H-Gram 003
- H-Gram 004
- H-Gram 005
- H-Gram 006
- H-Gram 007
- H-Gram 008
- H-Gram 009
- H-Gram 010
- H-Gram 011
- H-Gram 012
- H-Gram 013
- H-Gram 014
- H-Gram 015
- H-Gram 016
- H-Gram 017
- H-Gram 018
- H-Gram 019
- H-Gram 020
- H-Gram 021
- H-Gram 022
- H-Gram 023
- H-Gram 024
- H-Gram 025
- H-Gram 026
- H-Gram 027
- H-Gram 028
- H-Gram 029
- H-Gram 030
- H-Gram 031
- H-Gram 032
- H-Gram 033
- H-Gram Special Edition: Passing of Supreme Court Justice Stevens
- H-Gram 034
- H-Gram 035
- H-Gram 036
- H-Gram 037
- H-Gram 038
- H-Gram 039
- H-Gram 040
- H-Gram 041
- H-Gram 042
- H-Gram 043
- H-Gram 044
- H-Gram 045
- H-Gram 046
- H-Gram 047
- H-Gram 048
- H-Gram 049
- H-Gram 050
- H-Gram 051
- H-Gram 052
- H-Gram 053
- H-Gram 054
- H-Gram 055
- H-Gram 056
- H-Gram 057
- H-Gram 058
- H-Gram 059
- H-Gram 060
- H-Gram 061
- H-Gram 062
- H-Gram 063
- H-Gram 064
- H-Gram 066
- H-Gram 067
- H-Gram 068
- H-Gram 069
- H-Gram 070
- H-Gram 071
- H-Gram 072
- H-Gram 073
- H-Gram 074
- H-Gram 075
- H-Gram 076
- H-Gram 077
- H-Gram 078
- In Memoriam
- Blogs
- Operations
- Intelligence
- Historical Summary
- Vietnam Conflict 1962-1975
- Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
- NHHC
H-Gram 014: 50th Anniversary of the Seizure of USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
22 January 2018
The Seizure of the USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
On 23 January 1968, an overwhelming force of North Korean naval vessels fired on and hit USS Pueblo (AGER-2) before boarding and seizing the ship in international waters off the east coast of North Korea. At the start of the incident, Pueblo was dead-in-the-water about 16 nautical miles from the nearest North Korean territory (an island), conducting an intelligence-collection mission. During the attack, one U.S. crewman (Fireman Duane Hodges) was mortally wounded and would die before the ship reached North Korean port. Ten other U.S. crewmen, including the commanding officer, Commander Lloyd M. "Pete" Bucher, were wounded to varying degrees. Pueblo initially maneuvered to avoid being boarded, but Bucher determined that armed resistance was futile. After capture, Pueblo’s surviving crew of 82 (including two Marines and two civilians) would endure months of torture, beatings, food deprivation, and inadequate medical care before being released in December 1968. Some of Pueblo's crew would be paraded before camera at an international news conference to demonstrate how well they were being cared for, during which several of the crewmen displayed the "Hawaiian Good Luck Symbol" (their middle finger). More torture ensued when the North Koreans learned the true meaning of the gesture. Bucher's crew would receive one Navy Cross, two Silver Stars (one posthumously, for Hodges) and six Bronze Stars (with Combat V), mostly for their actions during captivity. Bucher's decision to place the lives of his crew ahead of the axiom "Don't Give Up the Ship" would be one of the most hotly debated in U.S. Navy history. For more on the USS Pueblo, please see the attachment H-014-1.
Footnotes
- Accessibility/Section 508 |
- Employee Login |
- FOIA |
- NHHC IG |
- Privacy |
- Webmaster |
- Navy.mil |
- Navy Recruiting |
- Careers |
- USA.gov |
- USA Jobs
- No Fear Act |
- Site Map |
- This is an official U.S. Navy web site