The naval forces of many states have rare ships. They will never go to sea, but to exclude them from the lists of the fleet would mean ripping out the heroic pages of the past from memory and forever losing the continuity of traditions for future generations.
Therefore, the cruiser "Aurora" stands at the eternal dock at the Petrogradskaya embankment of St. Petersburg, and at the docks of Portsmouth the masts of the 104-gun battleship "Victory" rise. Above each veteran, the country's naval flag flies, a reduced crew of naval sailors is on watch, and a special column is allocated in the Navy budget for their maintenance (note: "Aurora" was excluded from the Navy in 2010 and transferred to the category of ships - museums).
Even the pragmatic United States has its own rare ship, the USS Pueblo (AGER-2). Perhaps the most unusual of all warships in the world.
Removing the Pueblo from the US Navy would mean raising the white flag and capitulating in the face of the enemy. The small scout is still listed in all the Pentagon lists as an active combat unit. And it doesn't matter that the Pueblo itself has been de facto moored at the embankment in North Korean Pyongyang for almost half a century, and its secret radio-technical "stuffing" was taken apart in pieces in the interests of the secret research institutes of the Soviet Union.
… The muzzles of the uncovered "Browning" 50 caliber protrude helplessly. On the walls of the Pueblo superstructures, lacerated wounds from shrapnel are blackening, and the brown blood stains of American sailors are visible on the decks. But how did the Yankee warship end up in such a humiliating position?
Capture Pueblo
The Pueblo signal intelligence ship passed by the official documents of the US Navy as a hydrographic ship of the Banner class (Auxiliary General Environmental Research - AGER). The former FP-344 cargo-passenger ship, launched in 1944, and subsequently converted for special operations. Full displacement - 895 tons. The crew is about 80 people. Full speed - 12, 5 knots. Armament - 2 machine guns of 12, 7 mm caliber.
A typical Cold War scout disguised as a harmless scientific vessel. But behind the modest appearance was a wolfish grin. The interiors of the Pueblo's interior resembled a giant supercomputer - long rows of racks with radios, oscilloscopes, tape recorders, encryption machines, and other specific equipment. The task is to monitor the USSR Navy, measure the electromagnetic fields of Soviet ships, intercept signals at all frequencies in the interests of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the naval intelligence of the fleet.
On January 11, 1968, USS Pueblo (AGER-2) left the port of Sasebo and, passing the Tsushima Strait, entered the Sea of Japan with the task of monitoring the ships of the Pacific Fleet of the USSR Navy. After circling for several days in the Vladivostok area, the Pueblo moved south along the coast of the Korean Peninsula, simultaneously collecting information about the sources of radio emission on the territory of the DPRK. The situation was alarming: on January 20, when the scout was 15 miles from the naval base on about. Mayan-do the watchmen found a warship on the horizon. Poor visibility made it difficult to accurately establish its nationality - the object, which turned out to be a small anti-submarine ship of the DPRK Navy, disappeared without a trace in the evening twilight.
On January 22, two North Korean trawlers appeared near the Pueblo, accompanying the American all day. On the same day, a group of North Korean special forces attempted to assassinate South Korean President Park Chung Hee, but died in a shootout with police.
Bad omens were ignored: "Pueblo" calmly continued on its way along the coast of the DPRK.
On January 23, 1968, hour X struck - at 11:40 a small anti-submarine ship SC-35 of the DPRK Navy approached the Pueblo. With the help of a flag semaphore, the Koreans demanded to indicate the nationality of the ship. The Americans immediately raised the Stars and Stripes on the Pueblo mast. This was supposed to cool hotheads and exclude any provocation from the enemy.
Small anti-submarine ship of Soviet production
However, from the SC-35, an order was immediately followed to immediately stop the course, otherwise the Koreans threatened to open fire. The Yankees were playing for time. At this time, three more torpedo boats appeared next to the Pueblo. The situation took an alarming turn. The US flag somehow did not particularly cool the Korean ardor.
The commander of the Pueblo Lloyd Bucher once again checked the map and checked the navigation radar with his own hand - that's right, the Pueblo is located 15 miles from the coast, outside the territorial waters of the DPRK. However, the Koreans did not think to lag behind - the air was filled with the roar of jet fighters. North Korean aircraft and navy were surrounded on all sides by a lone American scout.
Now Commander Bucher realized what the enemy was planning - to take the unarmed Pueblo into the ring and force it to follow to one of the North Korean ports. When leaving Sasebo, he attended a meeting with officers from the crew of the Reconnaissance ship Banner. Colleagues confirmed that the Soviet and Chinese navies regularly use similar tactics in an attempt to trap American reconnaissance ships. However, unlike the Soviet Navy, the North Korean fleet acted more daringly and decisively. After 2 hours of an unsuccessful pursuit, the first shell flew into the Pueblo superstructure, severing the leg of one of the American sailors. Following, on the plating of the scout, the rattle of machine-gun shots rumbled.
The Yankees screamed about the attack on all frequencies and rushed to destroy the classified equipment.
Tens of tons of radio electronics and encryption machines, mountains of classified documents, reports, orders, magnetic tapes with recordings of negotiations between the North Korean and Soviet military - too much work for three fire axes and two electric paper shredders. Parts, documents and magnetic tapes should be dumped into bags for subsequent dumping overboard - after giving the necessary orders, Bucher rushed headlong into the radio room. How does the command of the 7th fleet promise to help him?
The signal for an attack on the US Navy ship was received by the ships of the carrier strike group, which was located 500 miles south of the Pueblo. The commander of Task Force 71, Rear Admiral Epes, ordered to immediately raise the Phantoms on duty group and destroy to hell with all the North Korean cans trying to get close to the American reconnaissance ship. To which the commander of the supercarrier "Enterprise" only threw up his hands - he is unlikely to be able to help in this situation. The aircraft wing of the Enterprise has not yet recovered after a long transoceanic crossing, half of the aircraft have been damaged by a severe typhoon, and the four combat-ready Phantoms on the deck carry no weapons other than air-to-air missiles. It will take his guys at least an hour and a half to change weapons and form a full-fledged strike group - but, alas, by that time, it will probably be too late …
The destroyers USS Higbee, USS Collet and USS O'Bannon stationed in Japanese ports were too far away to provide any assistance to the attacked scout. The promised F-105 Thunderchiff fighter-bombers also did not arrive …
During this time, the Koreans continued to methodically shoot the bridge and superstructure of the Pueblo with a 57mm gun, hoping to kill the commander and senior officers of the ship. The "decapitated" ship must quickly raise the "white flag" and accept the terms of the Korean sailors.
Finally, Commander Bucher realized that help would not come to them, and the Koreans would shoot them all if the Yankees did not fulfill their conditions. The Pueblo stalled its course and prepared to take on board the capture group. The Yankees did not even try to accept the fight - the Browning on the upper deck remained uncovered. Later, the commander made excuses that from the Pueblo's crew, only one person knew how to use these weapons.
From the approaching torpedo boat, 8 Korean sailors landed on the Pueblo's deck, none of whom spoke English. Commander Butcher tried to explain that he was the senior on the ship. The Korean officer signaled to the crew to line up along the side and fired a burst from the Kalashnikov over their heads, obviously indicating to the frightened Yankees that he was now in charge. And he does not intend to joke with them.
Coming down with the Koreans to the working rooms of radio technicians and encryptors, Commander Bucher was dumbfounded: the entire deck was littered with bags of documents, parts of secret equipment and scraps of magnetic years. They were packed into sacks, but no one ever bothered to throw them overboard! No less surprise awaited them in the radio room: according to Bucher himself, the narrow eyes of the Koreans widened at the sight of teleprinters continuing to knock out secret radio messages - the Yankees not only did not destroy the equipment, but did not even try to turn it off!
Effects
The captured Pueblo was escorted to Wonsan. In total, in a skirmish with the DPRK Navy, the reconnaissance crew lost one person killed, the remaining 82 sailors were captured. 10 Americans were injured of varying severity.
The next day, negotiations between representatives of the United States and the DPRK began at the Panmunjong checkpoint of the Korean militarized zone. Rear Admiral John Victor Smith read out an American appeal: the Yankees demanded the immediate release of the hostages, the return of the confiscated hydrographic court, and an apology. It was emphasized that the seizure took place at a distance of 15.6 miles from the coast of the Korean Peninsula, outside the territorial waters of the DPRK (according to international rules, 12 miles from the coast).
North Korean general Park Chung Guk just laughed in the face of the Americans and said that the border of the territorial waters is where Comrade Kim will indicate. Currently, this distance is 50 miles from the coast of North Korea. He, on behalf of his country, expresses a strong protest against the brutal aggressive invasion of the DPRK terrorists by an armed ship with spy equipment on board, and any conversation about the release of the Pueblo crew members can only be held after an official apology from the United States.
The negotiations are at an impasse.
On January 28, with the help of the A-12 high-altitude supersonic reconnaissance aircraft (predecessor of the SR-71), reliable confirmation was obtained that the Pueblo had been captured by the North Korean armed forces. The pictures clearly showed that the ship is located at the Wonsan naval base, surrounded by ships of the DPRK Navy.
"Pueblo" from a height of 20 km
At the same time, a letter of gratitude from Commander Bucher came from North Korea, in which he confessed to espionage and other sins. The text was composed in accordance with the Juche ideology and could never have been written by an American. But the signature was real. As it became known later, the Koreans beat the Pueblo commander, and when this did not help, they threatened that he would witness the execution of the entire crew and then die himself. Realizing who he was dealing with, Bucher wisely signed a confession.
The Pueblo crew spent 11 months in captivity. Finally, on December 23 at 9:00 am, the Americans officially apologized to the North Korean side, at 11:30 on the same day, the procedure for extradition of prisoners of war began at the Panmunjong checkpoint. A medical examination revealed traces of cruel treatment and beatings in the sailors, all suffering from exhaustion (although who in the DPRK does not suffer from exhaustion?). At the same time, there were no serious injuries, mutilations or mental disorders: Koreans treated Americans like inmates of an ordinary prison. There were no sensational reports about the atrocities in captivity.
At home, sailors were greeted as real heroes. However, already in January 1969 the trial was opened - 200 hours of sessions, 140 witnesses. Pentagon officials were outraged that, for the first time in 160 years, an American ship was surrendered to the enemy. With a full set of secret equipment!
Why did the commander, when threatened to capture the Pueblo, not dare to sink his ship? Or at least destroy your most valuable equipment? Cipher machines fell into the hands of the North Koreans - a direct threat to US national security, plus, the hijacked ship will most likely be put up somewhere in a prominent place, which will damage America's image.
Lloyd Bucher justified himself by the fact that a couple of months before the campaign he turned to the command of the fleet with a request to install explosive devices - to quickly detonate and destroy secret equipment. However, his request remained unsatisfied.
Finally, why did the great and invincible American aviation not come to the aid of the Pueblo? Where was the supercarrier Enterprise snapping its beak at that time?
During the trial, all new facts of the mess in the US Navy were revealed. Finally, the Yankees decided to end the tragicomedy and begin to constructively solve the identified problems. By decision of the Commander of the Navy, John Chaffee, the case was closed. Commander Bucher was fully acquitted.
The main mistake in the Pueblo incident was the miscalculation on the adequacy of the DPRK. The Yankees were sure that they were acting against an ally of the USSR, which means that there was no one to fear: Soviet sailors always observed the norms of international maritime law and would never have touched an American ship outside the 12-mile zone of territorial waters. Even in the open ocean, Soviet intelligence officers (communications vessels - SSV) and their American "colleagues" (GER / AGER) - the same miserable unarmed "pelvis", boldly approached the squadrons of the "potential enemy", rightly believing that their security was ensured by military and the political power of their countries, interpreted as a flag flying over them.
American fears about the seizure of secret equipment were not in vain: Soviet specialists immediately dismantled and took out to the USSR a number of secret equipment, incl. encryption machines of the KW-7 class. Using this equipment, coupled with tables, codes and descriptions of cryptographic schemes obtained by the KGB with the help of Warrant Officer Johnny Walker, Soviet cryptographers were able to decipher about a million intercepted messages from the US Navy.
