Locked Down! See How North Korea Is Keeping This US Navy Ship Under Their Control!

The Capture of USS Pueblo: A Cold War Incident That Still Reverberates

In the heat of the Cold War, amidst the backdrop of the Vietnam War, an incident occurred that would stain U.S.-North Korea relations for decades—the capture of the USS Pueblo (AGER-2). This U.S. Navy spy ship was seized by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968, sparking a diplomatic crisis. The 82 crew members were left to fend for themselves for nearly a year, subjected to brutal treatment before their release, but the ship itself remains in North Korean hands to this day, a chilling relic of a bygone era.

From Cargo Ship to Spy Vessel: The Journey of USS Pueblo

The USS Pueblo wasn’t always a covert intelligence ship. Originally known as the Banner-class cargo ship FP-344, it was commissioned by the U.S. Army during World War II in 1944. It began its career modestly, helping train civilians for army service under the U.S. Coast Guard until its decommissioning in 1954.

But this vessel wasn’t finished. In the mid-1960s, the ship was rebranded and heavily modified, eventually re-entering service as the USS Pueblo, under the designation AGER-2. Its new mission? To operate as an environmental research platform while secretly gathering intelligence for the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) and the National Security Agency (NSA).

A Dangerous Mission Near North Korea

By January 1968, the USS Pueblo was ready for its first spy mission. It set out to gather intelligence on North Korea and the Soviet Navy, patrolling near North Korean waters while keeping a safe distance of at least 13 nautical miles from the shore. Yet, even this precaution wasn’t enough.

On January 23, 1968, a North Korean submarine chaser detected the ship and issued a harsh ultimatum: surrender or be fired upon. The slow-moving Pueblo attempted to flee but was no match for the North Korean vessels. Soon, it was surrounded by torpedo boats and MiG-21 jets. Despite having only a few handguns and M2 Browning machine guns for defense, the crew tried to resist but were ultimately overpowered.

The Capture and Torture of the Crew

As the North Korean forces closed in, the crew of the USS Pueblo desperately tried to destroy sensitive documents. However, their efforts slowed the ship down, leaving it more vulnerable to attack. Gunfire from North Korean forces hit the ship, killing one crew member, Duane Hodges, and wounding others, including Marine Sgt. Bob Chicca.

The ship was boarded, and the crew was taken captive. Blindfolded and bound, they were marched ashore and subjected to brutal physical and psychological abuse over the next 11 months. The ordeal was made worse by false promises of rescue. As Sgt. Bob Chicca recalled, “The last conversations we got over the radio were that help was on the way, and it obviously wasn’t.”

A Forced Confession and Diplomatic Stalemate

The crew’s suffering reached its peak when their commanding officer, Lloyd Bucher, was forced to sign a confession. Under the threat of watching his crew be executed one by one, Bucher admitted to espionage and violating North Korean territorial waters—allegations he only agreed to out of fear for his men’s lives.

As the U.S. was deeply involved in the Vietnam War at the time, American officials chose not to escalate the situation militarily. Instead, they pursued diplomatic negotiations, which culminated nearly a year later with the signing of the “three A’s” agreement—acknowledge wrongdoing, issue an apology, and assure no further incidents. On December 23, 1968, the crew was finally released and returned to the U.S. Tragically, the USS Pueblo remained in North Korean custody.

The Fate of the USS Pueblo

The ship’s capture marked one of the most significant intelligence losses in modern history. North Korea seized encryption machines and thousands of classified documents aboard the Pueblo. Despite being held captive, the U.S. Navy still considers the vessel as active service property, making it one of the longest-serving ships in its fleet.

Today, the USS Pueblo has been transformed into a museum exhibit in North Korea, a symbol of its victory over the U.S. It’s housed at the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang, where it remains a tourist attraction.

A Legacy of Controversy

In 2017, during Donald Trump’s presidency, North Korea was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, which led to survivors and families of deceased Pueblo crew members to sue the country. A U.S. court awarded them $2.3 billion in compensation in 2021. However, the likelihood of receiving that payout remains uncertain.

The USS Pueblo incident is more than just a footnote in Cold War history. It serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of espionage, the complexities of diplomacy, and the human cost of global power struggles. Though decades have passed, the ship’s capture still resonates, a dark chapter in the long and fraught history of U.S.-North Korea relations.