In God We Trust
This section is a synopsis of Fane's, Korean Mines and Guerillas, Chapter 18, pages 236 to 269. This synopsis does not do justice to that book's blow-by-blow account of the UDT's that helped defeat the North Korean enemy. The KWE highly recommends this book to interested readers. Also, to contribute information and photos relevant to UDTs in the Korean War, contact us.
The first UDT reconnaissance mission in Korean War. A two-man team (Atcheson and McCormick) had the job of determining if reinforcements could land near Pohang, 70 miles north of Pusan. The two men confirmed that even though the water was shallow, a landing could still be possible.
Around 1930 hours, a Navy-Marine demolition team departed the USS Juneau CLAA-119 by motor whale boat, to the USS Mansfield DD-728. The Mansfield headed for the target area, well north of the 40th.parallel, near the village of Tanchon.
At 0100 hours, the USS Mansfield closed to within a few thousand yards of the North Korean beach in darkness. After the patrol landed, two Marines were left at the beach, and the patrol went inland. The demolition charges were set in the railroad tunnel, to detonate when the next enemy train passed through. All of the patrol were back aboard the USS Mansfield by 0330 hours. North Korean radio later indicated that the mission was a U.N. success. Cdr. Porter's Navy-Marine Patrol had the distinction of being the first formation of the U.S. Armed Forces to invade North Korea. The XO of the USS Juneau CLAA-119, was the Demolition Patrol Commander.
DEMOLITION TEAM; CDR William B. Porter-USN-(75778)-Patrol Commander*2nd LT .R.M. Johnson-USMC (049750)-Demolition Officer*GMC Myron K. Lovejoy-USN-(3369051)-Demo Team* GM3 Junior E. Wilson-USN-(3861715)-Demo Team*GM3 Howard C.Scheunemann-USN-(6105313)-Demo Team*BM2 Paul A. Keane-USN-(4155817)-Demo Team*PFC. Willard L. Crider-USMC-(1090718)-
Security*PFC. Robert E. Dugan-USMC-(1090722)-Security* PFC William J. Ghrist-USMC-(1083135)-Security*PFC Jack L. Pope-USMC-(1088517)-Security*.
[KWE Note: Information for July 11 and 12 provided by Thomas E. (T.E.) Moore on the Korean War Project website.]
UDT demolition raid on railroad tracks and a bridge tunnel near Yosu. Yosu was a sea port on the south coast of Korea with a railroad. According to the book, The Naked Warriors, after this mission there were "small amphibious raiding parties to harass the enemy by dynamiting their supply routes." (page 239)
UDTs exploded a tunnel and track section near Tanchon.
UDTs destroyed yet another tunnel.
A railway bridge and a highway bridge were destroyed by UDTs.
UDTs conducted reconnaissance in Piin Bay north of Kunsan.
UDTs scouted mud flats during the Inchon invasion and served as wave guides.
UDTs spent the week buoying and destroying sunken Korean junkets to keep the channel open. Team 3 conducted reconnaissance at the beach of Katsupaoi-po to see if it could be used for troop landings. They came under enemy fire.
BM3 Warren "Fins" Foley was wounded, becoming the first US Navy casualty of the Korean War.
Support of Operation Chromite (Inchon Landing). UDT-1 and UDT-3 personnel went ahead of landing craft to scout, clear propellers, and search for mines.
Reconnaissance on beach at Taechon resulted in enemy fire on UDT swimmers. All swimmers made it to safety.
UDTs supported mine-clearing operations in Wonsan harbor, locating and buoying 50 mines.
While searching for mine cables near Rei-to, UDT men rescued over 25 sailors when the minesweepers USS Pirate and USS Pledge hit mines and were sunk. The Pirate sank immediately and UDT landing craft and personnel pulled wounded from the water and took stranded men off the sinking minesweeper USS Pledge. One UDT man salvaged a camera with which a crew member had taken pictures of the sinking Pirate.
Two UDT craft searched for the sunken Pirate and Pledge but didn't locate either one.
UDT operator William Giannotti conducted the first U.S. UDT combat-diver operation using an "aqualung" to locate the sunken USS Pledge. He was successful. At the same time, other UDT craft located mine lines and destroyed mines.
Continuing activity in October:
UDT craft served as wave guides for the 1st Marine Division at Wonsan beach.
UDT detachment prepared for a 7th Infantry Division landing. They searched house-to-house in Iwon.
When the 7th ID landed, the UDT were present. Mine search of Hungnam harbor.
UDT-3 Bravo Detachment of eight men continued raids in the area between Wonsan and Hungnam.
In the first days of November UDTs at Chinnampo helped minesweepers. They were stand-by for rescue missions. Three UDT boats searched the shannel south of Soku-to Island. They spotted and buoyed mine lines there.
First sub-freezing UDT operation in Korean War.
UDTs cleared 200 miles of channels in the Chinnampo area.
UDT Detachment Bravo participated in the Hungnam evacuation of Marines from the Chosin Reservoir.
For five days prior, UDT divers searched and ultimately located the sunken minesweepers Pirate and Pledge. When the ships went down, classified codes went down with them and needed to be kept from enemy hands. Demolition and search for any ship remnants was completed on this date.
Detachment Bravo took over the defense perimeter of the Hungnam evacuation.
An eight-man squad from UDT-3 destroyed waterfront facilities at Hungnam, North Korea in the largest non-nuclear blast since World War II. Over 20 tons of explosives destroyed the facilities.
UDTs conducted reconnaissance missions and guerilla warfare as the Korean War continued.
Lt.jg. Edward Ivan Frey Jr. lost his life in beach reconnaissance on the west coast of Korea.
Fireman E3 Paul Veston Satterfield died of a gunshot wound in the back while conducting beach reconnaissance on the west coast of Korea.
Three-man UDT mission (successful) to assassinate a North Korean General. One of the three men was Milton L. Von Mann.
LTCDR J.F. "Spike" Chace took over UDT3. Under his direction his team and the 41st Royal Marines raided the upper east cost of North Korea. During this time Chace and three others were wounded by friendly fire. The UDT continued demolishing bridges and tunnels.
LCDR Fane arrived in Korea to take charge of UDT One.
UDTs landed 50 guerillas at a beach near Kotan-Wan. During this month there were more guerilla landings. Later that month UDT crews and minesweepers located and buoyed mines in the Wonsan harbor.
UDT5 was created and in February the team entered Wonsan harbor to locate more mines and buoy them.
There were indications of three wrecked ships in Wonsan harbor, so during this month UDT5 explored the Wonsan harbor to try to find them.
UDT3 conducted raids on the east coast of Korea.
UDT members participated in Operation Fishnet (a/k/a Seanet), destroying fishing nets to reduce North Korea's food supplies. This was the last extensive UDT operation in the Korean War.
Continuing UDT beach and river reconnaissance, infiltration of guerillas behind the lines from the sea, mine-location and clearance operations