- The beginning of the war in 1950 made demands on the resources of the 6th fleet, pp. 215-216
(ADM George W. Anderson, Jr. – Volume I)
- A number of the crew members of the destroyer Isherwood (DD-520) in 1952 were reservists recalled to active duty because of the Korean War, 271-273, 277-281
- Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson and the Korean struggle, 487-488; Korea was proof that World War II didn't end war, 490; Baldwin's review of intelligence reports on the war (the Inchon landing, whether the US knew the North was about to attack), 498; Baldwin's trip to Korea, 501-504; his information from U.S. Army Intelligence officer Barrett on Chinese units invading Korea, 504-508; naval aspects of war, 508-510; mines and minesweeping, 510-511; proposed use of atomic weapons, 512-513.
(Hanson W. Baldwin – Volume II)
- Moves by the various services to meet logistics concerns resulting from the outbreak of the war in 1950, 281-283; in the early 1950s Americans in Hawaii collected relief material and shipped it to the Korean people, 336-337; the Army and Marine Corps had different supply setups in Korea during the Korean War, 343-344
(RADM George W. Bauernschmidt)
- USS Tripoli (CVE-64) did a lot of operating in the early 1950's, pp.16-18;
- The Coast Guard during the war, p. 233;
- Began in 1950, 427; Navy's public information organization increased in size during, 430; need to increase number of airplanes for, 444; visited by National War College students in May 1953, 471-474
(RADM Roy S. Benson – Volume I)
- Shore bombardment at Wonsan in May 1953, pp. 473, 502
(RADM Roy S. Benson, Volume II)
- Burke gives background for use of Japanese minesweepers at Wonsan, 1-10; the North Korean attack, 170-173; the early battles, 175-176; the Pusan perimeter, 177; difference in Navy/Air Force concept of close air support, 177-178; UN forces had absolute control of sea around Korea, 185-186; jubilation after Inchon and Wonsan, 200; North Korean use of A-frame logistic system, 201-202; control exercises from Washington, 203; rapid advance of army northward after Wonsan – problems of the Navy in getting supplies in at Chinnampo, 205; the CinCUNC Intelligence network – Burke's comments, 209-210; Burke told CNO Sherman he had begun to save merchant ships with heavy lift cranes in case of need – if Red Chinese came down in great numbers, 213-214; positive proof of Chinese participation – some captured near Hungnam, 215; winter weather in N. Korea, 217-219; route of second army division, 220-221; evacuation of Hungnam, 222-224; Burke and his order that all personnel from Japan to Korea be checked out on handling weapons, 233-234
(ADM Arleigh Burke – Volume I, Special Series)
- Burke served on the Armistice delegation - Munsan-ni was headquarters – 95-97; Burke on the necessity to use power in negotiating with the communists, 97; Adm. Hill, asked him to write an article on Korea for PROCEEDINGS, 100; one of the most important negotiating points - where was the line to be that separates the two forces, 101-102; an illustration, 102-103; Gen. Hodges and Burke learned about the communist tricks, 101-108; JCS orders negotiators to accept present battle line as final line of demarcation, 109-114; Burke, back in Washington - talks to JCS, CNO and President Truman, 114-118;
Burke's speaking tour is de-railed, 120-122, 173-175; the paper Burke wrote for Adm. Fechteler on what we should do in Korea, 173-178, appendix; the story of Chief Yeoman George Guzowski at Munsan-ni, 187-189; use of methods of psychological warfare, 259-260; Burke's review of the Army's book – KOREA, 1950, 297-298; the use made of Colonel Drysdale and his Royal Marines, a commando unit, 319-320, 324
(ADM Arleigh Burke – Volume II)
- Demands made on the Com DesLant for ships, 309-310; strain on training schools to provide the personnel, 311-312, 315; use of battleships for coastal bombardment, 326-329; enemy mine laying, 331-332
- Canada's true position on the war not made public at the time, 257-258, 260; U.S. negotiator appreciated value of strong background in English and humanities, 274, 276; boys entered U.S. Naval Academy to avoid draft until Congress passed law requiring them to finish enlistment if they dropped out, 282
- Truman and the Marine Corps incident, 203-209; Truman asked for help with the Marines, 205; the story of President Truman and MacArthur – their meeting on Wake Island, 211-215; MacArthur returned to the US, 215-217
- Duncan as planner with Atlantic Fleet surprised by outbreak, 342; build-up of the Navy, 343-344, 430
(ADM. Charles K. Duncan, Volume I)
- Dyer's desire to take part, 497, 504-505; served as Commander, UN Blockade and Escort Force, 506-521; use of Korean Navy with United Nations Force, 521-522
- Blue Angels used for a time in combat, 547; six helicopters from HU-2 sent to Korea in 1950, 559-560, 577; advent of war pushed helicopter training from HU-2 to Pensacola and Memphis, 560, 577; effect on Aviation Personnel Plans Section, 581-584; value of air reserve, 583-584; impact of Air Force pilots, 588; reemphasized value of carriers, 590; armistice at end of war, 919-920, 925
(RADM Francis D. Foley, Volume II)
- CinCPacFlt interested in actions there, 206-207; role of Marines in the fighting, 231-232; possible use of atomic weapons, 232-233
(ADM Charles D. Griffin, Volume I)
- The Blue Angels demonstration flight team formed the nucleus of Fighter Squadron 191 when it was established for Korean War duty in 1950, 50-51; operations of VF-191 from the aircraft carrier Princeton (CV-37), 51-64; the Air Force operated a joint center that coordinated bombing targets for US aircraft, 60-61; limited air threat against US forces, 61-62; difficult weather conditions for aircraft operations, 62-63
- U.S. aircraft carriers not challenged during war, p. 187
(ADM John J. Hyland, Jr., Volume I)
- Hyland felt there should have been greater rotation of naval personnel who were sent to Korea, rather than sending some people over several times, 374; Air Force exercised undue control over Navy air, 379
(ADM John J. Hyland, Jr., Volume II)
- Irvin tried to get U.S. subs involved - went to Tokyo - succeeded in getting several detailed as coastal observers, pp. 308-309
- Jackson picked as chief of staff to Rear Admiral Freddie McMahon (Carrier Division 5), 172; mission of Task Force 77 in Korean waters, 173-174; attacks on coastal lines of supply, 174-177; Jackson's discussion of naval strategy in the Korean conflict, 181-182; cooperation of foreign navies, 185-187
- Need for intelligence officers, pp. 270-271
- Calling up the ready reserves, 117-119, 128-131; the constant lookout for floating mines, 133; the use of former Japanese Imperial Navy men as pilots to bring U.S. ships into Japanese ports, 134;
- Jones attached to First Marine Division for duty in Korea, 162-163; First Marine Division briefed on proposed landing while en route to Japan, 170; 1st Marines go to Kobe, Japan for trans-shipment to Inchon landing, 171; Jones's account of the landing, 171-176
- Eisenhower's use of Admiral Radford (CinCPac) to resolve the Korean problem for the election, 720-721; increased demands on N.A.S. Corpus Christi, 807-810; operations of TF 77 of Seventh Fleet, 827-828; beginnings of a limited war philosophy, 828-829; lack of coordination between Air Force and Navy, 830; Jurika assigned by Radford (CinCPac) to head the Evaluation Group to make permanent records with analysis of every one of naval and marine operating units in Korean War, 860-867; trip of Gen. Van Fleet – Jurika as naval member of delegation objected to general's recommendations for naval units, 894-899; Wilfred McNeil's inspection trip to Korea in 1953, 926-927;
(CAPT Stephen Jurika Jr., Volume II)
- Recall of reserve officers to active duty in the early 1950s, 151, 153; amphibious landings at Inchon and blasting the harbor at Hungnam, 153; East Coast UDT units not used in the war, 161; reference to few attempted prisoner escapes from camps during Korean War, 264
- Lee's service in Korea, command of tactical operations during the war, p. 210
- Cruiser Division Three, composed of the Helena (CA-75) and the Toledo (CA-133), deployed from California to Korea soon after the outbreak of war in June 1950, 135; the plan for the invasion of Inchon on 15 September 1950 was evidently widely known in Japan beforehand, 140-142; various facets of the invasion of Inchon, 142-149; precise navigation needed in connection with gunfire by the cruiser Toledo, 149-150; shore bombardment by the Toledo against positions in Korea, 151-156, 160-161, 168-170
- Two escort carriers loaded Marine squadrons for deployment to Korea in July 1950, 150-151; planning done by staff of Commander U.S. Naval Force Far East in Tokyo, 151-153, 156-157; U.S. Navy surveyed bases in Japan for support in war effort, 152, 154; U.S. escort carriers provided close air support to help stabilize the Pusan perimeter in 1950 in the early stages of the Korean War, 155-157, 165; Inchon landings in September 1950, 157-160; liberty in Japan, 160-161, 167, 176-177, 181-182; close air support of ground troops, 162-166; reversal of fortunes in late 1950, 164-166; bombing of targets in North Korea by carrier-based attack planes in 1952, 181, 184-186; night air operations, 183; lack of opposition from enemy aircraft, 184; example of routine bombing operation, 184-186
- Lee's recollections of standing watch in the Badoeng Strait (CVE-116) during the early days of the war, 634-636; Lee's recollections of the September 1950 Inchon landings from his vantage point as a carrier division staff officer on board the Badoeng Strait, 635-638; air operations, 636-638, 649-650, 653-660
- Timeliness for preserving U.S. Navy and Marine Corps missions against dissolvement, 165; Cruiser Division Three bombarded Wonsan, 177-179; carrier operations, 179-180; description of site of truce talks at Panmunjom, 182-185; prisoners of war discussed during Korean War truce talks, 183, 185, 188-191; North Koreans coveted helicopters used by American delegation at truce talks, 184; personnel at truce talks, 185-186, 188-189, 195; issue of voluntary repatriation of Communist prisoners of war complicated Korean War peace talks, 189-194; negotiations hampered by U.S. initiatives from Washington, 192-193; UN peace delegates harassed at initial meetings at Kaesong, 196-197; U.S. delegation, 201; US Army general in charge of captured Communists in Korean War is taken by his prisoners and when released, demoted, 205
- Tour of duty in Korea (based in Sasebo), 213-214; promotion to assistant readiness officer for Pacific Fleet's destroyer force, 221-222
(VADM William P. Mack – Volume I)
- Command of the transport Lenawee (APA-195), pp. 218-219
- Battleship New Jersey (BB-62) participated, 164-173; coastal train bombardment, 174-175
- Minter took command of Patrol Squadron 28 at Barbers Point, Hawaii, 244-245; problems of 15 new ensigns assigned when the squadron was half through the training cycle, 246-249; squadron deployed in March, 1951 for Japan, 250; orders changed from Atsugi to Itami (Osaka), 250-251, 254-255; initial missions out of Itami, 256-257; weather reports to the 7th fleet, 258-259; reconnaissance, 256-260; night interdiction work with marines in Korea, 261-266; operated out of K-9 (Pusan), 266-267, 270-271, 276
(VADM Charles S. Minter, Jr. – Volume I)
- USS Hollister (DD-788) ordered to Western Pacific and Korean conflict, 125-126; Korean conflict, 125-143, 169; Miller's account of the rescue of a downed aviator in mined waters, 128-132, 156;
- Rear Admiral Edward C. Ewen served as Commander Task Force 77, during 1950-1951, 96-97, 112, 150-160, 165, 169, 185, 217; F9F-2 Panther the first U.S. jet used on carriers in quantity, during Korean War, 129; Commander Fleet Air Alameda during Korean War, 169-173, 176
(VADM Gerald E. Miller, Volume I)
- Amphibious Group One sent to Japan in spring of 1950 to train troops, p. 89
- Had only a limited impact on Navy recruiting in the early 1950s, 72; reactivation of the destroyer Trathen (DD-530) in 1951-52, 82-83, 86-87; Trathen operations off Korea's east coast in 1952-53, 83-85, 88-89; comparison of Korean War-era officers with those of World War II, 94
- Operational Development Force developed solutions to specific problems during the conflict, 72-73; white phosphorus shells used during war against wooden vessels, 73
- Impact on the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics, 184-185; did not have much effect on Sixth Fleet operations in the early 1950s, 213-214; Commander Seventh Fleet carried a large staff on board his flagship during the war, 222-223
- Recruiters aided in the process of recalling reservists to active duty in 1950 to take part in the war, 73, 206-209; Reagan served in an amphibious boat unit in Coronado, California and Japan during the latter part of the war, 72-75, 174-176
- President Harry S. Truman's involvement in negotiations with the North Koreans, 129-130; the firing of General Douglas MacArthur in 1951 for insubordination, 130-131; possibility of using nuclear weapons, 131; in 1950, early in the war, Marines and Turks appeared to do much of the fighting, 133-134; Marine Corsair pilots from the escort carrier Badoeng Strait (CVE- 116) provided close air support to ground troops in 1952-53, 141-144
- The unreadiness of the U.S. military to respond when the war broke out in June 1950 led to the ouster of Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson, pp. 374-375, 410
- Fleet Evaluation Group, Pacific formed to investigate why U.S. was caught off guard by the North Korean attack in June of 1950, 281-285; Central Intelligence Agency had intelligence regarding possible North Korean attack in mid-1950 but did not act on it, 300
- U. S. Coast Guard helped in the formation of the Korean Coast Guard; became eventually the present South Korean Navy, p. 179
- The Pickerel (SS-524) was the first submarine sent to Korea after war broke out there in 1950, 149-150; damaged engines in high-speed transit to Japan, 150; patrol off Taiwan and mainland China in 1950, 150-151; patrol off the Soviet Union in 1950, 152-154; US submarine photo reconnaissance operations off Wonsan, Korea, in September, 1950, 153-154; problems with supplies for the mess during the Korean War, 156-157;
- Secretary of State Dulles visited Korea, 710, 716, 718; Sebald accompanied General Matthew Ridgway, 738-740; Malik's statement, 748-749; an armistice, 749, 753-754; Secretary Nitze comes to Japan (1951) - discussion of proposed armistice, 755; VADM Turner Joy named as Chief Armistice negotiator, 755; subject of discussion between Pres. Truman and Gen. MacArthur on Wake Island, 756-763; the 38th parallel and China's concern, 767
(CAPT William J. Sebald – Volume II)
- Sharp uses Korea as example of what to avoid in negotiations with communists, pp. 427-428
(ADM U. S. Grant Sharp, Volume II)
- Advent of the war in 1950 brought a sharp turn-around in the amount of personnel training the Navy needed, pp. 120-121
- Took command of USS Iowa (BB-61), 234-235; Smedberg and the running of trials in San Francisco Bay, 270-273; his orders to enter San Diego Harbor - his refusal to Admiral Sprague, 274-275; 415; Smedberg given command to take her out of mothballs and into the Korean conflict orders directly from CNO Sherman, 424; problems with obtaining trained men for 16-inch turrets, 426-427; 428-429; tribulations in San Francisco Bay and in San Diego, 430-433; her mission to bombard Korean coast -.fire support to U. S. Marines, 434-435; various targets dealt with, 438-440; use of agents on shore, 442; 449-450; the hazardous run to Pusan Harbor, 456-459; 460-461;
(VADM William R. Smedberg III – Volume I)
- The inconclusive nature of the Korean War, 225-227; North Korean use of mines, 228, 233; the use of battleships and their 16-inch shells, 230-232; use of foreign naval units, 234-235
- Coast Guard rendered assistance (1952) in Air Force/Navy rescue efforts, p. 251
- When returning from the Korean War to San Diego in the summer of 1951, the crew of the aircraft carrier Princeton (CV-37) selected a girl with muscular dystrophy as homecoming queen, 177-179; operations of the Princeton and her air group during the ship's 1952 deployment to Korea, 180-188; limitations on bombing of North Korea, 182; rescue of downed aviators from North Korea, 183-187; Naval Reserve aviators who had served in World War II again performed capably during the Korean War, 188-189; early relief of Captain Walter Rodee, USS Essex(CV-9), in September, 1952, 190-191; the aircraft carrier Boxer (CV-21) had a serious fire on board in August 1952 while off Korea, 191; use of the "pinwheel" technique to dock the Essex at Yokosuka, Japan, in the early 1950s, 192-193; 236-246, 272-273
- Thach took command of USS Sicily (CVE-118) in San Diego, outbreak of Korean War (June 25, 1950), 514-515; invasion of South Korea (June 25, 1950), 515; Thach outlines reasons why invasion of north became inevitable, 516-517; USS Sicily became part of Carrier Division under RADM Ruble, 519; a happy ship, 519; sails from San Diego - first time Thach had handled a ship since he qualified as top watch officer in 1936, 521; the journey to Western Pacific, 521-523; a good sonar, 524; instructed by Adm. Radford to proceed to Yokosuka and pick up Marine squadron VMF-214 (Black Sheep Squadron) to provide close air support for troops, 531-537; lack of close air support in Korea – Sicily took Marine Squadron on board to supply, 531-532; U.S. Air Force not too interested in subject of close air support – placed great credence in big bombers, 532-533, 534-535; formation of the JOC (Joint Operations Center) at Taegu, 535-536; Marine Squadron VMF-214 joined the Sicily at Kobe, 537-538; emergency departure, 539-540; flexibility of Thach's orders, 540; flying close air support off Inchon, 540-541; close action support off Inchon, 540-543; Sicily gave Close Air Support to British cruisers in approaches to Inchon, 541; story of pilot who spotted tank repair facility near Seoul, 541-542, 546; members of Marine Squadron VMF-214 acted as air controllers for marines in front lines – rotating back to Sicily, 544, 547-550; Sicily and Badoeng Strait ordered to drop napalm on Wolmi-do (Sept. 10), 552; Inchon landing, 552-556, 557-558; her encounter with typhoon, 553-554, 561-563, 567-70; enemy use of tanks, 557; techniques used against them, 558-559, 562-563, 567-568; exploits of Marine Squadron VMF-214, 558-560, 576-577; return of Seoul to South Koreans, 563-566, 531-566; use of the pin wheel, 571-572; operation of Sicily after Inchon, 575-576; Sicily put in at Wonsan to offload Marine Squadron, 575-576; picked up ASW squadron on Guam and returns to Japanese waters, 578-579; sudden order to re-embark Sicily at Hungnam, 579-580; Hungnam, Korea, 579-581, 583; 587; the "ambush busters", 584-585; Sicily flew missions for the 8th Army, 587-588; Thach's comments on close air support, 587-588; ordered to offload ASW squadron at Yokosuka – re-embarked Marine squadron at Hungnam to Inchon area, missions for the 8th Army, 587, 589; new squadron assigned after her refit in the U.S., 589-590; Task Group 95.1 - a United Nations Force, 590-591; attempts to recover damaged MiG near the communist line, 593-598; Captain Schoech relieved Thach as skipper, 599
(ADM John S. Thach – Volume II)
- Amphibious Group Two participation in Korean War, pp. 779-780
- The destroyer Harry E. Hubbard (DD-748) was reactivated from mothballs in 1950 and sent to Korean waters for combat duty the following year, pp. 53-58
- Experience with Russian mines triggered establishment of a mine command and a small minesweeping fleet, pp.247, 275
- Reactivation of mothballed destroyers in 1950-51 for war service, 262-263; shore bombardment by the destroyer Yarnell (DD-541) in 1951, 268-269
- Used Russian- or Chinese-supplied mines against United Nations forces during the Korean War in the early 1950s, 166-168, 363; Rear Admiral Frederick Entwistle, Commander Operational Development Force in the early 1950s, sent his staff officers to witness Korean War operations firsthand to validate the command's work, 190-193; war operations led to the idea of the usefulness of small gunboats of the type later used in Vietnam, 192-193; reaction in Tokyo to President Harry Truman's firing of General Douglas MacArthur as Far East commander in April 1951, 193-195
- Changed the direction and purpose of Management Committee, 297, 299; destroyers from the Atlantic Command participated, 314-315
- Role of the Atlantic Fleet Cruiser Force in supporting the war effort in the early 1950s, 198-200; the destroyer Clarence K. Bronson (DD-668) had a slight collision with the escort carrier Point Cruz (CVE-119) during refueling in 1953, 215-216; patrolled off Korea during the distribution of released prisoners of war following the armistice in July 1953, 217-218; some ship crew members seemed poorly motivated as the war wound down, 220-222; some of the destroyers that served off Korea came from the Atlantic Fleet, 224-225
(VADM Thomas R. Weschler – Volume I)
- State of the war, Withington's visit to the front lines, 123-124
COMPILED AND RESEARCHED BY: MICHAEL VANDEREEDT,
BROADNECK HIGH SCHOOL, ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, JULY 1999
To obtain copies of this material, please contact:
U.S. Naval Institute
Oral History Program
291 Wood Road
Annapolis, MD 21402-5034Phone: 1-800-233-8764
Fax: (410)269-7940
Email: oralhistory@usni.org