"The Pueblo Scapegoat" Topic

Although ‘Don't Give Up the Ship' has long been a defining U.S. Navy motto, when confronted with an impossible situation, what exactly is expected of a captain?

When Commander Lloyd M. "Pete" Bucher surrendered his ship, the USS Pueblo (AGER-2), to North Korean gunboats in 1968, he became one of the most notorious figures in U.S. Navy history. Bucher gave up his vessel without firing a shot, the first U.S. sea commander to do so since 1807. Many in the Navy's upper echelons regarded him as a coward and a disgrace, shaking their heads in disbelief that he hadn't done more to resist his attackers. "I would have shot the hell out of [the North Koreans]," declared retired Vice Admiral William Raborn, echoing the attitude of many old-line officers. "I would have made [them] pay a high price." A Navy court of inquiry urged that Bucher be court-martialed, faulting him with almost palpable disdain in its report because "he just didn't try."

But did Bucher, a tough, experienced ex-submarine officer, really do the wrong thing?…

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What exactly would the retired Vice Admiral Raborn have fought the NorKs with? The Pueblo was armed with a grand total of 2 x .50-cal machine guns, and, presumably, a handful of small arms. Not much use against gun boats, when you have the lives of your crew to consider. The crew might not have survived (either the gun battle or imprisonment) had Bucher tried to fight. Armchair quarterbacking is easy, but to be on the spot is considerably more difficult. On the other hand, I can't bring myself to say he did the right thing, either, having just been through the SERE Code of Conduct course.

In my not so humble opinion, the Navy was totally irresponsible and responsible. they hung Bucher out to dry and then tried to blame him.

I met Capt. Bucher in San Diego in 1996-97. He recounted the story about the Koreans threatening to shoot his crew and the general hell of their captivity. In my professional opinion resistance would merely have resulted in 83 dead Americans. As for "don't give up the ship" IIRC Chesapeake vs. Shannon was 1-1 between ships of roughly equal throw weight and Chesapeake did, in fact, end up striking.

I agree with the OFM, the Navy should have never left them out there without support or a means to defend themselves.

I think we all agree Navy Intell put him in the barrel. NK navy had him out gunned and he saved his crew and kept his head. Then a bunch of Monday morning quarterbacks wanted to cut it off. An old USN salt after hearing Churchill's quote on the RN said "They get rum?" And as to Why a Navy puts a Ship loaded with Intell equipment that close to danger and is surprised it gets taken. Well the U2 program (plane not the band) pointed out the baddies are going to get some of them no matter what You do.

A lot depends on his orders. If they were to protect the equipment at all costs and, failing that, to destroy it, then he didn't do his job. Gary Powers was held in great disdain because he didn't kill himself, as he was supposed to, when he was shot down. My father, an Air Force pilot, never had a lot of sympathy for him because he was being paid a great deal more than regular pilots for his services. We'll probably never know Bucher's exact orders, but I agree that nobody took any reasonable precautions to protect a ship off the coast of a country of homicidal maniacs. I am surprised the ship wasn't scuttled, whether that was due to a lack of preparation given their assignment or the Captain decided against it, I don't know.

He did the right thing. I have been on ships with self destruct orders, but truly given only minimal capability to do it. Pretty much we were expect to chop up 22 tons of steel and fiberglass radar with fire axes. We don't really prepare for the unthinkable.

'Rear Admiral Frank L. Johnson, who supervised spy-ship expeditions in the region, warned Bucher not to "start a war" by provoking the always touchy North Koreans'

Isn't that tantamount to orders not to fire on the NKs?

I seem to remember Admiral Gallery was pretty harsh on Bucher, too.

Admiral Gallery? That is hypocritical. If the captain of the U-505 had ordered his men to start shooting, he would have to have sunk it, losing the Enigma machine he planned to take. There would have gone his Distinguished Service Medal.

The U-505 had been scuttled, Gallery's men went and plugged the leaks. Had the Pueblo been scuttled Bucher would have gotten off.