Missing Pieces: - Royal Australian Navy

a uniTed naTiOns ‘POlice acTiOn’: kORea 1950–53
command structure for UN naval forces, the missions assigned to TF 95, in broad order
of priority at that time, had expanded to include blockade, NGS, bombardment, mine
warfare, escort duties, ASW, coastal fishing surveillance and control, and intelligence
collection. 514
Australia’s naval contribution to the UN forces in Korea was modest but nevertheless,
important. As O’Neill said, it ‘had no profound influence on the course of the war’. 515
However, for the RAN it was an important operational experience, not to mention a
significant test of logistics and maintenance support. The incidents selected to illustrate
the operations undertaken by RAN ships and the contribution of intelligence thereto
will demonstrate that, although operationally it was a very different problem from
WWII, certain enduring lessons remained valid.
naval warfare on the korean east coast
The east coast of Korea from the 39th to 42nd north parallels contains the vital ports
of North Korea and supports a great deal of its industrial plant. Important road and rail
communication links run along the relatively narrow coastal plain, backed by rugged
mountains that rise in the north to over 3000 metres. The 200-metre line runs from
about 30nm offshore near Wonsan in the south to less than 10nm off Chongjin in the
north. As a result, North Korean ports are easily blockaded, there are rich pickings for
an aggressive blockading force, the entire coastline is accessible to NGS, and mines
become less of a concern the further north one moves. These features dictated the
nature of the UN Naval Command’s war on the east coast.
CTF 77 deployed his fast carrier forces off the east coast for striking North Korean
targets, and to provide close air support on the right flank of the UN land forces. The
carriers, teamed with NGS forces of UN cruisers and destroyers, and battleships on
occasion, systematically wrecked the North Korean industrial infrastructure the length
of the coast, almost to the border with the Soviet Union. Wonsan, the largest port in
Korea was the target of an amphibious landing, and the object of a UN naval siege that
lasted 841 days. In December 1950, Songjin and Hungnam were the scenes of major
evacuations of UN forces in the wake of the first Chinese attack.
The east was predominantly, but not exclusively, an ‘American’ coast, and
Commonwealth carriers, cruisers and destroyers operated there as elements of TG
95.2 from time to time. East coast islands were important to the UN as bases for the
insertion of agents, raids into enemy territory or the collection of intelligence. Australian
ships supported these missions and assisted in defending the islands against North
Korean attempts to capture them. 516
Between 25 February and 8 March 1952 HMAS Warramunga assumed the duties
of CTG 95.22, with responsibility for the Northern Patrol line between Songjin and
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