UDT Story of - FROGMEN IN KOREA

Inserting Korean Saboteurs Into North Korea

by Jan L. Horton

Preface: I have been asked to write about UDT 3's operation of inserting Korean saboteurs into North Korea in 195 l. We never knew what their mission was; our job was to get 'em there along with all their supplies, weapons, radios etc. This op happened only 57 years ago - so I should have no trouble remembering details - right?

The allied forces had a problem - they needed to get this particular group of specially trained troops into enemy country. For what reason, other than general disruption, we never found out.

The Navy contacted our Tearn Skipper and asked, "Can you guys do it"...sure we can do it, was the reply. ...

Our transport at the time was the high-speed transport USS Begore APD 127 . We picked up the troops and all their gear at Pusan. As you know an APD has two passageways going down each side of the little ship. Our Team slept on one side and the Koreans on the other. All the gear they brought aboard was lashed down on the fantail...

The several days they were aboard we got to know each other fairly well- between the Koreans, the Team and the ship's crew all eating 3 meals per day in the small galley, seems we spend most of the time standing in line.The Koreans seemed fascinated by the food and would invariably fill their trays to overflowing. During this time trying to get a shower or go to the head was next to impossible the Korean's fascination with hot running water rneant, for the most part, cold showers.

To our surprise we found that these troops were North Koreans who had defected to South Korea prior to hostilities. Most of them had lived and grown up in the area where we were going to drop them off . They knew the area well and had relatives in the area. All this would insure positive effectiveness in their ability to disrupt the enemy.

On arrival at our destination, under cover of darkness, we launched two scouts to swim in and check the area for hostiles. While the scouts were doing their thing we loaded two LCPR's with gear and troops, towing several 10-man rubber boats we moved in close to the beach and waited for the scouts to signal.

When the scouts signaled "All clear" we put the troops in the rubber boats and took them ashore. Each of our rubber boats made several trips ferrying troops and gear ashore.

Undoubtedly we made noise unloading on sometime stone beaches - but no shot was fired and we walked away without a scratch. One time we went right up near a bonfire with people around it.

I was involved in seven of these landings with most of them taking place up the east coast all the way to China.

An offshoot of this operation - a small group of the Koreans wanted to pose as fisherman and needed a boat. Our APD eased in off a fishing village at night and sent a LCPR in to about two hundred yards out then launched swimmers. They confiscated a boat, towed it out to the LCPR who, in tum, towed it to the ship. The ship, towing the boat at slow speed was out of sight by daylight. The excitement on this op happened on the way back after dropping the fishing sloop off.

It was night and we were all asleep when the ship ran into a minefield. The Captain, thinking launching depth charges with short fuses would elirninate his problem - did so. The resulting explosions damn near sank our ship and scared the hell out of all those sleeping Frogs. To rnake it worse, a ships crewman came running down the passageway hollering," prepare to abandon ship".

At daylight we mounted a machine gun on the fantail and began sinking the mines - but that was little solace for our souls....