Re: US Navy History Archive

[Ed Evanhoe <ede@oio.net>]

YS,

> >>South Korean records state that the ship was hit and abandoned after her
>captain and crew were killed by enemy fire. A second LST, with one warship
>escorting, were sent to rescue the stranded partisans, but it too came under
>enemy fire and left the scene leaving behind a number of the poor Korean
>guerrillas.<<

The "Musan" was lost during the Changsa-dong raid, 15 Sept 1950.  This was 
conducted by the Miryang Guerrilla Battalion with Lt. Bucky Harrison as 
advisor.
Harrison was later the first CO of Task Force Kirkland.

All living guerrillas (as opposed to "partisans,") and most of the dead, 
were evacuated by small craft to US Navy ships standing just off 
shore.  These same ships provided gunfire support during the 
evacuation.  When the evacuation was complete, a U.S. Army Engineer officer 
rigged explosives and blew the Musan, making sure it couldn't be 
salvaged.  It was still on the beach in late 1954 but heard it was salvaged 
sometime in the summer of 1955.  At least when I went by that area in 
August 1955, it was no longer there.  I have a section in DARKMOON about 
this incident.

> >>The only explanation I can think of is that the photos were taken weeks
>after the dates given in the archives, long after the incident and Kim's
>boys went home.<<

Those have to have been.

Ed
Ed Evanhoe, PO Box 916, Antlers, OK, 74523
Author:  DARKMOON: Eighth Army Special Operations in the Korean War
Life member: Special Forces and Special Operations Associations
Web site:  http://www.korean-war.com