In 1968, North Korea’s capture of the USS Pueblo ignited a tense standoff during the Vietnam War. The U.S. considered the vessel’s intelligence-gathering operations to be in international waters, but Pyongyang claimed it had intruded on their territory. With American forces already heavily engaged in Vietnam, Washington chose to avoid escalating the situation into another conflict on the Korean Peninsula.
The ship’s 83-member crew endured nearly a year of brutal captivity, subjected to beatings, forced confessions, and constant psychological pressure. They found subtle ways to resist, most famously by flipping the middle finger in propaganda photos—explaining to their captors that it was simply a “Hawaiian good luck sign.”
On December 23, 1968, the sailors were finally released across the Bridge of No Return in the Demilitarized Zone. The Pueblo itself, however, was never returned. Still on display in Pyongyang as a symbol of defiance, it remains the only U.S. Navy ship held by an enemy nation.
USS Pueblo (AGER-2) prior to becoming a spy ship
Originally constructed in 1944 as a Banner-class cargo vessel (FP-344/FS-344) for the U.S. Army, the ship was transferred to the Coast Guard in April 1945. During this period, it served mainly as a training platform for civilians preparing for Army service, a function it fulfilled until being decommissioned in 1954.
Over a decade later, the vessel was revived. After an extensive overhaul, it was recommissioned as USS Pueblo (AKL-44), transformed into a light cargo ship. Subsequent specialized modifications led to its reclassification as AGER-2, formally designated an environmental research vessel.
Yet Pueblo’s stated scientific role concealed a far more strategic mission. The refit outfitted the ship for signals intelligence operations, allowing it to conduct covert missions in support of both the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) and the National Security Agency (NSA) throughout the Cold War.
USS Pueblo (AGER-2) is deployed to North Korea
By 1967, the USS Pueblo had completed shakedown training and was prepared for its first espionage mission. On January 5, 1968, the ship set sail with the goal of gathering intelligence on both North Korea and the Soviet Navy. Eleven days later, the Pueblo reached the 42nd parallel, ready to patrol the North Korean coastline while staying at least 13 nautical miles away from shore.
On January 23, 1968, North Korea launched an attack on the Pueblo. The spy ship was spotted by a submarine chaser, which issued an ultimatum: surrender or face fire. Although the Pueblo tried to flee, its slower speed made it impossible to evade the threat.
The submarine chaser was soon joined by four torpedo boats, another chaser, and two Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 aircraft. Armed with only a few handguns and two M2 Browning machine guns, the Pueblo and her crew were severely outgunned. Despite this, they put up resistance for as long as possible to prevent the North Koreans from boarding.
North Korea captures the USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
When the USS Pueblo arrived near the port city of Wonsan, the crew rushed to destroy as much classified information as they could. But in order to do that, the ship had to slow down, which made it an easy target.
North Korean forces began shooting at the ship with a 57 mm cannon and machine guns, hitting it and killing one crew member, Duane Hodges. Two others were injured in the attack, including U.S. Marine Sgt. Bob Chicca. Eventually, the North Koreans boarded the ship, blindfolded the crew, and tied their hands.
After being taken to shore, the captured sailors were subjected to harsh physical abuse by their captors.
American sailors were held captive for months
During the attack on the USS Pueblo, the crew managed to establish radio contact with US forces in South Korea. Chicca later recounted, “The last conversations we got over the radio were that help was on the way, and it obviously wasn’t. I could not believe that we would be abandoned out there the way we were.”
Despite promises of assistance from a squadron of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs, they never arrived. they never arrived. As a result, the 82 crew members were captured and endured 11 months of torture by their captors. Chicca reflected, “We were an experiment that was deemed, I don’t know whether it would be a failure, but it certainly didn’t work.”
After enduring months of psychological torment, the North Koreans eventually forced a confession from commanding officer Lloyd Bucher. He admitted to intruding on their territorial waters and committing hostile acts, but only under the threat that each crew member would be killed one by one if he refused.
Signing the three A’s document
At the time of the USS Pueblo’s capture, the United States was deeply involved in the Vietnam War. Concerned that tensions with North Korea could escalate, American officials pursued a diplomatic approach to address the crisis. After nearly a year, both nations reached an agreement that allowed for the safe return of the Pueblo’s crew.
On December 23, 1968, US Army Maj. Gilbert Woodward signed a document known as the “three A’s agreement,” drafted by North Korean authorities. This agreement required the United States to acknowledge wrongdoing, apologize, and pledge to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Following this, the crew members were released and returned to the United States, while the Pueblo remained in North Korean possession. Initially displayed in Wonsan and Hŭngnam, the vessel was eventually moved to the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum in Pyongyang.
USS Pueblo (AGER-2) is still held captive
When North Korean forces took control of the USS Pueblo, they also captured 10 encryption devices and thousands of highly classified documents—marking one of the most damaging intelligence losses of the Cold War. The trove of secret material offered North Korea and its allies, including the Soviet Union, a rare window into U.S. surveillance techniques and communication codes.
Remarkably, the Pueblo is still listed as an active commissioned vessel by the U.S. Navy, despite being held in enemy territory since 1968. Now docked in Pyongyang, the ship has been transformed into a museum exhibit and a powerful symbol of North Korean propaganda. It undergoes regular maintenance and has even received commemorative paint jobs to coincide with national observances like the anniversary of the Korean War.
In response to North Korea’s ongoing defiance and a renewed U.S. designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in 2017, surviving crew members and the families of deceased sailors filed a lawsuit under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. In 2021, a U.S. court awarded them $2.3 billion in damages. Still, collecting on that judgment remains a long shot, as there are no straightforward financial links between the United States and North Korea.