The Korean war was a battle between Northern Korea or North Korea and Southern Korea or South Korea. The Korean war was the first battle between two nuclear powers.
The Korean war started when the Northern Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel and invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. Two days after their invasion, the United States urged the UN to intervene in the matter and at the end of the meeting, the nations in attendance unanimously agreed to support and intervene in the matter.
The battle between North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union and South Korea, supported by the United Nations together with the United States lasted for three years (July 1950 – July 1953). The battle between both forces was long and difficult but the role the US Navy played in the battle secured the victory. There were battles in the daytime as well as at nighttime so the sailors didn’t have much sleep time.
When they were opportune to sleep, they slept using rack sheets which was crucial if they needed to sleep properly and also make them better prepared for the battles ahead. During the course of the war, the role of the US Navy cannot be overestimated as they provided aerial support as well as support from the sea and sustained the ground forces throughout the war. They were responsible for bringing food supplies, equipment and reinforcement through the sea.
You probably know how the rest of the story goes, how they fought back and forth, how the Northern forces tried to gain control of the entire Republic of Korea but were held at bay by the wisdom and military battle strategies of General Douglas MacArthur.
The fighting between both forces finally came to an end on the 27th of July 1953 when the Korean Armistice Agreement was finally signed. The signed agreement led to the ceasefire. It was created by the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and its purpose was to separate the North from the South and also allow the return of prisoners captured in battle.
At that time, since no peace treaty was officially signed it meant that both North and South Korea who were still technically at war engaged in what is known as a frozen conflict. It wasn’t up until April 2018 when the leaders of Northern and Southern Korea met at the DMZ and agreed to work towards a treaty to formally or officially end the Korean war.
In this blog post, however, I’ll be telling you “5+ facts about the US Navy in the Korean war”.
5+ facts about US Navy ships in the Korean war
- On the 29th of June 1950, the cruiser Juno became the first ship to conduct shore bombardment under the flag of the United Nations.
- At the start of the Korean War, a total of 634 ships were active with over half a million sailors.
- During the war, troops, equipment and supplies were badly needed and fast. 42 days (August 6th) after the outbreak of the Korean war, the 7th fleet support ships brought help by providing South Korea with men and materials.
- The ships of the 7th fleet operating offshore in the yellow seas and the seas of Japan provided the ground forces with continuous assault on the enemy stronghold.
- Minesweepers were used to clear the coast for the bombardment ships.
- LSMs (Landing Ship Medium) and fast active destroyers were used to constantly battle the enemy giving the enemies no chance for rest.
- Throughout the three years in which the war lasted, the 7th was kept in action by a 7000 mile supply line from the United States to Korea.
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