PUEBLO, Colo.—It’s been 42 years since North Korea released the crew of the USS Pueblo—a naval ship named after the city of Pueblo.
The crew was held and tortured for 11 months after they were captured while on a spying mission off the coast of North Korea. The 82 surviving crew members were released and allowed to walk across a bridge to South Korea on Dec. 23, 1968.
The capture of the ship came during a year in which the war in Vietnam grew more widespread. The nation celebrated the crew’s release but the Navy would go on to reprimand Cmdr. Lloyd “Pete” Bucher over the capture of the ship.
The Pueblo is still held by North Korea. It is on a river in Pyongyang (pyuhng-yahng) and is used as a tourist attraction.
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Information from: The Pueblo Chieftain,
