'Pueblo Incident' Starfighters

Spinners · December 14, 2015

Lockheed F-104C Starfighter - 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron, United States Air Force, 1968

On January 28th, 1968 Pentagon officials received confirmation that the USS Pueblo was in North Korean hands after being outmanoeuvred by North Korean naval vessels and that all of the crew were being held captive. This left President Johnson with a tricky situation to resolve and not helped with conflicting advice from the various hawks and doves on Capitol Hill. One such hawk, Mendel Rivers, recommended that the President issue an ultimatum for the return of the USS Pueblo on penalty of a nuclear attack on North Korea and, with no immediate sign of the ship’s crew being returned, President Johnson moved towards that direction by ordering the build-up of forces in the area.

With the Vietnam War raging, the United States Pacific Air Forces were reluctant to spare their prized F-4 and F-105 assets but agreed to the transfer of the remaining F-104C’s from Vietnam to South Korea. The transfer of F-104C’s began in early February, 1968 with the first eight Starfighters arriving at Osan Air Base on February 8th with two further batches of eight aircraft arriving during the month to equip an expanded 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron. All transferred F-104C’s underwent inspection by USAF technicians at Osan (an operation believed to include the re-instatement of equipment associated with the carriage and deployment of ‘special’ stores) and emerging with a fresh coat of green paint and subdued markings. With the crew of the USS Pueblo eventually being released in December 1968 the F-104C’s remained at Osan until March 1969 when the 435th TFS re-equipped with F-4D’s and returned to Vietnam.