Chapter 3 - A Changing Role

(Part 2)

Carrier Air Support in Korea

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when communist North Korean troops marched across the 38th Parallel into South Korea. Although primarily remembered as an American war, Korea was really an international affair sponsored by the United Nations. British and Australian carriers participated alongside carriers of the U.S. 7th Fleet, and the few available carriers brought effective air power to Korea long before the Air Force could. However, unlike the great carrier vs. carrier battles of World War II, Korea and subsequent conflicts saw a change in the role of the aircraft carrier. In Korea the carriers served essentially as off-shore airfields that were outside the range of enemy forces. The carriers' planes were used, not to attack the enemy's naval fleet, but to strike at ground targets in support of troops on the ground.

The first carrier strikes of the Korean War were launched on July 3, 1950, from carriers off Korea's western coast in the Yellow Sea. The HMS Triumph sent 21 aircraft to attack an airfield at Haeju, 60 miles south of the North Korean capital of P'yongyang. The USS Valley Forge launched 36 planes, including eight F9F Panther jets, against targets in P'yongyang itself. The next day more attacks were launched against key bridges around P'yongyang.

The two carriers, designated Task Force 77, then moved to Korea's east coast and the Sea of Japan. On July 18, they supported landings by the 1st Cavalry Division at P'ohang and also destroyed the oil refinery at Wonsan. On July 22, the carriers' planes flew the first of many close air support missions to supress enemy fire against Allied ground forces.

In August 1950, the HMS Triumph was transferred from Task Force 77 to join British Task Force 91, and the USS Philippine Sea joined Task Force 77. At the same time, Task Group 96.8 was formed, with the escort carriers USS Sicily and USS Badoeng Strait, to serve as bases for Marine Corps fighter and bomber squadrons. By this time, North Korean forces had advanced to occupy more than three-fourths of South Korea, pushing Allied forces into a small area around Puson, on South Korea's southeastern coast. During the month of August 1950, Navy and Marine pilots flew about 8,800 sorties in support of Marine and Army troops around Puson. Of these, 6,500 were flown by F4U Corsairs, 1,600 by AD Skyraiders, and 700 by F9F Panthers.

The mainstay of the U.S. Navy during the Korean War were a number of World War II era Essex-class fleet carriers . . .

. . . and Commencement Bay-class escort carriers

They were joined by the Colossus-class HMS Triumph

During the period September 6 to 21, 1950, the carriers also played an important role in supporting the Allied landings at Inch'on, on South Korea's west coast. The carriers USS Philippine Sea, USS Valley Forge, USS Boxer, USS Badoeng Strait, USS Sicily, and HMS Triumph launched a total of about 3,200 sorties. Aircraft losses during this campaign totaled only 12 planes and a helicopter.

After the Inch'on landings, the tide of war swung in favor of Allied forces. By October 1950, they had advanced to a position 200 miles North of the 38th Parallel. During this month, the USS Leyte replaced the USS Boxer on Task Force 77, and the HMS Theseus replaced the HMS Triumph on the British Task Force 91. On October 15, Task Force 77 again struck targets in the Wonsan area of North Korea.

On November 1, 1950, a flight of six MiG-15's crossed the Yalu River along the boarder between North Korea and Communist China, and later that month Chinese troops crossed the Yalu in support of North Korean forces. On November 9, the USS Valley Forge and USS Philippine Sea launched the first of many attacks against bridges across the Yalu River at Sinuiju. These strikes, which continued until November 21, were restricted -- for policy, rather than military reasons -- to only the North Korean side of the bridges. The strikes were largely ineffective, except for causing temporary disruption of the supply lines from Communist China into North Korea. During the Sinuiju raids, Panthers shot down three MiG-15s.

On November 25, Chinese troops began a major counter-offensive against the northern- most Allied positions. On December 1, the Marines were forced to began a withdrawal from Chosin to Hungnam, with close air support from Navy and Marine aircraft. During the withdrawal, the First Marine Air Wing, flying from the USS Badoeng Strait, USS Sicily, and land-bases, flew a total of 1,300 air support sorties. Navy planes from the USS Leyte, USS Philippine Sea, and USS Princeton flew another 900 sorties.

From this point to the final armistice, the Korean War continued as a virtual stalemate near the 38th Parallel, and the carriers took on a new role of interdiction of Communist supply lines into North Korea. During the period January to May 1951, carrier aircraft flew a total of over 33,300 sorties, with a loss of 69 Corsairs, eight Skyraiders, four Panthers, and two F7F Tigercats. The type of sorties gradually shifted from close air support to interdiction of bridges and railroad lines. On September 20, 1951, Task Force 77 was officially relieved of its responsibility for close air support and was assigned responsibility for interdiction strikes in the northeast quadrant of North Korea.

Although the interdiction strikes fell into a monotonous, though always dangerous, routine, some missions were rather unusual. For example, on March 23, 1951, the USS Princeton launched strikes by Skyraiders to take out a series of bridges between Kilchu and Songjin. Led by Lt. Commander Harold "Swede" Carlson, over the next 30 days a series of repeated strikes were mounted to again put the bridges out of action. Almost as fast as the bridges were attacked, the North Koreans repaired them. Eventually, the North Koreans gave up trying to keep the bridges open, and this episode was later known as the "Battle of Carlson's Canyon." The bridges between Kilchu and Songjin served as the inspiration for James Michener's novel "The Bridges at Toko-Ri."

In another incident, on April 30, 1951, six Skyraiders and five Corsairs from the USS Princeton bombed the Hwachon Dam, 60 miles south of Seoul, with only minimum damage to the dam. The following day, eight Skyraiders, with 12 Corsairs for air cover, returned with an unusual weapon -- World War II vintage torpedoes -- and were successful in destroying the dam. The destruction of the Hwachon Dam prevented Communist Chinese forces from using the dam to flood strategic areas of South Korea.

As the War progressed, different American and Allied carriers were rotated into the combat zone. Other carriers which saw action included the USS Bataan, USS Bon Homme Richard, HMS Glory, and HMAS Sydney. The Korean War was also a period of transition for the United States carrier forces, as World War II-era aircraft were gradually replaced by newer jet-powered types. A mixture of propeller planes, like the Corsair and Skyraider, flew together with jet fighters. When the USS Essex rotated into Task Force 77 in August 1951, she brought with her a new weapon, the F2H Banshee. With more powerful engines, the Banshee could carry a heavier bomb load than the F9F Panther, and gradually the mix of planes flying combat sorties shifted to a larger percentage of jets. In June 1950, when the War began, only about one-third of all sorties were flown by jets. By War's end in July 1953, more tha one-half of sorties were flown by jets.

On August 25, 1951, 12 Banshees and 11 Panthers from the USS Essex escorted 35 B-29 bombers on a raid against rail and port facilities at Rashin, only 17 miles from the Soviet border. This was the first time that Navy aircraft had provided escort for Air Force bombers. On October 8, 1951, Banshees from the USS Kearsarge again provided escort for B-29 bombers, this time during a raid on the rail yards at Kowan. Simultaneously, aircraft from the carriers USS Princeton and USS Essex also attacked targets in Kowan.

On October 30, 1951, 20 aircraft from the USS Essex and another 20 planes from the USS Antietam joined in a strike against Kapsan, where hundreds of top North Korean officials were meeting. They wiped out about 500 attendees and most of the records of the North Korean Communist Party.

Late in the War, top American officials realized that more aggressive use of available air power would be needed to restrict Communist advances. Therefore, they began approving strikes against key industrial and military infrastructure targets in North Korea. One of the first such strikes was conducted on June 23, 1952. A joint attack by aircraft from Task Force 77 and Air Force bases in South Korea destroyed the key power generating plant at Suiho in the western part of North Korea. Simultaneously, Navy, Marine, and Air Force planes also bombed three key eastern power plants at Chosin, Fusen, and Kyocen. These strikes destroyed 90 percent of the power generation capacity of North Korea.

In July and August 1952, massive air strikes were flown against concentrations of military supplies in the North Korean capital of P'yonyang. On July 11, over 1,200 sorties were flown by Navy, Marine, Air Force, British, and Australian aircraft. On August 29, another 1,400 sorties were flown. As a result of these attacks, P'yongyang lost its military value to the communist cause. Other key strikes were made by planes from Task Force 77 against lead and zinc mills at Sindok (July 27), a magnesite plant at Kilchu (July 28), a west coast supply center at Changp'yong-ni (August 20), and an oil refinery at Aoji (September 1).

Beginning in October 1952, "Cherokee" strikes were flown against known concentrations of military supplies in the battlefield. For that month alone, 13,000 sorties were directed at battlefield supplies. The "Cherokee" strikes almost completely disrupted the ability of communist forces to mount any major offensives. During the last six months of the War, the number of close air support missions again increased as commuist forces tried to gain additional territory before an armistice was concluded. The War finally came to an end on June 27, 1953 with the signing of an armistice.

Although some 15 American carriers participated in the Korean War, at no time were more than four fleet carriers simultaneously engaged in action. Even so, carrier aircraft flew over 275,000 combat sorties (vs. 392,000 for U.S. Air Force planes) with combat losses of 564 aircraft, including eight shot down by MiG-15s. Another 684 aircraft were lost to operational causes, including carrier launch and recovery accidents. The Navy's total of 275,000 sorties was about 10,000 fewer than flown during all of World War II. Without the strong air support provided by the carriers, it is doubtful that Allied forces would have been able to push Communist Chinese and North Korean troops back to the vicinity of the 38th Parallel, where the final truce line was eventually restored.

One of the effects of the Korean experience was that the role of a strong Navy was again appreciated and by War's end in 1953, the recommissioning of moth-balled World War II ships, including carriers, had increased the active fleet from 267 back to over 1,000. Three innovations during this time period (caused primarily by the introduction of jet- powered aircraft) were the angled deck, which provided separate take-off and landing areas; the steam catapult; and the mirror landing system. These British technological advances were installed on the 14 remaining American Essex-class carriers, as well as the three larger Midway-class ships. On October 1, 1955, the USS Forrestal, the first super carrier designed specifically for jet aircraft, was commissioned. She represented a new level of carrier technology and design, and was more than twice as large as the Essex-class ships of World War II.

The USS Forrestal CV-59 was a huge step forward in carrier design, outclassing every carrier ever constructed before

In October 1956, Egyptian forces seized British and French territory along the Suez Canal. The Royal Navy dispatched the fleet carriers HMS Eagle, HMS Bulwark, and HMS Albion and the recently-converted helicopter carriers HMS Ocean and HMS Theseus. On November 1, 1956, the HMS Albion and the French carrier Arromanches launched strikes against Egyptian MiG airbases. Five days later, British Marines landed in helicopters from the HMS Ocean and HMS Theseus, regaining the seized territory with light casualties. This incident was one of the first demonstrations of the advantage of carriers for quick response to localized conflicts and the use of helicopters aboard assault carriers to bring troops ashore.

Great Britain again called on some of its remaining Colossus-class carriers during its conflict with Egypt over control of the Suez Canal

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Last Updated: January 1, 2003