Action of 12 October 1950 The Action of 12 October 1950 was a battle fought during the Korean War . While conducting Operation Wonsan against sea mines in Wonsan Harbor , a squadron of US Navy warships was attacked by North Korean Army ( KPA ) batteries . During the operation , two US ships struck mines and sank while the remaining vessels and aircraft silenced the enemy guns . The KPA fired on American survivors in the water , wounding several men . In addition , the action prompted the United States Navy to begin the construction of hundreds of minesweeper s for use in the conflict . It also gave the Americans an incentive to take a more aggressive stance by blockading Wonsan . Action . On October 10 , Lieutenant Commander Bruce Hyatt was leading a force of one destroyer , USS " Endicott " and five minesweepers on a minesweeping patrol off Wonsan . The five minesweepers were the USS " Pirate " as flagship , USS " Incredible " , USS " Kite " , USS " Redhead " and USS " Pledge " , all similarly armed and built during World War II . On the morning of October 12 , the formation was steaming in a channel between the islands of Rei - To and Soku - Semu when at 11 : 12 am , the warships changed course to 258 degrees into unswept waters . The channel is wide and long . At 11 : 54 five contact mines were discovered in intervals of and disposed of . Six minutes later at 12 : 01 , a helicopter from the " Endicott " reported that there were three lines of mines off Rei - To , Soku - Semu , Koto and Roto . The specific position of the mines was not clarified but still the American vessels altered their intended course and headed for the field . Due to the threat of contact , Lieutenant Commander Hyatt ordered his ships to battle stations and the crews to disperse themselves evenly across the ships in order to minimize casualties caused by an explosion . While making the wide turn into the direction of the mines , USS " Pirate " struck a mine at 12 : 09 along frame sixty - two on the starboard side . A giant column of water was sent up and at the same time the North Korean shore batteries from Kei - To and Soku - Semu began to shoot shells at the stricken ship . As soon as the communists engaged , the " Endicott " and the remaining minesweepers returned fire on at least three separate batteries . " Pirate " began listing to port at about twenty degrees and when it reached fifteen , Lieutenant Cornelius E . McMullen ordered the evacuation of his ship . Within four minutes , the " Pirate " was hit , capsized and sank completely , taking down six enlisted men . Around sixty men went adrift , some in life rafts . At 12 : 04 , just as the minesweeper turned over , the shore batteries resumed their shooting , this time on the sailors in the water . Because of the accurate battery fire , the American ships could not achieve a complete rescue of the survivors for over four hours . Dozens of the adrift men were wounded by shrapnel and one man was killed . Five minutes after the " Pirate " was hit , the " Pledge " was engaged in a gunnery duel with one of the batteries . Simultaneously , the " Pledge " was hit by an artillery shell and struck a mine . Her commander , Lieutenant Richard O . Young , ordered his men to seal hatches and save the ship but about forty - five minutes later the crew abandoned the vessel and the " Pledge " was underwater . Five men were killed . The KPA shore batteries were eventually silenced after several hours of fighting , enabling the American rescue of the remaining survivors . USS " Redhead " was heavily damaged in the battle ; she received several hits from the batteries while rescuing survivors from both the " Pirate " and the " Pledge " . A total of twelve United States Navy sailors were killed in action and at least forty - three were wounded . Aftermath . Attempts were made to salvage the " Pirate " but failed so explosives were placed in her wreck and detonated to prevent communist forces from recovering any classified material . Additional aircraft and boats from other nearby warships arrived at the area after the action to help in the rescue operations . The USS " Pirate " , the " Pledge " and the " Redhead " each received the Presidential Unit Citation and their commanders were awarded the Silver Star for bravery . USS " Partidge " was mined off Wonsan on February 2 and became the last American vessel to be destroyed during operations in that area . Sometime in 1952 , Lieutenant McMullen received an anonymous package containing the " Pirate " s battle flag and on May 28 , 1985 it was donated to the Naval Historical Center and is on display at the Korean War exhibit .