In July 1951, United Nations forces deployed Commonwealth frigates, including HMAS Murchison, into the hazardous Han River Estuary to demonstrate control during armistice talks. Navigating narrow, uncharted channels and extreme tides, Murchison bombarded communist positions along the riverbanks. In September 1951, Chinese forces ambushed the frigate at close range with heavy artillery. Despite taking multiple shell hits and crew casualties, Murchison returned fire and safely withdrew. To avoid risking the loss of a vessel, inland river patrols were subsequently withdrawn.
In July 1951 the Korean War was well into its static phase and armistice talks were under way in the western Korean city of Kaesong...
The Han River flowed through the only part of Korea south of the 38th parallel still in communist hands. The United Nations Command wanted to demonstrate that it controlled this area. It was also thought that the sound of naval guns in Kaesong would emphasise this point to the armistice negotiators.
The Commonwealth Task Group under Rear Admiral Scott-Moncrieff RN was chosen to provide forces to operate in the Han River Estuary. Commonwealth frigates were detailed for the task, with 3 ships at a time penetrating the estuary.
On 24 July 1951, HMAS Murchison entered the Han River for the first time. Lieutenant Commander Allen Nelson Dollard, a World War II veteran, commanded the ship.
The British frigate Cardigan Bay led a Republic of Korea (ROK) frigate, P-61, and the Australian frigate Murchison.
Murchison faced sandbanks, mudflats, narrow changing channels and a 9 m tidal range. Operations in these waters required precise navigation, but the charts were poor, so ships had to feel their way with lead lines and echo sounders.
At first, Murchison and its fellow frigates found little opposition as they navigated the estuary's narrow maze of channels, which the UNC codenamed, such as Fork, Knife, Spoon, Pall Mall, Sickle, Woolloomooloo, Lambeth and Piccadilly.
On 28 September, the quiet situation changed.
Murchison proceeded up through Fork, Lambeth and Knife to Knife Edge. Directed by aerial spotting, the frigate bombarded the Yonan railway yards about 8 km away.
Proceeding along Piccadilly and Pall Mall to the Yesong River, the frigate came under artillery and machine gun fire from hidden emplacements. The ship's 4-inch guns returned the fire.
As Murchison reached the mouth of the Yesong, the constricted waters forced it to drop anchor and turn on the current. The frigate became a sitting target with its guns continually in action at short range.
Murchison then retraced its course down the twisting waters at 15 knots. Still under fire, its 40mm Bofors engaged the dug-in infantry. The frigate was hit 4 times, but escaped serious damage. One crew member was slightly wounded.
A gunner on Murchison later recalled the mission:
he Han River comes down, and it bursts off into several estuaries, and to find the right estuary – there was no charts – so we had to send boats ahead … we made 30 miles on the first day towards the entrance. The next day we got about another 25 miles, and from then we just extended our areas around the river. And as we extended, we got closer and closer to the banks. Eventually we were up to sometimes 200 yards from the banks and this was absolutely suicidal … We kept going. We kept bombarding and causing a lot of trouble for the Chinese, and eventually they got sick of us, and they decided they’d do something about us, and rolled a bit of artillery down to the foreshore, and lay waiting for us.
[Frank Harold ‘Smithy’ Smith, Australians at War Film Archive.]
Royal Australian Navy HMAS Murchinson shelling North Korean positions on the Han River Estuary, near the mouth of the Yesong River, Korea 1951. Artist Ken McFadyen, 1970, oil on canvas,137.3 x 228.9cm, (AWM ART40820)
Two days later, Murchison was back in action.
Dollard took the ship along Sickle to the Yesong, where the frigate turned and began a bombardment as it steamed back along its outward path.
Again the communists returned a fierce, accurate fire from 75 mm and 120 mm guns, as well as mortars, machine guns and anti-tank guns. The range was close. Murchison's 4-inch and Bofors were firing over open sights, suppressing the Chinese batteries. The enemy gunfire weakened as Murchison ran into a squall that brought the ship to a halt.
The squall quickly passed and the frigate steamed on. As it reached the western end of Sickle, it again came under heavy, accurate fire as Dollard calmly conned the ship through the river's tortuous course. It finally outran the Chinese guns and returned to the river mouth.
The frigate had taken 7 hits and had one of its Bofors put out of action. One crew member was seriously wounded. Murchison had destroyed a field gun, a mortar and several machine guns.
The ship's captain later recalled the damage:
We had heavy fire; most of the shells went through the ship, in one side and out the other, because obviously they were using armour-piercing weapons, or shells, and fortunately they went through the mess decks and the mess decks weren't occupied because hands were all at action stations and the damage was not great. But we had a lot of upper deck damage and bofors guns put out of action, minor flesh wounds
[Allen Nelson 'Bollard' Dollard, 2002, Australian War Memorial Sound Collection.]
Murchison's hard-fought actions showed that the frigates were being placed in unjustified peril. No matter how well they fought, crippling damage was probable, and a frigate could be lost or run ashore. This would have given the communists a splendid propaganda victory. Consequently, the patrols were withdrawn to safer waters.
Murchison's men were widely commended. Dollard and the navigation officer, Lieutenant James Maxwell Kelly, were awarded the DSC.
