One of the Yorktown's helicopters was in Japan, piloted by the Executive Officer of one of the helo (helicopter) squadrons.  When the Yorktown convoy got its orders and turned, the Commander decided his place was back on the Yorktown.  While flying over the sea, some of the crucial navigational aids failed.  The aviator, Donald S. Jones, had to literally fly by the seat of his pants to get himself, the air crew and a Yorktown navigator back to the Yorktown.  The country was lucky that the Commander survived because he went on to much greater service.  The Yorktown aviator eventually became a Vice Admiral and security adviser to the President.

  Captain Bill Bennett, now flexed against the low speed, rolling motion of the great ship, forced himself, in stolid patience to wait out the time required to fuel the last of his screen in warships, as Yorktown drove north in harm's way.  Scant information had been transmitted to Yorktown.  Tactical orders were brief and shocking.  Shut down all radar systems.  Clearly, no aircraft could be launched in this weather, yet no missile or gun system could fire without electronic eyes to see.  The Yorktown and its escorts had been discharged by order.  Yet in very little time, they would forge on north to meet whatever might lie in wait for them.

   Against running time and continuing refueling, Captain Bennett ordered general quarters  (battle stations) and carrier and escorts cranked up again to best usable power.  Effectively blind, the carrier force headed into the tormented waters of the Tsushima Straits.  the seas eased as the carrier entered the Sea of Japan.  Here, despite the weather, the lights of fishing boats are scattered across the calmer sea. 

 

 Appalled, Captain Bennett sent one destroyer full speed three thousand yards into the lead, flashing all lights and using its warning horn in solid, constant blare.  No matter, the darkness swelled the lights as the huge ship cut into the northern lightless of the central sea.

Chafing under the orders to keep radar blackout, Captain Bennett instructed the leading destroyer to remain in the lead position.  He then activated the range limiting, low power radar designed to identify his screening destroyers and check station keeping.  Suddenly, he started at the screen, as he counted five vessels in assigned positions, with two others alongside fueling!  Realization was swift and stunning.

  

 

 

An intruder, taking advantage of the radar blackout, had approached undetected and was now sailing in the carrier's formation and accurately following all course and speed changes.  Further, the intruder, which was without doubt a Soviet vessel, had clearly accessed the radio codes.  The decision was clear; either consider the intruder's presence an act of war, or ride it out until daylight.  However, the intruder slipped away just before dawn.

 

These "bad manners" by Russian trawlers were common.  

Going eyeball to eyeball with the Russians...and the Russians blinked     USS Forrestal click

Meanwhile, back on the USS Yorktown;

The wind blew so hard that at times the flight deck was invisible to the bridge.  As the Yorktown patrolled the coast she herself was watched by the Russian sub tender that the crew had nicknamed "Getalong."  This little ship would cut across the bow of the larger Yorktown trying to get Captain Bill Bennett to change course. 

As the Getalong disappeared from sight near the bow, the men on the bridge would wait to feel the crunch of metal against metal.  But the small ship would always manage to slip out of the way.  For days it was a game of nerves and for the days the Yorktown was closer to the Korean coast than any other capital ship.  Pacific Carrier ©1988 p. 282

Soviet Union Navy Officer's Hat Emblem

USS Yorktown backed down
rather than slice a Russian ship in two

 

Izzy Izard, BT3, B Div, 65-68
full back down
 

When the Russians cut in front of The Lady we did a full emergency back down or full reverse.  Now when the main engine go from full speed ahead to full reverse it gets a little chaotic to say the least.  Boiler pressure jumps very quick as it has no place to go.

It was the first and only time I've seen boilers jump, pant and expand.  Eight guys doing what they're trained to do; cutting burner, regulating water and blowers to maintain constant steam pressure and wondering what the hell was going on topside!

A scary ride thirty four feet below the water line. Nice and warm down in the hole but so cold above decks.  Only time I wore a coat in the hole.

Power run; that ol Lady used to shake and vibrate on a power run , the ol man would say "squeeze all you can till it shakes me off the Bridge." Those boilers would pant and rumble like they were going to blow wide open and you could smell the adrenalin brewing in the hole.  Took us about 3 or 4 hours to settle down after we went on normal steaming~damn the rush was better than a drunk buzz!

 
Charles M. Yunker, OI Div. 67-68
Everyone tracked everyone else......when the North Korean pirates kidnapped the USS Pueblo the Yorktown and six of its escorts headed for the Sea of Japan in total darkness and at near flank speed; the first of my two ships to go to total darkness and at high speed toward an objective. One of our escorts had engine or boiler problems and had to depart the group; a few hours before dawn as we were entering the Sea of Japan a Russian trawler took up the missing destroyer's station off the Yorktown's starboard quarter thus beginning a 40 some odd day assignment of shadowing the Yorktown. And by mid-morning the Yorktown went to General Quarters as several Russian bombers flew overhead until they were chased off by USN fighters that launched out of Japan (if memory serves me correctly).

To United States Ship USS Yorktown from Soviet vessel, best birthday wishes to Captain William Bennett

The crew on the Russian trawler knew almost everything about the Yorktown, including the Captain's name, etc. (they pulled alongside to wish him a Happy Birthday on the correct date ----may the gentleman rest in peace, he was a very good skipper (Capt. Bennett passed away in 2006). The trawler had a habit of crossing our bow when we began to launch and land aircraft; that is until the Captain send word to them that Yorktown would run them over if they did it again.

To Soviet vessel from United States Navy ship USS Yorktown-warning in hereby given.  Do not cross our bow as we will not make evasive manuevers...

They also tried to steam in between the Yorktown and a US oiler, but Captain Bennett signed them "to get in line" if they wanted fuel, and they did. Word was that the trawler had at least one woman on board; they did, but let's just say her hobby must have been derailing trains either by staring at them, or by putting a shoulder to them.


 

  I was on the USS Yorktown when we were sent to Korean for, what we thought was your rescue mission. I can remember when we were told over the intercom that we were going in to get you that morning of the night we arrived. Our carrier was blocking the entrance to the harbor and I can remember all the fishing boats with their lights on. Our first thought was that we did not stand a chance with all these boats surrounding us until we had one of the boats go right under our number two elevator and they looked at us as we did them. We were an antisubmarine aircraft carrier and all our planes were recipes. The E1B and the S2E if my memory is correct.

   The first three days were the most stressful because reality set in when we came up from General Quarters and saw our planes loaded with nuclear radiation decals on the bombs with Marine guards around the aircrafts.

 

  I can't remember if we were the first task group their or the Enterprise but I do remember that we had discovered so many unidentified submarines that the USS Enterprise only stayed for a few days and was replaced with the Kitty Hawk I think. The history books never mention the USS Yorktown but I do know we were willing to give our all to save our all of you, our Navy buddies. We stayed on station for 47 days and then were relieved to continue our mission to Viet Nam.

 

  (So, to the officers and crew of the USS Pueblo) the memories of your sacrifice to this day and treatment by our government will never leave my memory. I am honored that I and we of the USS Yorktown had served to save true heroes. God Bless you and your service and sacrifices and I truly think all of you as my heroes and inspiration to you; true patriots. Your sacrifices will always be with me and the Crew of the USS Yorktown and my family forever.

 

Your Navy Comrade, Seaman David B. Chambers V-3 Division