Image:Libcom.org

I came across this maritime event, and although not particularly current, I thought some might be interested in it. I'm sure there are those already familiar with the mutiny.

A short history of the most spectacular American naval mutiny during the Vietnam war, where two sailors hijacked a ship full of napalm and sailed it to Cambodia.

"The Columbia Eagle was a merchant vessel under contract to the US government to take military supplies - napalm and explosives - to US air force bases in Thailand to bomb Vietnam."

"On 14 March, 1970, Clyde McKay, 25, and Alvin Glatkowski, 20, two of the sailors on board who were both members of the Seafarers International Union commandeered the ship."

"They held the captain at gunpoint and, claiming they had a live bomb on board, forced him to order 24 crew members to abandon the ship in lifeboats, and sail the ship to the neutral nation of Cambodia."

"After arriving in the port of Sihanoukville, the mutineers informed the government of Prince Norodom Sihanouk's that they had seized the ship and its cargo as an act of protest against the Vietnam war, and claimed asylum as anti-war revolutionaries."

"Initially given asylum, the two hijackers soon found themselves prisoners of Prime Minister Lon Nol’s right-leaning government.

"While jailed on a prison ship, they smoked marijuana with their guards, and gave statements to reporters declaring themselves "Marxist revolutionaries".

"Glatkowski was later released and surrendered at the U.S. embassy, and Columbia Eagle was returned to American authorities. He was charged with mutiny, kidnapping, assault and neglect of duty, convicted, and served his sentence."

"McKay, however, escaped from Cambodian custody along with a US army deserter named Larry Humphrey. The two fled north hoping to join the state-communist Khmer Rouge as freedom fighters, but were reportedly executed by the guerrillas in 1971. "

https://libcom.org/history/ss-columbia- ... even-johns
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Columb ... e_incident

Holy shit! I've never read of this before. Thanks for posting. Great find!

Kung-fu Hillbilly wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:36 pm The two fled north hoping to join the state-communist Khmer Rouge as freedom fighters, but were reportedly executed by the guerrillas in 1971. "

It rarely pays to be an idealistic moron.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m ... fight-isis

There's a really good book called The Eagle Mutiny by Richard Linnett & Roberto Loiederman. It's a great read. Breaks it all down.

I found a US embassy of Phnom Penh deserter file on them. Copy/dowload image from the following website and enlarge for reading if interested.
https://www.loc.gov/item/powmia/pw027637/

the F111 crews had a little more r&r than they had planned for

It’s a great story but odd. One of the hijackers had a dad working for some govt. agency and later he himself worked for some govt. agency.
When I followed the trail of Sean Flynn from Pages book we found the village in the rubber plantation in Kompong Cham were Page believed Flynn was held. There was an old lady who described the prisoners including the tall one who she supplied with ganga. It was probably one of the mutineers and Humphrey.

Alvin Glatkowski came back here in 2004
Clyde McKay and Humphreys remains were those that Tim Page had hoped were his friends Sean Flynn and Dana Stone

The before and after story, in brief
The Last Mutineer
- an article by Richard Linnett and Roberto Loiederman, the authors of The Eagle Mutiny

Click the pdf attachment
https://libcom.org/history/last-mutineer