1950–1953
The Korean War
The Belgian volunteer corps sailed from Antwerp to Pusan aboard the state vessel Kamina. No merchant loss is known.
All conflicts › The Korean War
No vessel from this period is yet in the database by name.
Belgium's combat contribution was the Belgian-Luxembourg Volunteer Corps, which sailed from Antwerp on 18 December 1950 aboard the troopship Kamina under Lieutenant-Colonel Albert Crahay and arrived at Pusan on 31 January 1951. The Kamina was a Belgian state vessel, not a commercial liner. Sea transport for the smaller contingents was largely handled by the American Military Sea Transportation Service, often using commercially chartered ships; the USNS General J.H. McRae carried Dutch, Belgian, Greek and Ethiopian troops to Pusan in 1951.
Nothing in the sources consulted indicates that Compagnie Maritime Belge ships were attacked or sunk in the Korean theatre. Belgian tonnage will have taken part in general UN logistics, but no combat losses are recorded. That is not proof there were none: the Belgian Ministry of Defence and the CMB corporate archive are where that gap could be closed.
No Belgian merchant or fishing vessels from this conflict are known by name.
Where to find more
War Heritage Institute (Royal Military Museum), records on the Korea Volunteer Corps and the Kamina; koreanmedals.com; the-low-countries.com, “The Forgotten Battle”.