The ship's 39 strong crew were imprisoned in a Cambodia jail while authorities checked the ship.

The Mayaguez had, it was claimed by the Cambodians, sailed into Cambodian waters.

US President Gerald Ford reacted quickly, calling the seizure, 'an act of piracy' and sent armed forces to intervene and recapture the 39 crew.

The US was feeling vulnerable at this time after the withdrawal from Vietnam. The seizure of the Mayaguez appeared to be a small challenge to the US dominance on the world stage.

US Marines attacked the island of Koh Tang where the prisoners were held, and the port where the gunboats had come from was bombed.

It appears that the Cambodian government had already started to release the prisoners at the time of the attack.

41 Americans died.