history.navy.mil
The "Six-Day War" and USS Liberty
In June 1967, in response to escalating Arab-Israeli hostilities, USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was operating in the Mediterranean in international waters conducting an intelligence collection mission. Sixth Fleet had received orders in late May to move into the region in response to the withdrawal of the United Nations Emergency Force from Sinai. While operating off the north coast of the Sinai Peninsula on the afternoon of 8 June, in the midst of the Arab-Israeli “Six-Day War” (5–10 June 1967), Liberty was attacked with multiple strafing runs by two unidentified jet fighters—presumed to be Israeli. Twenty minutes later, after first circling Liberty, three motor torpedo boats from Israeli MTB Division 914 closed in at high speeds and launched five torpedoes, of which one, fired from T-203, hit the ship and exploded between frames 53 to 66, tearing a tear-drop shaped hole in the starboard side, 39 feet across at its widest point. Twenty members of Liberty’s crew were killed instantly. Of the 293 U.S. personnel on board the ship, 34 (31 Sailors, two Marines, and one National Security Agency civilian) were killed and another 170 wounded. In the immediate aftermath, Israel did apologize, expressed deep regret, and offered assistance (Liberty refused due to the sensitive nature of its mission), but debates continue about whether the Israeli attack was premeditated or a tragic accident resulting from negligent mistakes or the fog of war. Evidence based on Liberty survivor’s reports and from declassified Navy court of inquiry findings and national agency reporting that the Israelis deliberately attacked what they knew to be an American ship remains contested. After the attack, Liberty departed the area and slowly made way to Valetta, Malta, for temporary repairs, before continuing on to Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Virginia, for more extensive repairs. After the ship was deemed “prohibitively costly” to repair, Liberty was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1970 and later sold for scrap. Liberty was subsequently awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and the Combat Action Ribbon. As Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., later wrote, “Heroism was the order of the day.” Lieutenant Commander Philip Armstrong Jr., executive officer of Liberty, was awarded the Navy Cross (posthumously). Silver Star Medals were awarded to 11 crewmembers (two posthumously), and 19 were awarded the Bronze Star Medal. Commander William L. McGonagle, in a ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard on 11 June 1968, was awarded the Medal of Honor in recognition of his “superb professionalism, courageous fighting spirit, and valiant leadership.”
