USS Liberty The technical research ship arrives at Valletta, Malta, having been attacked by Israeli aircraft and torpedo vessels in the Mediterranean, 8th June 1967.(1062x1600p)

The USS Liberty was a technical research and electronic intelligence-gathering ship of the U.S. Navy.

On June 8, 1967, during the Six-Day War, the ship was sailing in international waters off the coast of Sinai and the Gaza Strip, clearly flying the American flag. Suddenly, it came under attack by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats, resulting in the deaths of 34 Americans and injuries to 171 others.

The ship was heavily damaged, suffering a massive 40-foot (12-meter) hole in its hull, but remained afloat until help arrived.

Despite successfully sending a distress signal amid jamming, fighter jets from the aircraft carriers USS America and USS Saratoga were dispatched to assist. However, orders from Washington (from Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara) repeatedly recalled these aircraft, leaving the crew without air cover during the attack.

The first real American assistance(the destroyers USS Davis and USS Massey) did not arrive until 15 to 18 hours later, on the morning of June 9.

Politically, Israel claimed the incident was a "mistaken identity," believing the ship was the Egyptian destroyer El Quseir. This explanation was officially accepted by President Lyndon Johnson’s administration, which quickly closed the case.

Survivors rejected the Israeli account, citing the clear visibility that day and the American flag flying, as well as Israeli reconnaissance planes circling the ship hours before the attack and deliberate jamming of distress frequencies.

Official investigations by both the U.S. and Israeli governments concluded that the attack was a "tragic mistake" caused by friendly-fire confusion and battlefield chaos.

Israel paid around $13 million in compensation to victims’ families and for damage to the ship.

No Israeli officer or pilot faced criminal or military accountability, as the attack was deemed the result of a chain-of-command error rather than a criminal act.

The crew received numerous awards for their bravery in saving the ship, including the Presidential Unit Citation and the Combat Action Ribbon. Captain William McGonagle was awarded the Medal of Honor, but in a quiet ceremony at a Washington shipyard rather than the White House, to avoid political attention.

The ship ultimately left service and was sold for scrap in 1973.