I never heard of this until reading this article
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0603-32.htm , and I wondered how many of you had.
[q]In 1967, Liberty was the most sophisticated intelligence-gathering or spy ship in the U.S. fleet. On June 8, during the Six Day War involving Israel and its neighbors, Liberty was in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula when it was attacked without warning by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats.
The attacks on the lightly armed vessel began with aircraft cannon, rocket and machine gun fire, and napalm. Following the air strikes, Liberty took a torpedo amidship. When crewmen lowered life rafts to rescue personnel and in preparation for abandoning ship if necessary, the torpedo boats machine-gunned the life rafts and crewmen.
All told, the attacks lasted a little over two hours. During that time, Liberty 's calls for help reached the U.S. Sixth Fleet, despite Israeli jamming efforts, and the carriers Saratoga and America launched aircraft to assist the beleaguered vessel. But that help never arrived. The aircraft were recalled on direct orders from the White House.
...
...
What the Israelis did was unconscionable, but understandable. They reportedly believed Liberty was transmitting intercepted Israeli military radio traffic to the Egyptians. They also reportedly feared that information about Israel's plans to seize the Golan Heights from Syria would be revealed. So they felt justified in waging an act of war against the country that had sustained it politically and financially from its inception and still does.
It's worth noting, too, that some Israeli pilots refused to fly on the mission, knowing the target was an American ship.
The United States' behavior during and after the attack is even more unconscionable. When the carrier pilots were recalled from their mission to aid Liberty, it marked the first time in naval history that an American rescue mission had been canceled when a U.S. vessel was under attack. [/q]
