USS Liberty incident
MCPO reminds us that June 8th is the 50th Anniversary of the day that the USS Liberty was attacked by an Israeli jet and two Israeli torpedo patrol boats during the Six Day War. US and Israeli investigations concluded that the attack was accidental and the Israeli government paid compensation for the wounded and for the 34 sailors who were killed in the attack.
Israel apologized and said that the ship was mistaken for an Egyptian ship.
Here’s a link to the crew list of the Liberty.
Category: We Remember
MCPO? THE MCPO?
Yes the MCPO.
I miss THE MCPO but I know he is here in sprit.
This whole incident still reeks even after the passage of 50 years. Those 34 poor guys and their wounded shipmates truly learned about being at the “pointy-end of national defense” that day and were poorly served by Lyndon and his cronies. Disgusting.
Lyndon Johnson and his cronies served nobody except Lyndon Johnson and his cronies.
Truth.
I was thinking exactly the same thing. Israel does not make those type of mistakes. If memory serves me correctly, the Liberty was believed to be up to something covert Israel disapproved of.
How in hell do you compensate 34 dead sailors?
You have got to be kidding me. It was no accident, it was a deliberate act. That is not some kind of tin foil hat conspiracy theory.
The Israeli planes passed the USS Liberty before firing, it was clearly flying a US Flag. Radio communications and eyewitness accounts clearly show they knew what they were doing.
Israel also paid reparations of $6.7 million to the injured survivors and the families of those killed in the attack, and another $6 million for the loss of the Liberty itself.
This mentality of never criticizing Israel for their actions has cost many more American lives than just those lost on the USS Liberty.
I’m very Pro-Israel, but I agree on the travesty regarding the Liberty incident. If those were Egyptian planes that did that, we would have knocked evey last one of their fighters out of the sky.
I should be clear, I too support Israel. But, as with all things, I do not blindly support their every action.
Nobody is exempt from criticism…except Jonn of course.
Well said
^^THIS^^
Johnson was President, we wouldn’t have done shit. Of note, that is the reason that SSES spaces are now on ships well capable of fighting back.
Liberty and Pueblo. The 60s were a rough decade for cryptologic technicians.
I’m also pro-Israel, but they will always act in their own self-interest. Given that they were established as a refuge for holocaust survivors (and that establishment did NOT go smoothly) and are literally surrounded by people who want to exterminate every last Jew on Earth, it’s understandable that they would be that way. I just can’t see what they thought they stood to gain in this incident.
As a young man I subscribed to the conspiracy theory that Israel knew the Liberty’s identity at the time of the attack. Over the years I have given up that because I have concluded that THIS COUNTRY IS NO LONGER CAPABLE OF KEEPING A FUCKING SECRET.
Yeah, like ANY israeli would dare antagonize the ONLY friend they have in the world.
This was an accident.
Have you never been in a friendly fire incident in Iraq or Afghanistan?
I have. Shit does happen when the bullets are flying.
I hardly comment on your posts Yef, that does not mean I do not read them.
You can do better than this…hardly even raised and eyebrow…
You ok bro?
When the IDF says mind your own business, they mean it.
A stupid statement, If a ship is in international waters, then it is their business. The Isralies knew it was a spy ship and deliberately attacked over the course of several hours. The attack cast shame on the American military and government. What the real kick in the ass was, that the planes that attacked were probably paid for by the American taxpayer.
No doubt. I too generally support Israel, but in this instance, those jets should have been knocked out of the air, and a message sent ” still wanna play?”
I remember this well.
I agree that it was deliberate, but do not know what the reason for the attack was.
A lot about LBJ that I don’t like.
Remember this vividly and all the controversy over did they or didn’t they know. I don’t care if it is Queen Elizabeth’s private chopper… if it attacks US units it needs to go down pour encourager les autres. Another ball-less Democrat in the White House. And yes, I feel the same about the Pueblo, which was also on LBJ’s watch. I strongly suspect had we splashed the Israelis the Pueblo deal never would have happened.
I have a question and forgive me that it is a simpleton type non Naval person question. For you Navy folks then, some of the crew are listed as “plank owners”, others not. What is a plank owner and what is the requirement to hold that designation and I assume honor?
I’m not Navy, though my brother was. My understanding is that a “plank owner” is a member of the original commissioning crew, ie: the first crew to take the ship to sea.. Not sure that’s correct, but it’s the best i got
Thank you Fyrfighter.
Like Fyrfighter, I’m not Navy, though one of my brothers was. (Another had more sense and went Army – 82nd AB.)
However, one of my former Scouts is a CPO in the Navy. He became a ‘plankowner’ when he was a member of the original crew of a ship – although he was a desk-jockey at the time and at that point never went to sea.
But I could be somewhat confused.
I am Navy…and the others have it correct.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plankowner
Again, thanks to all of you for you help.
Plankowner is a member of the crew when first commissioned.
Look at the crews list.
Many CT’s. Research ship = spy ship.
IDF would not have purposely attack the platform that was providing Intel to an ally during a time of armed conflict.
In the Navy, the incident is known as an accident.
There is not enough Reynolds Wrap to convince me and most other learned folks otherwise.
“Israel apologized and said that the ship was mistaken for an Egyptian ship.”
An Egyptian ship, flying an American flag? The Egyptians are not stupid, but they are not that deceptive.
????
Ships “flying false colors” is a tactic that goes back centuries.
What countries are too unsophisticated or stupid to buy and fly someone ele’s flag?
I might also point out that the Egyptians were part of an invasion effort that achieved near-complete strategic surprise against Israel in the Yom Kippur war.
Assuming opponents are dumb, or too simple for subterfuge, is not wise.
I agree, 11B-Mailclerk, never underestimate an opponent as ‘dumb’ or ‘simple.’ I know the Egyptians are not stupid. During this time period, they did fine work, domestically, incarcerating Muslim Brotherhood members and some women associated, as well. Like this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zainab_al_Ghazali
I’m not familiar with the full text of the Israeli apology for the incident, but I’d at least hope they’d made the argument, front and center, that they saw what they believed was an Egyptian ship nevertheless flying a U. S. flag.
There is still a big stink about the Liberty attack. The Israelis did not want the ship to monitor their Mil. Comms. So the ship was attacked under the pretense that it was an Arab ship flying the U.S.Flag. The Flight commander saw the U.S. Markings and every thing else that it was a U.S. ship and radioed this in but was ordered to attack. I think that he broke off and when he landed, he was arrested for not obeying orders. If one goes onto the internet, one can get the story of what really happened. LBJ did not want to stir up an international incident by accusing the Israelis of the act. German Commerce raiders flying other countries flags were sent to the bottom during WW 2.
I don’t recall that we ever had so much trouble in the Middle East until it became our national policy to slavishly support Israel, right or wrong. 1973 seems to be the turning point. Remember that GEN George Catlett Marshal strongly advised President Truman against the wisdom of recognizing the State of Israel.
In US domestic policy now it’s effectively illegal to say anything bad about Israel, even when Netanyahu shows up uninvited by the President to demand that we keep giving them $3 billion a year, -or else, he says.