The USS Liberty was an unarmed American navy ship that was attacked for two hours by Israeli planes and torpedo boats on June 8, 1967. 34 American sailors were killed and 172 injured that day, a casualty rate of 70%. This is among the highest casualty rates ever inflicted upon a U.S. naval vessel.
Today’s findings reveal that Israel thwarted attempts to rescue the ship and its crew. Attacking Israeli aircraft jammed all five American emergency radio channels. In addition, Israeli torpedo boats machine-gunned at close range the life rafts that had been lowered to rescue the most-seriously wounded sailors and marines.
Immediately following the attack, the ship’s survivors were threatened with “court martial, imprisonment or worse” if they did not remain silent. However, as time has passed, many have stepped forward to say that the attack was undeniably deliberate and that justice must be served. Despite numerous attempts to be heard, no previous inquiry has taken public testimony from surviving crewmembers.