What happened to the USS Liberty during the Six Day War?
Early in the afternoon of June 8, 1967, during the Six Day War, Israeli jets and missile boats opened fire on the USS Liberty, an American intelligence ship operating off the coast of Gaza. Israeli torpedo boats quickly converged to join the attack, then abruptly ceased fire and offered assistance to the USS Liberty crew. Struck by rockets, cannons and torpedoes, the vessel suffered extensive damage and over 200 casualties: 34 Americans dead, and 171 injured. The Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was a grievous error, largely attributable to the fact that it occurred in the midst of the confusion of a full-scale war. Ten official United States investigations and three official Israeli inquiries have all conclusively established the attack was a tragic mistake. Israel compensated the injured sailors and the families of those killed. Over time, newly declassified documents have all supported the Israeli explanation. All investigations have concluded the same thing: the attack was an acci