This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Tommy Burgdorf (Birddog), FC2
to remember
Allenbaugh, William Barnard, CT3.
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Description The USS Liberty incident was an attack on a United States Navy technical research ship, USS Liberty, by Israeli Air Force jet fighter aircraft and Israeli Navy motor torpedo boats, on 8 June 1967, during the Six-Day War. The combined air and sea attack killed 34 crew members (naval officers, seamen, two marines, and one civilian), wounded 171 crew members, and severely damaged the ship. At the time, the ship was in international waters north of the Sinai Peninsula, about 25.5 nmi (29.3 mi; 47.2 km) northwest from the Egyptian city of Arish.
Israel apologized for the attack, saying that the USS Liberty had been attacked in error after being mistaken for an Egyptian ship. Both the Israeli and U.S. governments conducted inquiries and issued reports that concluded the attack was a mistake due to Israeli confusion about the ship's identity, though others, including survivors of the attack, have rejected these conclusions and maintain that the attack was deliberate.
In May 1968, the Israeli government paid US$3,323,500 (US$22.9 million 2017) in compensation to the families of the 34 men killed in the attack. In March 1969, Israel paid a further $3,566,457 to the men who had been wounded. On 18 December 1980, it agreed to pay $6 million as settlement for the final U.S. bill of $17,132,709 for material damage to Liberty herself plus 13 years' interest.
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
June / 1967
To Month/Year
June / 1967
Last Updated: Mar 16, 2020
Personal Memories
Memories On June 8, 1967, while on station in international waters, USS Liberty was attacked by Israeli air and sea forces in a vicious coordinated attack. This unprovoked and wholly illegal attack left 34 American sailors dead and another 175 wounded.
