Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site cad.BERKELEY.EDU Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!cad!hijab From: hijab@cad.BERKELEY.EDU (Raif Hijab) Newsgroups: net.followup Subject: Re: Air raid on Libya (really Liberty) Message-ID: <403@cad.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: Fri, 23-May-86 18:18:11 EDT Article-I.D.: cad.403 Posted: Fri May 23 18:18:11 1986 Date-Received: Sun, 25-May-86 14:03:29 EDT References: <157@unido.UUCP> <720@ark.UUCP> <170@westpt.UUCP> <901@harvard.UUCP> <56@btnix.UUCP> Organization: CAD Group, U.C. Berkeley Lines: 83 Summary: Details of the Liberty Attack In article <56@btnix.UUCP>, worth@btnix.UUCP writes: > > > > The book "Puzzle Palace", which is about the National Security Agency, > > gives a rather graphic account of what happened to the USS Liberty. > > According to the book the Liberty was attacked by Phantoms, gunboats, > > torpedoes, napalm, armor piercing shells, and helicopter gun ships. > > The Israel's apparently planed to destroy the ship, not disable it. > > According to the book it flew an American flag until the Israelies shot > > it down on the third pass. > > The sources I have read disagree on this account in some areas. The attack > was stated to have been performed first by 2 waves of aircraft, definitely > not phantoms (Mirages in one wave I believe) and no indication of > the use of Napalm was mentioned. From "Assault on the Liberty" by James M. Ennes Jr., "Soon the high-performance Mirage fighter-bombers that initiated the attack were joined by smaller swept-wing Dassault-Mystere jets, carrying dreaded napalm-jellied gasoline. The Mysteres, slower and more maneuverable than the Mirages, directed rockets and napalm against the bridge and the few remaining topside targets.... the Mystere pilots launched rockets from a distance, then dropped huge silvery metallic napalm canisters as they passed overhead. The jellied slop burst into furious flame on impact, coating everything, then surged through the fresh rocket holes to burn frantically among the men inside." The reference to Phantoms probably referred to *US* jets on the Sixth Fleet ship, America, which were ordered into the air to defend the Liberty, then immediately recalled, "Two nuclear-armed F-4 Phantom jets left America's catapults and headed almost straight up, afterburners roaring. Then two more became airborne..."Help is on the way!".. This short message was received by a Liberty radioman and quickly passed to nearly everyman aboard....(but) Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (ordered):"Tell Sixth Fleet to get those aircraft back immediately".... Having recalled the ready aircraft that might have defended the ship, the administration in Washington eventually granted permission to send conventionally armed aircraft. But, incredibly, nearly every aicraft was disabled, was restricted to a nuclear mission, was reserved for some other mission (prottection of the forced, air-to-ground strikes, anti-submarine warfare, reconnaisance) or was otherwise grounded." > A third attack by gun/torpedo boats was also made and the main damage > was caused by a torpedo. The Pentagon release at the time counted six strafing runs by Israeli jets and a subsequent attack by three Israeli torpedo boats. One torpedo had killed twenty five men. The total casualty figure was 34 killed and 171 wounded. The attack caused 821 rocket and machine-gun holes in the ship. > According to the sources I have read an Israeli helicopter then > arrived and offered assistance. The reply of Liberty's captain was > unsurprisingly no. According to Ennes, "As the torpedo boats faded into the distance, helicopters could be seen approaching the ship....two large Israeli Hornet assault helicopters, each heavily loaded with armed men in battle dress. A sailor broke away from his station and ran screaming through the ship. "They've come to finish us off," he yelled. But the helicopters did not attempt to land and made no effort to communicate." (Later,) a flight of Israeli jets passed over the ship at low level ....(and) the three torpedo boats arrived with signal lamps flashing....(Earlier the center boat) opened fire on the empty life rafts (which the Liberty men had lowered into the water)....The Tahamas commander came closer in to use a bullhorn...."Do you need any help?".... Enraged, McGonagle specified to his quartermaster the particular profanity that he thought most appropriate for reply. ...that short message... was obediently relayed to the Tahamas. The torpedo boats withdrew in silence. > The Liberty was scrapped following this incident. > Nick Worth UK