_underway_in_Chesapeake_Bay_on_29_July_1967_(K-39927).jpg) USS Liberty (AGTR-5) in Chesapeake Bay on 29 July 1967.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | SS Simmons Victory |
| Namesake | Simmons College in Boston |
| Owner | War Shipping Administration |
| Operator | Coastwise - Pacific Far East Line (during WW II only) |
| Builder | Oregon Shipbuilding Corp. |
| Laid down | 23 February 1945 |
| Launched | 6 April 1945 |
| Completed | 4 May 1945 |
| Fate | Transferred to US Navy in 1963 |
 United States | |
| Name | USS Liberty |
| Namesake | Localities named "Liberty" in ten US states |
| Acquired | 25 March 1963 |
| Commissioned | 30 December 1964 |
| Decommissioned | 1 June 1968 |
| Out of service | June 1967 |
| Stricken | 1 June 1970 |
| Homeport | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Fate | Damaged beyond economical repair by Israeli attack in June 1967; sold for scrap in 1973 |
| Badge | _insignia,_1964_(NH_83352-KN).png) |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 7725 tons (light displacement) |
| Length | 139 m (456 ft) |
| Beam | 18.9 m (62 ft) |
| Draft | 7 m (23 ft) |
| Propulsion | Westinghouse steam turbines, single shaft, 8500 horsepower (6.3 MW) |
| Speed | 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h) maximum sustained, 21 knots emergency |
| Range | 12,500 nmi (23,200 km; 14,400 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement |
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| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | none |
| Notes | [1][2] |
USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was a Belmont-class technical research ship (i.e. an electronic spying ship) that was attacked by Israel Defense Forces during the 1967 Six-Day War. She was originally built and served in World War II as a VC2-S-AP3 type Victory cargo ship named SS Simmons Victory.[2][3] Her keel was laid down on 23 February 1945, under a Maritime Commission contract at Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation of Portland, Oregon.[2]
In 1967, Israeli air force and naval units attacked the research ship during the Six-Day War. Israel later apologized for the attack, stating it had mistaken Liberty for an Egyptian ship, although the reason for the attack has been disputed. Liberty would eventually be decommissioned some time after the attack, was sold for scrapping in 1973 as it had been damaged beyond feasible repair.
- ^ Babcock & Wilcox (April 1944). "Victory Ships". Marine Engineering and Shipping Review.
- ^ a b c Cressman, Robert J. (29 May 2017). "US Navy History, Liberty III (AGTR-5) 1964-1970". United States Navy. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ Colton, Tim (21 November 2009). "Victory Ships". ShipbuildingHistory.com. The Colton Company. Retrieved 13 February 2019.