Liberty (Ship)

USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was a Belmont-class technical research ship (an electronic spying ship) that is notable for coming under attack from the 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. Her keel was laid down on 23 February 1945 at Oregon Shipbuilding Corporation of Portland, Oregon. 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 sometime after the attack and was sold for scrapping in 1973 as she had been damaged beyond feasible repair.