On 7 Jun 2005 14:15:59 -0700, "Mike" wrote:

Merlin Dorfman wrote:

Has anybody ever presented a credible reason WHY Israel would
deliberately attack an American ship? Or, if the intent was to
sink it and leave no survivors, why they did neither?

The key part being c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e ...

The idea that a nation would make a deliberate attack upon a warship of
the only western power giving it *support* in a regional war against
multiple enemies ..., well, let's just say it doesn't make any sense
whatsoever and for those claiming otherwise, they best come to the
"table" w/ solid and very credible evidence of that supposed "reason."

Isn't this the same nation that employed Johathon Pollard? Does that
give us a clue? Or not?

LIBERTY was intell ship gathering intel. Somebody on the Israeli side
didn't like that. So they did something about it. You don't have to
sink it and kill the crew to stop it.

As an ASW type in S2s and P3s I have spent a LOT of time at 100-200
feet rigging ships. It's not hard to do and there was a specific
proceedure taught in the S2 RAG. It's easier to rig a ship in a helo,
harder in "fast mover."

The idea that the Israeli pilots made a mistake in ID is not credible.
The ship was marked in the standard fashion, including the name on the
stern. The ship was surveyeled by a helo minutes before the attack
began.

Even if you can "write off" an intitial "error" to Israeli Army pilots
as being blind, illiterate, and stupid the Israeli Navy took a hand in
the operation. They are professional naval officers. They have
binoculars. They have proper recognition manuals. What's their
excuse?

I don't claim any deep insights, here, only an operators view of SSSC.

If the attack was accidental then the Israeli government really
"screwed the pooch" and only the cowardice of the Johnson
Administration saved them. If it was intentional, either as an act of
state or of some rogue faction the cowardice of the Johnson
Adminstration saved them.

Bill Kambic

Veteran: VS-27, VS-30, VS-73, VP-93