West Freemason in Norfolk, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

USS Liberty AGTR-5

Photographed by Sandra Hughes, August 11, 2010

1. USS Liberty AGTR-5 Marker

Inscription. "On June 8, 1967, during the Six Day War between Israel and the Arab States, the American Intelligence ship USS Liberty was attacked for 75 minutes by Israeli aircraft and motor torpedo boats. Liberty was left with over 820 rocket and cannon holes, suffered a 40 foot torpedo hole and was burned from napalm. Armed only with four 50 caliber machine guns, Liberty was not able to adequately defend itself. Two thirds of the crew, 34 dead and 172 wounded, were injured during the attack. The Commanding Officer, Captain William McGonagle, received the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.

Erected 2002 by Sponsored in devotion by survivors of USS Liberty AGTR-5.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Military • Notable Events • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the USS Liberty Incident (1967) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1867.

Location. 36° 50.92′ N, 76° 17.665′ W. Marker is in Norfolk, Virginia. It is in West Freemason. It is on Bousch Street near Wisconsin Square, foot of Harbour St.. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Norfolk VA 23510, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within

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walking distance of this marker: USS Scorpion (SSN-589) (here, next to this marker); USS Forrestal CVA/CV/AVT-59 (here, next to this marker); USS Nimitz (CVN-68) (here, next to this marker); USS Cole (DDG 67) (here, next to this marker); USS Belknap (CG 26) (here, next to this marker); USS Iowa (BB-61) (here, next to this marker); USS Newport News CA-148 (here, next to this marker); The Pentagon (here, next to this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Norfolk.

Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia: USS Liberty (AGTR-5). USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was a Belmont-class technical research ship. (Submitted on August 27, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)

2. USS Liberty Memorial. The Israeli forces attacked without warning and without attempting to contact us. Thirty four Americans were killed in the attack and another 174 were wounded. The ship, a $40-million dollar state-of-the-art signals intelligence platform, was later declared unsalvageable and sold for scrap. (Submitted on August 27, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA.)

USS Liberty AGTR-5 image. Click for full size.

via Wikipedia, 1967

2. USS Liberty AGTR-5

The U.S. Navy electronic reconnaissance gathering ship USS Liberty (AGTR-5) underway in Chesapeake Bay on 29 July 1967, upon her return from the Mediterranean Sea. She had been attacked and seriously damaged by Israeli air and surface forces while operating off the Sinai Peninsula on 8 June 1967, during the "Six-Day War", and was subsequently repaired at Malta.

USS Liberty AGTR-5 Marker (Center) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, January 19, 2022

3. USS Liberty AGTR-5 Marker (Center)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 23, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 958 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 27, 2010, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. 2. submitted on June 23, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3. submitted on January 19, 2022, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.