For years, USS Liberty attack survivors and researchers have sought an explanation for the very poor quality of gun camera photographs presented in both a Thames, Ltd., television film and A. J. Cristol's book (cover and page 79) about the attack. The photographs appear grossly blurred and highly contrasted. Typically, apart from relatively minor motion blurring, most gun camera photos appear reasonably well-focused and properly exposed. Considering that the attack was performed with the sun high-in-the-sky and well-illuminating the target, why are these photographs of such extremely poor quality?
Additionally, the photographs' content is strange. For example, what is the large white cloud-like area near the starboard bow? The ship took no large hits in this area during the air attack; thus, it cannot be explained as a large explosion. Also, the dark smoke rising from behind the superstructure appears in a location (main deck in front of the Captain's Gig) where no fire occurred. How can this be explained? And why is there absolutely no trace of the ship's identification number on the bow? Even if the number was shaded by the bow's curvature, it should be at least marginally visible.
To answer these questions, the images printed in and on the cover of A. J. Cristol's book were carefully enhanced, studied and analyzed. One analysis involved comparing the gun camera photos with clear and well-exposed photographs of USS Liberty. This analysis paid-off. It showed clearly that the gun camera photos contained many identical and unique features contained in a photograph of USS Liberty docking at a pier in Little Creek, Virginia, in July 1967, upon her return from repairs in Malta, after the attack.
When viewing the comparative analysis, you will see significant and uniquely matching features, in both photographic images, shown within circles and connected with a line between them. As you can see, they are virtually identical. The only difference between them being a minor change in perspective and time, as the photographs were taken. It's clear that the gun camera photo series is based on a docking photograph.
To show further that the gun camera photo is fake, take a look at how high USS Liberty floats in the water.
When the ship was attacked,
it was heavily loaded and floating low in the water, with only
one or two feet of black paint showing. But in all
docking photos, the lightly loaded ship is shown floating high,
with about 8 feet of black paint showing when analyzed,
after completing her crossing of the Mediterranean Sea and the
Atlantic Ocean. This single feature alone demonstrates that the
gun camera photo cannot be real.
Finally, take a look at the
bow wave in the gun camera photo.
When compared to a real bow wave, taken from a photograph of USS
Liberty, you can see that the gun camera photo's bow wave has an
extremely poor resemblance, and lacks proper overall physical
characteristics when closely analyzed.
The mystery of the gun
camera photographs is solved: their grossly blurred and highly
contrasted appearance, and unexplainable content are
attempts to hide the fact that they are fake.
quacks like a duck, I call that bird a duck."