Station HYPO

Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008)

Among the crew of USS Hollandia celebrating the surrender of Japan August 14, 1945 years ago is Paul Newman (he is the jubilant sailor in the back of the photo). Newman wanted to be a naval aviator but was rejected because of his colorblindness. He served as an aviation radioman in the Pacific theater during the war.

By Jim Stewart

They were always the last to leave the ship. It meant waiting up to an hour in the noise and heat while a backwash of jet fumes filled the fat old plane, gently rocking it in the night.

Conspiracy Theorists, Anti-Semites and More

Many surviving crewmembers feel they’ve been dishonored by the cover-up. “We’ve been made to appear as bigots and the lies frustrate our efforts to distance ourselves from neo-Nazi organizations [and other anti-Jewish groups],” says Gallo. “Our government put the Israeli relationship over and above the crew and, time after time, the eye witnesses of the attack are called conspiracy theorists. Because the events involved Israel and are compounded by a state lie, we are automatically labeled a bunch of whiners. I guess we are supposed to keep our mouths shut. I suppose if no one was killed or wounded, we could possibly do that. However, [Israel] attempted to murder 294 Americans. We would be remiss as Americans if we did not speak out and our 34 shipmates would have died for nothing.”

JOB TITLE/DESCRIPTION: Training Department Head, Mr. Murphy serves as the Training Department Head and designated as the Training and Readiness Officer managing overall training and readiness programs, requirements, metrics and courses for Navy Information Operations Command Pensacola.

On January 23, 1968, the Navy’s U.S.S. Pueblo was coasting in international waters off the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The boat had been sent by Rear Admiral Frank L. Johnson and its mission, approved by then-President Johnson’s National Security Council, was to intercept communications from communist North Korea. As part of Cold War reconnaissance, the Navy and the National Security Agency wanted an update on North Korea’s military, and the U.S.S. Pueblo—a specialized spy ship packed with advanced sensors and sensitive encryption devices—was the tool for the job.

After the Attack

Miraculously, the Liberty refused to sink and was able to get underway on her own power. The crew worked tirelessly through the night to care for the wounded and secure the ship for its voyage to Malta. Despite the USS Saratoga and USS America being only 15 air minutes from Liberty, help did not arrive until 18 hours after the attack.