This is my USS Liberty Statement of what I recollect of June 7, 1967. | arose up for quarters at 0530AM. | went up to the main deck and saw an airplane going over very low and eyeballing the USS Liberty. | went to roll call and while there seen more planes looking at us. Comenced with ships work after roll cal I worked on and off in the boiler room until 12:00 , occaisonally going up topside for fresh air and to see if ther were any more low fling planes and we did see another one Went to lunch and at 13:00 hours we had a General Quarters dil, ‘We drilled until just before 14:00 hours and | went up topside and got some fresh air and a smoke and the planes came in shooting. | was knocked off my feet and saw blood rom my hands and my leg. It was shaprinal pieces and then went to my General Quarters station in the boiler room. There we immediately lt of boiler number 2 and waited for orders from Mr Golden. We heard many loud explosions topside and shrapnal was raining down on us as armorment hit the stack of the ship. I would say that the first attack lasted about 20 minutes. Word was passed down, during that first 20 minutes, that the six fleet knew we were getting hit and are on the way. ‘There was a lull for a few minutes and the shooting started again. Shells and bullets were fiying through the skin of the ship and going into the boilers and just missing us. ‘We got word to stand by for torpedo attack starboard side. We braced ourselves by the boiler because if they hit the bollers we sould not suffer, we would die immediately. But they kept missing us. After I think five times of warning from the bridge of torpieos coming, one finaly di. It hit starboard side of teh ship. It piced the ship out of the water and put us down very slowiy at a ten degree list. We thought we were going to fip over . The order was given to abandon ship. Our division officer Mr Golden had ordered everyone ot of the engine and boiler room. | was last to leave because it was my job to cut the fuel to the boilers. ‘We went to exit the ship to the famtall and told we could not go, because the torpedo boats were firing at our life rafts and they were picking off anypone who was moving topside. All this time we kept asking where was the sixth fleet planes. ‘So we went back to the boiler room and Mr Golden said to relight the boilers and we were going to get out of there if possible, That time line was about two + hours. We did many thing through that time to save our fellow shipmates and the ship. The out come was 34 dead 172 wounded, day o so later Admiral Kdd came aboard to ask questions and opend our eyes as to where this event was going. He interviewed us in groups and after he was done he warned us never to talk about this ot ANYONE, family orfriends or media, ANYONE. If we did we might be in jail or worse. We stayed in Malta for a few months for repairs and came back to virginia. ‘My dad died never knowing what happened to me. He read it in the local paper for a few days and that was it.I told him I could not talk about it. My biggest break was when My shipmate Jim Ennes wrote the book Assault on the Liberty. In 1982 we came back as a crewffamily again and we were able to talk about it. If not for that | would probably be very bad off, worse then | am now. I thank him for being so brave to do that and help the crew out. I'm not good at writing but | stil remember it ikeit was yesterday. If had a chance to say my piece to @ court of law I would do better then this, page of writing, John Hrankowski USS Liberty Survivor Service No. B10-43-15 Served from January of 1966 through November 1969. 48 Drumciiff Way Rochester, New York. 14612 4-585-225-0385.