1983 Grenada mental hospital bombing
{{Short description|Bombing during the United States invasion of Grenada}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = 1983 Grenada mental hospital bombing
| location = Richmond Hill Mental Hospital, St. George's, Grenada
| date = 25 October 1983
| partof = the United States invasion of Grenada
| fatalities = 18
| injuries = 30
| perpetrator = {{flag|United States Navy}}
}}
On 25 October 1983, during the invasion of Grenada, the Richmond Hill Mental Hospital was mistakenly bombed by U.S. Navy A-7 Corsairs, killing 18 people and hospitalizing 30 more.{{Cite news |date=1984-11-22 |title=Opinion {{!}} MENTAL HOSPITAL REMAINS A CASUALTY OF THE GRENADA INVASION |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/22/opinion/l-mental-hospital-remains-a-casualty-of-the-grenada-invasion-100465.html |access-date=2023-09-02 |issn=0362-4331}}
Background
{{see also|History of Grenada}}Grenada gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1974 under Sir Eric Gairy.{{Cite web |title=Grenada - Independence, Caribbean, Spice Island {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Grenada/Independence |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}} He claimed victory in the general election of 1976, but the opposition did not accept the claim.{{Cite news |date=1976-12-09 |title=REPORTS ARE CONFLICTING ON GRENADA VOTE RESULTS |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/12/09/archives/reports-are-conflicting-on-grenada-vote-results.html |access-date=2023-09-02 |issn=0362-4331}} On 13 March 1979, the New Jewel Movement led an armed revolution and overthrew Gairy’s government while he was out of the country, establishing the People’s Revolutionary Government under Maurice Bishop.{{Cite web |title=March 13, 1979: The Grenada Revolution |url=https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/grenada-revolution/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Zinn Education Project |language=en-US}}
On 25 October 1983, under codename Operation Urgent Fury, the United States and the Regional Security System invaded Grenada at the request of Tom Adams, the Prime Minister of Barbados and the Prime Minister of Dominica, Eugenia Charles.{{Cite web |title=United States invades Grenada |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/united-states-invades-grenada |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=HISTORY |language=en}}
Bombing
On the first day of Operation Urgent Fury, A-7 Corsairs from the {{USS|Independence|CV-62}} attacked enemy command posts at the Fort Frederick and Fort Rupert areas. The Corsairs lacked any maps or ground indication of their target, which caused them to mistakenly bomb the Richmond Hill Mental Hospital, a 183-patient mental hospital near the forts.{{Cite web |last=Hills |first=Andrew |date=2021-06-04 |title=1983 US Invasion of Grenada |url=https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/1983-invasion-of-grenada/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=Tank Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=U.S. troops bomb mental hospital, reports say |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/10/31/US-troops-bomb-mental-hospital-reports-say/7116436424400/ |access-date=2023-09-06 |website=UPI |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Operation Urgent Fury |url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/grenada/urgent_fury.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124093323/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/grenada/urgent_fury.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 24, 2009 |website=history.army.mil}} The bombing killed 18 people, 17 of them being patients and 1 being a hospital staff member. 30 more people were hospitalized and another 68 patients were unaccounted for, but later returned to the hospital or remained at their homes. The hospital was destroyed after the bombing. Early reports of the attack stated that as many as 50 people were killed.{{Cite news |date=1983-11-01 |title=U.S. CONCEDES BOMBING HOSPITAL IN GRENADA, KILLING AT LEAST 12 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/01/world/us-concedes-bombing-hospital-in-grenada-killing-at-least-12.html |access-date=2023-09-02 |issn=0362-4331}}
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Grenada mental hospital bombing, 1983}}
Category:October 1983 in North America
Category:People killed in the Cold War
Category:Wartime hospital bombings
Category:Cold War military history of the United States
Category:Naval aviation operations and battles
Category:Wartime attacks on hospitals in North America
Category:1983 building bombings
Category:United States war crimes
Category:United States Navy in the 20th century
Category:20th-century mass murder in North America
Category:Naval bombing operations and battles
Category:Airstrikes in North America
Category:Deaths by American airstrikes