Gulf of Sidra

Gulf of Sidra is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya; it is also known as Gulf of Sirte. It is located by the city of Sirte.

Tuna fishing is of economical importance in the Gulf.

Territorial claim

Libya assertes that the entire gulf is Libyan territory with what is called the Gulf of Sidra closing line - 32 degrees, 30 minutes north with an exclusive fishing zone to 62 nm [1]

The US denies it has the right to assert the claim and believes it only has a standard of a 12-mile (22.2 km) territorial limit from the country's shore. Libya believes it to be a territorial sea, not just a coastal area. In 1973 this was asserted by Libya's leader Muammar al-Gaddafi who dubbed it The Line of Death. In the Gulf of Sidra incident (1981), US-Libyan air engagement over territorial claim, two Libyan Su-22 jets were shot down by two US F-14 Tomcats.

During the 1986 US bombing of Libya, due to allegations of a bombing of a German disco, USAF captains Fernando L. Ribas-Dominicci and Paul F. Lorence died when their F-111 was shot down over the gulf. Later in 1989 during what is referred to as Gulf of Sidra incident (1989), two Libyan MiG-23 Flogger Es aircraft were shot down when it was believed they may attack the US fighters that were in the area, such as what happened in 1981. In this instance the flogger pilots were lost when they were fired on and successfully shot down after a series of missile launches.

See also

• Second Battle of Sirte, World War II naval battle between Regia Marina and Royal Navy.
• Gulf of Sidra incident (1981), US-Libyan air engagement over territorial claim, two Libyan jets shot down
• Gulf of Sidra incident (1989), US-Libyan air engagement over territorial claim, two Libyan jets shot down by two US Tomcats
• Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986, was a series of Freedom of Navigation operations by US Naval Forces.