The Western Union battleship launched the most daring offensive in its history exactly 28 years ago, on September 20, 1995. The schooner built in 1939 was lonely in battle, and the weapons possessed by the 'soldiers' on it would not frighten even avowed pacifists. So how did it manage to subdue the mighty American army? Join us for the most bizarre "war" story in history, written with the help of ChatGPT and Forefront.
The story begins in Key West, a quiet, sun-soaked town on a kind of island on the Florida coast, known for its clear ocean waters, laid-back atmosphere and penchant for eccentricity. For years, it was just an attractive tourist destination—until in 1982, the U.S. Border Patrol erected a checkpoint on the only highway connecting Key West to the mainland to combat vacationers returning with drugs for sale inside the U.S. and Cuban refugees infiltrating the country. The locals, fearing the consequences of strict enforcement on the island's attractiveness to tourists, decided not to remain silent, declaring disengagement from the United States and a "war," which was only symbolic and the only "attack" in which was symbolic – throwing a stale loaf of bread at a man disguised as an American lawman. The city declared itself a "shell republic", only to "surrender" after a minute and ask for assistance (i.e., continued de facto sovereignty) from the United States.
All of this happened in the early 80s – but on September 20, 1995, Mayor (and "Government") Dennis Wardlow was outraged after a local radio station revealed that the U.S. military was planning to use the island as an arena for military exercises to repel an invasion. The exercise was not coordinated with the local authorities – so Wardlow decided to initiate another "war" against the US. This time he went further, sending a sailing ship – the last of its kind in the world – to "attack" a US Coast Guard patrol with water guns, water balloons, and dry baked goods which they threw at the military boats, which repelled them with their water cannons.
Although the attack was nothing more than a nice show, the U.S. military realized that "war" against American civilians was not on the agenda. Therefore, the next day, the reserve unit responsible for planning the exercise issued an apology, effectively acknowledging the sovereignty of the republic (although the United States itself, and no other country, ever recognized it), saying that "we had no intention of challenging or undermining the sovereignty of the Shell Republic." Another day later, a "surrender ceremony" of the mighty army was held before the leaders of the "republic," which is estimated to have 68,000 residents – an order of magnitude between Rosh HaAyin and Hod Hasharon, in the depths of the third ten most populous cities in Israel.
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