124. Amiram Shochet — Ile de la Rose
type: yawl
Departed Bacoli, near Naples 6 Aug 1946, arrived 16 Aug 1946, undetected
ex-Ile de la Rose, ex-Ideros, built 1913, 110 gross tons, wood auxiliary yawl
183 passengers
Not intercepted, landing near Caesarea undetected.
Name: Amiram Shochat was a sailor with the “23” lost unit.
123. Twenty-Three (23 Yordei HaSira) — San Sisino
type: barkentine
Departed Italy 2 Aug 1946, arrived 13 Aug 1946
ex-San Sisino, ex-Giuseppe Bertolli, built 1921, 283 gross tons, wood auxiliary barkentine
790 passengers
Short of provisions, they agreed to be towed by destroyer Brissenden. Desperate resistance to boarding. About 400 men, 400 women, 35 children.
Name: a Palmach unit of 23 men who disappeared during a sabotage mission to Syria in 1941.
Photograph source: http://palyam.org
122. Katriel Jaffe — Maria Serra
type: barkentine
Departed Italy 30 Jul 1946, arrived 13 Aug 1946
ex-Maria Serra, built 1920, 335 gross tons, wood auxiliary barkentine
604 passengers
Captured at sea by British destroyer Talybont after resistance to being boarded. About 400 men, 200 women, 20 children.
Name: Katriel Jaffe was the commander of a Palmach unit (“the 23”) lost during the war.
Photograph source: Silverstone Collection
121. Henrietta Szold — Ariette Salom
type: aux schr
Departed Piraeus, Greece 30 Jul 1946, arrived 12 Aug 1946
ex-Ariette Salom, built (unk), about 150 tons.
536 passengers
150 passengers transferred at sea from the Rafi. Passengers included 180 children, 28 infants including 2 born on board, and 19 pregnant women. Passengers resisted capture by the destroyer Venus. Transferred to transport Empire Heywood for deportation to Cyprus.
Name: Henrietta Szold (1860-1945) was an American Jew, founder of Hadassah, who had organized the rescue of Jewish children from Europe during the war.
120. Yagur — Sagolem
type: m/v
Departed La Ciotat, France 29 Jul 1946, arrived 11 Aug 1946
ex-Sagolem, built (unk), about 300 tons, old sailing vessel
758 passengers
Captured at sea by British destroyer Brissenden, with only passive resistance. 448 men, 302 women. First group to be taken to Cyprus, on the Empire Rival.
Name: The Jewish settlement of Yagur, where the Palmach stored its arms, had been raided by the British in July 1946.
119. Biriah — Akbel
type: str
Departed Sète, France 22 Jun 1946, arrived 2 Jul 1946
ex-Akbel, ex-Ayten, ex-Serefnur, ex-Cheref-Nour, ex-Firouze, ex-Nish, ex-Thessaloniki, ex-Lefkas, ex-Neva, built 1896, 294 gross tons, small steamer
1108 passengers
Passengers transferred at sea from Haganah (No. 118). Arrested by British destroyer Virago. Plague on board was suspected. I.F. Stone, the American journalist, was on board.
Name: Biriah was a settlement in Galilee razed by the British and rebuilt in 1946.
Book: “Underground to Palestine” by I.F. Stone (1946).
Photograph source: Leaning Masts
118 & 118a. Haganah — Balboa
Type: str
Departed Sète, France, 20 Jul 1946, and Bakar, Yugoslavia, 24 Jul, arrived 29 Jul 1946
ex-Balboa, ex-HMCS Norsyd, built 1943, 980 tons, former Canadian corvette
2678 passengers
Built as the Canadian corvette Norsyd. Manned by American volunteers. First group of refugees were members of Jewish organizations and wives of servicemen who sailed from Sète, France, and were transferred at sea west of Crete by motor launch, 30 persons at a time to Biriah (No. 119). A new party of 2678 was picked up at Bakar, Yugoslavia. This was the largest group yet, including 150 children under 10 and 150 expectant mothers. Ship was found at sea with engines broken down with no electricity. Taken in tow to Haifa by British destroyer Venus. Served in Israeli Navy until 1955 as Haganah.
Name: The Haganah was the Jewish Defense Force which later became the Israeli Army.
Photograph source: Haganah Archives
118 & 118a. Haganah — Balboa
type: str
Departed Sète, France, 20 Jul 1946, and Bakar, Yugoslavia, 24 Jul, arrived 29 Jul 1946
ex-Balboa, ex-HMCS Norsyd, built 1943, 980 tons, former Canadian corvette
2678 passengers
Built as the Canadian corvette Norsyd. Manned by American volunteers. First group of refugees were members of Jewish organizations and wives of servicemen who sailed from Sète, France, and were transferred at sea west of Crete by motor launch, 30 persons at a time to Biriah (No. 119). A new party of 2678 was picked up at Bakar, Yugoslavia. This was the largest group yet, including 150 children under 10 and 150 expectant mothers. Ship was found at sea with engines broken down with no electricity. Taken in tow to Haifa by British destroyer Venus. Served in Israeli Navy until 1955 as Haganah.
Name: The Haganah was the Jewish Defense Force which later became the Israeli Army.
Photograph source: Haganah Archives
117. HaChayal Ha’Ivri — Hochelaga
type: str
Departed Antwerp, Belgium 14 Jul 1946, arrived 31 Jul 1946
ex-Hochelaga, ex-HMCS Hochelaga, ex-Waturus, built 1900, 628 gross tons, passenger steamer, former yacht
550 passengers
Mostly young people, with 70 aged 12 to 16. Captured at sea by British destroyer Saumarez.
Name means “The Jewish Soldier.”
Photograph source: Leaning Masts
116. Josiah Wedgwood — Colon
type: str
Departed Vado, Italy, 20 Jun 1946, arrived 26 Jun 1946
ex-Colon, ex-HMCS Beauharnois, built 1944, 980 tons, former Canadian corvette
1259 passengers
Built as the Canadian corvette Beauharnois. The first of the ships manned by American volunteers. Arrested at sea by the British destroyer Venus. About 800 men, 500 women. Later served in Israeli Navy until 1955 as Hashomer.
Name: Sir Josiah Wedgwood (later Lord Wedgwood) (1872-1943) was a pro-Zionist member of parliament.
115. Haviva Reik — Agios Andreas
type: m/v
Departed Piraeus, Greece, 28 May 1946, arrived 8 Jun 1946
ex-Aghios Andreas, built (unk), about 150 tons
462 passengers
150 people transferred from Rafi off Palestinian coast, and crew disembarked. Ship was captured by British destroyer Saumarez with machinery broken down and no crew. 327 men, 143 women, 15 children.
Name: Haviva Reik (1914-1944) was a Palmach member who parachuted into Slovakia in 1944, was captured and shot.