22. Chepo 2
Departed Balchik, Romania 20-Feb-1939, wrecked 10 Mar 1939
ex-Laris, ex-Katina P, ex-Barletta, built 1898, 1047 gross tons, steamer.
750 passengers
Organized by Betar
Ship wrecked north of Crete, 10 Mar 1939. Passengers were able to reach an uninhabited island with their luggage but were marooned. Mossad contacted the Katina (No. 19) which picked them up.
Photo courtesy of World Ship Society
21. Atrato 3
Departed Naples, Italy 15-Feb-1939, arrived 20-Feb-1939
ex-Irini Vernicos, ex-Iroise, ex-Tchernomore (Russian Navy), built 1911, 663 gross tons, former salvage vessel Details No. 14
300 passengers
Organized by Revisionists
Photo courtesy of Haganah Archives
20. Artemisia
Arrived 6-Feb-1939
ex-Georgios Goulandris, ex-Kalmia; 221 gross tons, built 1894, iron steamer
Details No. 5
237 passengers
Organized by Mossad
On 4 Feb 1939, 237 transferred from Katina (No. 19) at sea off Cyprus. Two days later Artemisia was captured by British police and brought into Haifa with 17 people on board. The others had been landed on the beach the night before.
19. Katina P. II
Departed Balchik, Romania 18-Jan-1939, arrived 16-Feb-1939
ex-Ljubica Matkovic, ex-Ljubica, ex-Mirone, ex-Carlo Zeno, ex-Saint Dunstan, built 1892, 951 gross tons, steamer.
773 passengers
Organized by Revisionists
Picked up 850 passengers at Balchik, Romania (now Bulgaria), who had come down the Danube in sealed trains from Czechoslovakia, plus 100 Hungarians and 50 expelled from Romania. The engines broke down after she sailed and most her stores were ruined by sea water. On 6 Feb 1939 237 passengers were transferred to Artemisia (No. 20). The Katina went back to Greece when the Artemisia did not return. She was then sent to pick up the marooned survivors of the Chepo (No. 22) bringing her passenger list to 1,250. There was great dissension among the different groups on board. About 600 were landed at Netanya but British ships fired on her and she returned to Greece. The remainder were finally landed in April but many had to abandon their belongings.
18. Atrato 2
Departed Ancona 9-Jan-1939, arrived 15-Jan-1939
ex-Irini Vernicos, ex-Iroise, ex-Tchernomore (Russian Navy), built 1911, 663 gross tons, former salvage vessel Details No. 14
300 passengers
Organized by Mossad
Photo courtesy of Haganah Archives
17. Delpa II
Departed Constanta 24-Dec-1938, arrived Jan 1939
ex-Nea Alikarnassos, ex-Angeliki, ex-Notus, ex-Julia, built 1878, 153 gross tons, iron steamer.
224 passengers
Organized by Revisionists; Konfino
Betar members. Landing undetected.
Chepo 1
Departed Tulcea, Romania 5-Dec-1938, arrived 18-Dec-1938
ex-Laris, ex-Katina P, ex-Barletta, built 1898, 1047 gross tons, steamer.
734 passengers
Organized by Revisionists
694 refugees came down the Danube; including 150 straight from Dachau. Chepo picked them up at Tulcea, along with 52 Romanians. Voyage was without incident, landing by small boats on beach at Netanya undetected. The ship’s name has been wrongly written as Jepo, Gepo, Kepo, etc.
Photograph source: Silverstone Collection
15. Elli
Departed Galatz, Romania 1-Nov-1938, arrived Dec 1938
ex-Relay, built 1890, 1114 gross tons, steamer
620 passengers
Organized by Revisionists
Took 244 Draga passengers to the beach at Netanya, undetected. May have carried rifles for the Irgun.
14. Draga 2
Departed Galatz & Sulina, Romania 6-Nov-1938, arrived Dec 1938
ex-Gyuri, ex-Cap Ferrat, ex-Lieselotte, ex-Turnus, ex-Tarset, ex-HMS Kilburn, built 1918, 643 gross tons, steamer (see No. 12)
544 passengers
Organized by Revisionists; Perl
Because the Draga was known by the British as an immigrant ship in the Adriatic, it was sent to Romania for the second voyage. She was disguised as the Spanish Libertad. Passengers came down the Danube from Vienna on river boats 544 on Minerva and Grein, and boarded at Galatz. Included 150 former Dachau inmates, 46 from Romania, and 14 in Romania without visas. Draga met Elli (No. 15) at a Turkish port and transferred about 300 people, and transferred 300 to another ship, possibly Artemisia .
13. Atrato 1
Departed Bari, Italy Nov 1938, arrived 30-Nov-1938
ex-Irini Vernicos, ex-Iroise, ex-Tchernomore (Russian Navy), built 1911, 663 gross tons, former salvage vessel
300 passengers
Organized by Mossad
Photograph source: Haganah Archives
12. Artemisia
Arrived 5-Oct-1938
ex-Georgios Goulandris, ex-Kalmia; 221 gross tons, built 1894, iron steamer
246 passengers
Passengers transferred at sea from Draga (No. 11) and landed at Tantura, on Yom Kippur.
11. Draga 1
Departed Susak, Yugoslavia 20-Sep-1938, arrived 5-Oct-1938 on Artemisia (No.12)
ex-Gyuri, ex-Cap Ferrat, ex-Lieselotte, ex-Turnus, ex-Tarset, ex-HMS Kilburn, built 1918, 643 gross tons, steamer.
Organized by Betar
Picked up 220 passengers at Fiume, Betar members who had come by train from Vienna, plus 80 fromWarsaw. The Italians were about to send the group back as the ship was late in arriving. Passengers transferred at sea to Artemisia (No. 12) for landing.