User:Nicholas Messinger/sandbox

The "Rafah" Haapala ship (named after the detention camp that held thousands of Jews who were arrested during "Black Sabbath.") was prepared to depart for Israel in Piraeus port in Greece. The ship commander was Palyam member Gad Lesker. The 'Gidoni' was Avraham Lichovsky. Additional escorts were Zvi Taitel and David Baumgarten. The "Rafah" Haapala ship (named after the detention camp that held thousands of Jews who were arrested during "Black Sabbath.") was prepared to depart for Israel in Piraeus port in Greece. The ship commander was Palyam member Gad Lesker. The 'Gidoni' was Avraham Lichovsky. Additional escorts were Zvi Taitel and David Baumgarten. "Rafah" sailed from Bakar port in Yugoslavia on November 26th 1946, with 785 immigrants on board. The captain of the ship was Achasachofolos (a Greek.) The stormy sea at that time of year made the voyage difficult to begin with. On the first five days, the ship avoided going into the open sea and sailed on inner canals; it then made its way from one Mediterranean island to the next. With the strengthening storm, "Rafah" arrived at Sirina Island on December 7th, where it was scheduled to meet a boat that would take some of the ship's foreign crew. But it was no where to be seen. The captain decided to enter a large gulf in the island, which was not well-protected, and anchor there until the storm was over. While attempting to anchor, the "Rafah" ran onto rocks and water began to pour in. The immigrants jumped overboard and climbed to the shore using ropes. 45 minutes later, the ship sank. Eight immigrants died in the tragedy: Yosef Greenberg (14); Peppy Weisberg (16); Tsili Yankowitz (22); Nachum David Futterman (28); Dora Katz (28); Shelly (last name unknown – 14); Etti (last name and age unknown) and another immigrant who was not identified. The casualties were buried on the island; 26 years later, on November 20th 1972, they were brought to burial in the Haifa cemetery. The survivors spent their first night under the sky. Using the radio that was rescued by Lichovsky the 'Gidoni' before the ship sank; they reported their situation to 'Hamossad for Aliyah Bet' and the British Air Force. The next day, a British aircraft located them, and a day later, the British dropped food parcels, clothes, blankets and medicine for the survivors. The Greek island's residents initially gave shelter to the survivors. On December 11th, the foreign crew members and 21 survivors – 11 injured and the rest escorting them – boarded a Greek destroyer that transferred them to Rhodes Island. The following day, a British destroyer HMS Chevron and a minesweeper HMS Providence arrived at Sirina Island and took the immigrants to the Caraolos detention camp in Cyprus. It is reported that encouraged by the Israeli escorts who intermingled with the immigrants, the survivors showed strong resistance to disembarking in Cyprus. The British subdued them only after throwing smoke bombs into the storage rooms where the immigrants gathered.