Smyrna – Max Nordue
The ship sailed from Constanta Port on May 7th 1946, with 1,666 immigrants on board.
The "Max Nordue" Haapala ship (named after the famous Zionist leader, who was the senior assistant of Binyamin Ze'ev Herzl, founder of the Zionist Movement) prepared to depart for Israel in Costanta port in Romania by Moshe Averbuch, Shaike Dan and Ben-Ephraim. The ship commander was Palyam member Eliezer Varsh (Armoni.) The 'Gidoni' was Chaim Pretkin (Porat.)
"Max Nordue" had previously served in the Russian army, transporting wounded soldiers through the Danube River during the war. The ship sailed from Constanta Port on May 7th 1946, with 1,666 immigrants on board. It was spotted by the British on May 13th, and a British destroyer followed it until it entered Haifa port the following day. A motor boat carrying a delegation of: Abba Hushi, Haifa Labor leader, and Ya'aqov Dori, previous commander-in-chief of the Hagana arrived at "Max Nordue," ordering its people to throw their weapons into the sea and avoid resisting their unloading. The immigrants were taken to detention at Atlit camp. The escorts intermingled with them and later escaped the camp.
"Max Nordue" created a clear turning point in the Haapala scope, since it surpassed the monthly quota of 1500 immigrants the British granted certificates (immigration papers.) The arrival of the "Max Nordue" immigrants created a problem in the Atlit camp; for the first time, the over crowdedness made life very difficult in the camp.
"Max Nordue" had previously served in the Russian army, transporting wounded soldiers through the Danube River during the war. The ship sailed from Constanta Port on May 7th 1946, with 1,666 immigrants on board. It was spotted by the British on May 13th, and a British destroyer followed it until it entered Haifa port the following day. A motor boat carrying a delegation of: Abba Hushi, Haifa Labor leader, and Ya'aqov Dori, previous commander-in-chief of the Hagana arrived at "Max Nordue," ordering its people to throw their weapons into the sea and avoid resisting their unloading. The immigrants were taken to detention at Atlit camp. The escorts intermingled with them and later escaped the camp.
"Max Nordue" created a clear turning point in the Haapala scope, since it surpassed the monthly quota of 1500 immigrants the British granted certificates (immigration papers.) The arrival of the "Max Nordue" immigrants created a problem in the Atlit camp; for the first time, the over crowdedness made life very difficult in the camp.