Akbel 2 – Birya
"Birya" A (Balboa) sailed from Marseille port on June 22nd 1946, with 999 immigrants on board.
The name "Birya" (named after the Upper Galilee settlement near Safad; the Yishuv fought the British intention to uproot it in March 1946) was given to two ships that carried immigrants from Marseille port in France to Haifa port on the same voyage, one following the other.
On the first part of the voyage the immigrants sailed on board "Balboa" (first named "Birya" and on later voyages changed into the Haapala ship, "Hagana." On the second part, they sailed on board "Akbel 2" (from then on named "Birya.") The "Birya" commander was Palyam member Arieh Friedman. The second part of the voyage on board "Birya" was commanded by Palyam member Bezalel Drori. The escorts on the first part of the voyage were Yehosha Rabinovitch, Ya'aqov Frank, Heyman and three other Israelis who studies in the States. There were no escorts on the second part of the voyage, apart from the commander. There was no 'Gidoni' either.
"Birya" A (Balboa) sailed from Marseille port on June 22nd 1946, with 999 immigrants on board. A few days earlier, the "Akbel 2" sailed empty to the agreed meeting point in Sete port in the French Gulf of Lyon. On June 28th, the two ships met and the immigrants transferred from one to the other using two motor boats. The over crowdedness on board "Birya" B ("Akbel 2"), which had been a Turkish cargo ship, and the bad storm that came upon it, caused the ship to lose its steadiness and the radio sent an S.O.S. call (an emergency call for a ship under trouble.) A British aircraft spotted "Birya" and a British destroyer that approached it later, also followed the ship until it entered Haifa port on July 1st.
Since "Birya" arrived in Israel two days after "Black Sabbath," the British detention camps were full of Jewish prisoners. In lieu of that, the British decided to transfer the immigrants onto the "Max Nordue" Haapala ship that was docking in Haifa port. The immigrants stayed at the port for ten days, and after threatening to revolt, were transferred to a temporary camp near Atlit following an agreement between the British and the Jewish Agency.
"Birya" commander, Bezalel Drori, threw his gun into the water shortly before entering the port, and was rescued from the ship disguised as a port worker with the help of "Haogan" Company at the port.
On the first part of the voyage the immigrants sailed on board "Balboa" (first named "Birya" and on later voyages changed into the Haapala ship, "Hagana." On the second part, they sailed on board "Akbel 2" (from then on named "Birya.") The "Birya" commander was Palyam member Arieh Friedman. The second part of the voyage on board "Birya" was commanded by Palyam member Bezalel Drori. The escorts on the first part of the voyage were Yehosha Rabinovitch, Ya'aqov Frank, Heyman and three other Israelis who studies in the States. There were no escorts on the second part of the voyage, apart from the commander. There was no 'Gidoni' either.
"Birya" A (Balboa) sailed from Marseille port on June 22nd 1946, with 999 immigrants on board. A few days earlier, the "Akbel 2" sailed empty to the agreed meeting point in Sete port in the French Gulf of Lyon. On June 28th, the two ships met and the immigrants transferred from one to the other using two motor boats. The over crowdedness on board "Birya" B ("Akbel 2"), which had been a Turkish cargo ship, and the bad storm that came upon it, caused the ship to lose its steadiness and the radio sent an S.O.S. call (an emergency call for a ship under trouble.) A British aircraft spotted "Birya" and a British destroyer that approached it later, also followed the ship until it entered Haifa port on July 1st.
Since "Birya" arrived in Israel two days after "Black Sabbath," the British detention camps were full of Jewish prisoners. In lieu of that, the British decided to transfer the immigrants onto the "Max Nordue" Haapala ship that was docking in Haifa port. The immigrants stayed at the port for ten days, and after threatening to revolt, were transferred to a temporary camp near Atlit following an agreement between the British and the Jewish Agency.
"Birya" commander, Bezalel Drori, threw his gun into the water shortly before entering the port, and was rescued from the ship disguised as a port worker with the help of "Haogan" Company at the port.