The Struggle
The preparations for the "Exodus" departure took many months, which the British repeatedly tried to sabotage.
The preparations for the "Exodus" departure took many months, which the British repeatedly tried to sabotage. As the Haapala ship left Sete port in France on July 11th 1947, a British reconnaissance aircraft circled over it, and the first destroyer awaited by the port. The more "Exodus" neared the country shores, the more battle ships followed it. Eight British navy vessels participated in the actual battle. Under these circumstances, 'Hermosa for Elijah Bet' HQ coordinated with the ship commanders to try and openly break the blockade.
"Exodus" had a few advantages in resisting: Its height made it hard for soldiers from destroyers to climb on board; its strength made increased its durability against bunts; its speed and acceleration ability made it possible to evade the destroyers, and the small sunker enabled the ship to reach the shore and hit a sandbar beyond their reach.
"Exodus" was scheduled to reach Israel from Egypt and disembark its immigrants on the Tel-Aviv shore.
The deployment for encountering the British included preparing hoses for steam emission and oil spraying; entrenching the machine rooms, the boilers, the navigation, the communication devices and the decks in nets, barbed-wire and various obstacles; gathering piles of ammunition throughout the ship – cans, bottles, potatoes, iron bars, pegs, screws and nails; the hundreds of immigrants who chose to participate in the confrontation (mostly young people 16-18) were split into areas and given sticks, oars and axes.
While "Exodus" made its way by sea, the UN commission of inquiry - UNSCOP – was in Israel, as the final stage in forming its recommendations for the solution of the Palestine problem. "Exodus" had a strong radio broadcast. The 'Gidnoi,' Michael Einav, suggested using it to broadcast to the Jewish Yishuv. The suggestion was approved by 'Hermosa for Elijah Bet' HQ, which determined the content of the broadcast. On July 17th, the ship broadcasted via "Kol Israel," the underground station of the Jewish Resistance Movement. The broadcast depicted the history of the immigrants and their determination to immigrate to Israel. It also approached the UNSCOP members to collect a live testimony from the "Exodus" immigrants before leaving the country. The broadcast from the ship caused great excitement in the Yishuv.
The British used to intercept and capture Haapala ships spotted while at sea, only when the neared the territorial waters limit. Since they were aware of the unique properties of the "Exodus," this time the British decided to carry out the attack on the ship relatively far from the shore, to prevent the ship from breaking through to the shore. The attack commenced at 02:30 in the morning of July 18th. "Exodus" was about 20 miles from the Gaza shore at that point.
The battle lasted about three hours. Time after time, the destroyers butted against the ship, threw hundreds of smoke bombs and tear gas and managed to send about 50 soldiers on board. The British took over the rudder, but the immigrants maintained control over the ship, since the captain, Aharonovitch, guided the "Exodus" with an alternative rudder installed in the sterns. The soldiers were hit with the pre-arranged "ammunition," and some of them responded using firearms. Water began to penetrate the ship as a result of the strong bunts of the destroyers. The tear gas and burning smoke caused panic and hysteria among some of the immigrants who did not actively participate in the battle. The groups of soldiers who managed to climb on board the "Exodus" were isolated; some were held captive or guarded by the immigrants. The British had difficulties trying to transfer more soldiers on board the ship, and one of the destroyers was badly damaged after a raft hit it.
As the battle continued, the fighting immigrants grew tired and the number of the injured among them increased. Dr. Yehosha Cohen, who took care of most of them, informed the ship commander, Yossi Hamburger (Harel) that the lives of some immigrants were in danger if not be given blood transfusions quickly enough. Therefore, Hamburger ordered to end the battle and coordinated the medical assistance with the British officers who had boarded "Exodus" during the confrontation. The British medical teams were overwhelmed with work. When the battle ended, the number of injured "Exodus" passengers came to about two hundred (mostly young people 16-18, who took part in the clashes), with three casualties:
Zvi Ya'aqobovitch, 15; Mordechai Boimshtein, 23, and William (Bill) Bernshtein, 28, from the ship's Jewish-American team.
Since there were no facilities on board the ship to tend to the injured, and transferring them to the destroyers would have endangered some of them, Hamburger decided to quickly sail towards Haifa. "Exodus" entered Haifa port in the afternoon. The immigrants'' fatigue forced the escorts to give up organizing any resistance during the disembarkation and the transfer to the deportation ships.
The chairman of UNSCOP, Emile Sandstrum (Swedish), and member of the committee, Vladimir Smirch (Yugoslavian), responded to the immigrants' call that reached them by Moshe Sheetrock, Head of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency, and watched the ship enter the port. The event left a great impression on them and roused deep appreciation for the Yeshiva's operational capability.
The battle on board the "Exodus," with its many injured and damages to the ship, made its entrance to Haifa port in the presence of UNSCOP members, an act of propaganda and political significance in the struggle for the establishment of the State
On July 19th, a convoy of deportation ships, including "Empire Rival," "Ocean Vigor," and "Renamed Park," left the Haifa port. At that point, neither the Yishuv nor the immigrants knew that this time, the convoy was not headed for the detention camps in Cyprus, but back to Europe. In response to capturing "Exodus" and deporting its immigrants (regardless of the deportation destination), the Palmach received approval to deviate from the restraint policy and carry out two retaliation acts linked to the Haapala. On the night of the 21st to the 22nd of July, units from the 1st Battalion raided the 'large radar' and the 'small radar' facilities in the Haifa area.
"Exodus" had a few advantages in resisting: Its height made it hard for soldiers from destroyers to climb on board; its strength made increased its durability against bunts; its speed and acceleration ability made it possible to evade the destroyers, and the small sunker enabled the ship to reach the shore and hit a sandbar beyond their reach.
"Exodus" was scheduled to reach Israel from Egypt and disembark its immigrants on the Tel-Aviv shore.
The deployment for encountering the British included preparing hoses for steam emission and oil spraying; entrenching the machine rooms, the boilers, the navigation, the communication devices and the decks in nets, barbed-wire and various obstacles; gathering piles of ammunition throughout the ship – cans, bottles, potatoes, iron bars, pegs, screws and nails; the hundreds of immigrants who chose to participate in the confrontation (mostly young people 16-18) were split into areas and given sticks, oars and axes.
While "Exodus" made its way by sea, the UN commission of inquiry - UNSCOP – was in Israel, as the final stage in forming its recommendations for the solution of the Palestine problem. "Exodus" had a strong radio broadcast. The 'Gidnoi,' Michael Einav, suggested using it to broadcast to the Jewish Yishuv. The suggestion was approved by 'Hermosa for Elijah Bet' HQ, which determined the content of the broadcast. On July 17th, the ship broadcasted via "Kol Israel," the underground station of the Jewish Resistance Movement. The broadcast depicted the history of the immigrants and their determination to immigrate to Israel. It also approached the UNSCOP members to collect a live testimony from the "Exodus" immigrants before leaving the country. The broadcast from the ship caused great excitement in the Yishuv.
The British used to intercept and capture Haapala ships spotted while at sea, only when the neared the territorial waters limit. Since they were aware of the unique properties of the "Exodus," this time the British decided to carry out the attack on the ship relatively far from the shore, to prevent the ship from breaking through to the shore. The attack commenced at 02:30 in the morning of July 18th. "Exodus" was about 20 miles from the Gaza shore at that point.
The battle lasted about three hours. Time after time, the destroyers butted against the ship, threw hundreds of smoke bombs and tear gas and managed to send about 50 soldiers on board. The British took over the rudder, but the immigrants maintained control over the ship, since the captain, Aharonovitch, guided the "Exodus" with an alternative rudder installed in the sterns. The soldiers were hit with the pre-arranged "ammunition," and some of them responded using firearms. Water began to penetrate the ship as a result of the strong bunts of the destroyers. The tear gas and burning smoke caused panic and hysteria among some of the immigrants who did not actively participate in the battle. The groups of soldiers who managed to climb on board the "Exodus" were isolated; some were held captive or guarded by the immigrants. The British had difficulties trying to transfer more soldiers on board the ship, and one of the destroyers was badly damaged after a raft hit it.
As the battle continued, the fighting immigrants grew tired and the number of the injured among them increased. Dr. Yehosha Cohen, who took care of most of them, informed the ship commander, Yossi Hamburger (Harel) that the lives of some immigrants were in danger if not be given blood transfusions quickly enough. Therefore, Hamburger ordered to end the battle and coordinated the medical assistance with the British officers who had boarded "Exodus" during the confrontation. The British medical teams were overwhelmed with work. When the battle ended, the number of injured "Exodus" passengers came to about two hundred (mostly young people 16-18, who took part in the clashes), with three casualties:
Zvi Ya'aqobovitch, 15; Mordechai Boimshtein, 23, and William (Bill) Bernshtein, 28, from the ship's Jewish-American team.
Since there were no facilities on board the ship to tend to the injured, and transferring them to the destroyers would have endangered some of them, Hamburger decided to quickly sail towards Haifa. "Exodus" entered Haifa port in the afternoon. The immigrants'' fatigue forced the escorts to give up organizing any resistance during the disembarkation and the transfer to the deportation ships.
The chairman of UNSCOP, Emile Sandstrum (Swedish), and member of the committee, Vladimir Smirch (Yugoslavian), responded to the immigrants' call that reached them by Moshe Sheetrock, Head of the Political Department of the Jewish Agency, and watched the ship enter the port. The event left a great impression on them and roused deep appreciation for the Yeshiva's operational capability.
The battle on board the "Exodus," with its many injured and damages to the ship, made its entrance to Haifa port in the presence of UNSCOP members, an act of propaganda and political significance in the struggle for the establishment of the State
On July 19th, a convoy of deportation ships, including "Empire Rival," "Ocean Vigor," and "Renamed Park," left the Haifa port. At that point, neither the Yishuv nor the immigrants knew that this time, the convoy was not headed for the detention camps in Cyprus, but back to Europe. In response to capturing "Exodus" and deporting its immigrants (regardless of the deportation destination), the Palmach received approval to deviate from the restraint policy and carry out two retaliation acts linked to the Haapala. On the night of the 21st to the 22nd of July, units from the 1st Battalion raided the 'large radar' and the 'small radar' facilities in the Haifa area.