Maria Giovanni 5 – Kaf-Tet Be'November [November 29]
The Haapala ship, 'November 29" (the date the UN Assembly approved the Division Plan of Israel into a Jewish state and an Arab state – November 29th 1947) prepared to depart for Israel from La Spezia port in Italy.
The Haapala ship, 'November 29" (the date the UN Assembly approved the Division Plan of Israel into a Jewish state and an Arab state – November 29th 1947) prepared to depart for Israel from La Spezia port in Italy, and completed two voyages: The first one was for rescue purposes and the second one for bringing immigrants to Israel.
The ship (whose name was yet to be determined) left on October 19th 1947 from La Spezia to Bandol, France. The ship commander was Palyam member, Nimrod Eshel. An additional escort was Ya'aqov (Kuba) Betser. En route, the ship was summoned to rescue "Habarak" Haapala ship, whose engine broke down on the way to pick up immigrants in Algiers. The ship towed "Habarak" to an anchorage in northern Sardinia and sailed instead of it to Algiers. The 'Gidoni,' Benny Geffen, joined the crew. On November 6th, the ship (now called "Hachalutz") arrived at a port 60km west of Algiers City, and began to load the immigrants. After loading 44 immigrants, among them an escort named Chaim and a doctor who joined the voyage, the local police surprised them with scare shots. The 596 immigrants left on shore were returned to the city by the authorities.
The ship forced to leave the area. When it returned there the next day, the immigrants were no longer allowed to leave, and the ship headed back to France. That was the last attempt to rescue immigrants from North Africa until the State of Israel was established.
On its way back from Algiers, the ship's engine failed and it was captured and towed by the Italian authorities to the island of Sardinia. The escorts were detained but managed to escape together with the ship to the Girolatta Peninsula in the island of Corsica.
The ship docked for two weeks for repair purposes outside the port, so as not to be identified following its escape. On November 23rd, the 44 immigrants from North Africa and their escorts were transferred to "Haporztim" Haapala ship.
The ship left for its second mission in December, this time named "November 29." The Haapala ship "Le'kommemiot" absorbed the immigrants on December 14th 1947 in Bandol port in France, and transferred them at sea to "November 29" on December 16th. This method was used after "November 29" was identified by the British, and it was uncertain that the ship would be allowed to leave France once it got there. From that point on, Palyam member Mordechai (Mocha) Limon became commander of "November 29." The 'Gidonim' (wireless operator) were Shlomo Rosen (Henzi) and Menashe Ben- Chaim. 680 immigrants were on board the ship.
On December 23rd, a British destroyer tailed "November 29." On December 28th, the ship was surrounded by four destroyers, and the takeover crew boarded it without any resistance from the immigrants. The following day, the ship was admitted into Haifa port. During the immigrants' transfer onto the "Ocean Vigor" deportation ship, a small group among them tried to resist. Some of the escorts hid in a pre-arranged 'Slik' on board the ship. The rest intermingled with the immigrants and left with them for the "Winter Camps" in Cyprus.
The ship (whose name was yet to be determined) left on October 19th 1947 from La Spezia to Bandol, France. The ship commander was Palyam member, Nimrod Eshel. An additional escort was Ya'aqov (Kuba) Betser. En route, the ship was summoned to rescue "Habarak" Haapala ship, whose engine broke down on the way to pick up immigrants in Algiers. The ship towed "Habarak" to an anchorage in northern Sardinia and sailed instead of it to Algiers. The 'Gidoni,' Benny Geffen, joined the crew. On November 6th, the ship (now called "Hachalutz") arrived at a port 60km west of Algiers City, and began to load the immigrants. After loading 44 immigrants, among them an escort named Chaim and a doctor who joined the voyage, the local police surprised them with scare shots. The 596 immigrants left on shore were returned to the city by the authorities.
The ship forced to leave the area. When it returned there the next day, the immigrants were no longer allowed to leave, and the ship headed back to France. That was the last attempt to rescue immigrants from North Africa until the State of Israel was established.
On its way back from Algiers, the ship's engine failed and it was captured and towed by the Italian authorities to the island of Sardinia. The escorts were detained but managed to escape together with the ship to the Girolatta Peninsula in the island of Corsica.
The ship docked for two weeks for repair purposes outside the port, so as not to be identified following its escape. On November 23rd, the 44 immigrants from North Africa and their escorts were transferred to "Haporztim" Haapala ship.
The ship left for its second mission in December, this time named "November 29." The Haapala ship "Le'kommemiot" absorbed the immigrants on December 14th 1947 in Bandol port in France, and transferred them at sea to "November 29" on December 16th. This method was used after "November 29" was identified by the British, and it was uncertain that the ship would be allowed to leave France once it got there. From that point on, Palyam member Mordechai (Mocha) Limon became commander of "November 29." The 'Gidonim' (wireless operator) were Shlomo Rosen (Henzi) and Menashe Ben- Chaim. 680 immigrants were on board the ship.
On December 23rd, a British destroyer tailed "November 29." On December 28th, the ship was surrounded by four destroyers, and the takeover crew boarded it without any resistance from the immigrants. The following day, the ship was admitted into Haifa port. During the immigrants' transfer onto the "Ocean Vigor" deportation ship, a small group among them tried to resist. Some of the escorts hid in a pre-arranged 'Slik' on board the ship. The rest intermingled with the immigrants and left with them for the "Winter Camps" in Cyprus.