Andarta – Hannah Senesh
"Hannah Senesh" sailed from Genoa port on December 14th 1945, with 252 immigrants on board.
The "Hannah Senesh" Haapala ship (named after the paratrooper-delegate who was caught and killed in Hungary in November 1944) was prepared for its departure to Israel in Genoa port, Italy, by Palmach members Avraham Zakai, Yisrael Liebertovsky and Shalhevet Frayer. The captain of the ship was Anseldo (an Italian.) The ship commander was Palyam member Yisrael Horev. The 'Gidoni' was Chaim Pretkin (Porat), who was trained in a Palmach wireless course. An additional escort was Palyam member Eliezer Varsh (Armoni.)
"Hannah Senesh" sailed from Genoa port on December 14th 1945, with 252 immigrants on board. There was dead silence during the voyage because of communication problems. The first contact with Israel was made only four days before the journey ended. The ship arrived at the Ga'aton River shore in Nahariya on December 25th. The arrival date was planned for Christmas Eve, assuming that the British policemen would be drunk that night and the coastal guard would be weak. The wind and high waves swept the ship and it hit some rocks about 30 meters from the shore. Due to the stormy weather, the attempts to lower immigrants by boats had failed. Forces of Palyam members, 'Hamossad for Aliyah Bet' activists, 'Hapoel' youth from Nahariya and locals helped transfer the immigrants to shore by using ropes. A force from the 1st Palmach Battalion secured the landing area until the five-hour unloading operation was completed. The immigrants were safely dispersed among the settlements in the area. The British security forces did not interrupt the unloading operation. "Hannah Senesh," which tilted to one side, sunk after the rescue operation was over together with one female immigrant who was forgotten at the sickroom on board the ship.
"Hanna Senesh" was the first ship to sail to Israel after the British security forces tightened the embargo on the country's shores. In that sense, it is considered the first ship that broke the embargo. A few days after "Hanna Senesh" arrived in Israel, crew the Palmach's Fourth Battalion And 'Hamossad for Aliyah Bet' activists arranged a modest party for the Italian captain (Anseldo) and his crew in kibbutz Beit-Oren. During the party, Ansaldo warmly addressed the humanitarian significance of the Haapala endeavor. It served as an inspiration for the famous poem written later on by Natan Alterman: "A Response Speech to an Italian Captain".
"Hannah Senesh" sailed from Genoa port on December 14th 1945, with 252 immigrants on board. There was dead silence during the voyage because of communication problems. The first contact with Israel was made only four days before the journey ended. The ship arrived at the Ga'aton River shore in Nahariya on December 25th. The arrival date was planned for Christmas Eve, assuming that the British policemen would be drunk that night and the coastal guard would be weak. The wind and high waves swept the ship and it hit some rocks about 30 meters from the shore. Due to the stormy weather, the attempts to lower immigrants by boats had failed. Forces of Palyam members, 'Hamossad for Aliyah Bet' activists, 'Hapoel' youth from Nahariya and locals helped transfer the immigrants to shore by using ropes. A force from the 1st Palmach Battalion secured the landing area until the five-hour unloading operation was completed. The immigrants were safely dispersed among the settlements in the area. The British security forces did not interrupt the unloading operation. "Hannah Senesh," which tilted to one side, sunk after the rescue operation was over together with one female immigrant who was forgotten at the sickroom on board the ship.
"Hanna Senesh" was the first ship to sail to Israel after the British security forces tightened the embargo on the country's shores. In that sense, it is considered the first ship that broke the embargo. A few days after "Hanna Senesh" arrived in Israel, crew the Palmach's Fourth Battalion And 'Hamossad for Aliyah Bet' activists arranged a modest party for the Italian captain (Anseldo) and his crew in kibbutz Beit-Oren. During the party, Ansaldo warmly addressed the humanitarian significance of the Haapala endeavor. It served as an inspiration for the famous poem written later on by Natan Alterman: "A Response Speech to an Italian Captain".