The Ministry of Heritage is holding a live press conference this evening regarding the discovery of the Altalena, the Irgun arms ship sunk by the IDF in 1948.
The Ministry of Heritage, led by Minister Amichai Eliyahu, is this evening presenting the findings of the operation that located the Altalena shipwreck at a press conference. The vessel was discovered intact overnight on August 24 at a depth of 503 meters, approximately 20 kilometers west of the Israeli coast, after a years-long search effort. The identification was carried out using advanced maritime survey systems aboard a research vessel operated by the Mapping Center of Israel (MAPI), under the direction of Roni Shada.
The Altalena, which arrived off Israel in June 1948 carrying Irgun fighters and weapons, was shelled and sunk by IDF forces under the orders of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, after a dispute over arms distribution. The incident left 16 Irgun members and three IDF soldiers dead. The discovery has been described by Ministers Ben Gvir and Eliyahu as a historic closure of one of the most painful episodes in the nation's founding. Technical assessments, as reported by ynet, indicate that salvaging the ship from its depth is unlikely. The press conference is expected to release underwater documentation of the wreck, as The Zioneer reported earlier today.
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