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This week, on 21/10/19, it was 52 years since the sinking of the destroyer "Ahi Eilat", which left the port of Haifa for a coastal patrol in the Red Sea sector with 200 soldiers on board. The destroyer was sunk by missiles fired at it from Egypt. 47 of the soldiers died and 91 were injured in the incident This traumatic

The destroyer Achi Eilat (photo: courtesy of Itzik Goldenberg)
The destroyer Achi Eilat (photo: courtesy of Itzik Goldenberg)

The only time a vessel of the Israeli Navy was sunk by enemy forces

The late Yossi Goldenberg, who was killed in the Achi Eilat destroyer disaster on 21/10/1967
The late Yossi Goldenberg, who was killed in the Achi Eilat destroyer disaster on 21/10/1967

Itzik Goldenberg, Son of the late Yossi Goldenberg, who was killed in the Achi Eilat destroyer disaster on 21/10/1967:

I was 4 and a half months old and my older sister Sherry was 6 years old when the world fell upon us. Being a baby I did not know him at all, but I was fed by many stories about his exploits, his personality and the values ​​he represented and believed in passionately. Our late mother always made sure that we grew up with a deep and strong memory of our father and who he was. She always bothered to say "your father was" and continues with the relevant content of the conversation. The mighty destroyer that drowned took with her 47 souls, each of which represents a whole world. They all have parents, brothers and sisters, some of them had children, as there were many permanent personnel on the ship, such as my father, who served on it for 8 years. It was a brotherhood of warriors who did nothing and turned the old destroyer into the flagship of the Navy and the glory of the State of Israel, Eilat was the spearhead As such, she participated in intense naval battles, sank Egyptian warships, and took part in the capture of an Egyptian destroyer that later became the Ahi Haifa. These actions attracted the attention of the Egyptians, who decided to sink her no matter what. This moment came that Saturday, when they were on patrol off the coast Port Said and in international waters. When 4 Russian Styx missiles carrying half a ton of explosives each were fired at them. The destroyer had no chance, as it was outdated and powered by steam and even if it wasn't for that, evading missiles would have been beyond its capacity. Thus, in an instant, fate was reversed and life changed for 47 families Their loved ones never returned. My father, who was injured at home during the "Gimlim" vacation, heard that the ship was leaving for sea, took the bag, said hello and sent a kiss to his mother, and never returned, as did most of his friends who did not get to return home.
Even today, 52 years after the drowning, it is impossible not to think about the other life we ​​could have had.
The pain of loss never fades, sometimes it seems that as the years go by the soul weakens in the face of the pain and the sense of loss that cannot be described in words how deep and engraved in our hearts' blood.
Beloved and dear father, we will remember you forever, you are in our hearts forever.

The destroyer Achi Eilat, 50 years since the sinking

Demonstration tours of the presence off the coast of Egypt

After the Six Day War, Israel occupied the Sinai Peninsula. The Navy conducts routine security patrols off the Gaza and Sinai coasts and 'demonstration of sovereignty' patrols off Port Said. The patrols were conducted using the corvette (battleship) Ahi Nega (K-22) and the two destroyers Ahi Jaffa (K-42) and Ahi Eilat. The presence demonstration patrols near Port Said reached the territorial waters of Egypt. On the 20 In October 1967, the destroyer Ahi Eilat, under the command of Lt. Col. Yitzhak Shoshan, went on a "demonstration of sovereignty" tour in the Port Said area, with 199 crew members and officers' course trainees on board GNK (discovery, navigation, contact). The destroyer kept a distance from the coast and did not enter Egyptian territorial waters.

The Ahi Eilat naval base in front of the southern coast in Haifa Independence Day in Haifa (photo - Sara Kaspersky Turkel)

Gamal Abdel Nasser gave the order to attack Ahi Eilat

An Egyptian coast guard ship that spotted the Ahi Eilat destroyer reported to the coastal command in Port Said, the latter contacted the Egyptian navy and on the order of the then president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser and the Egyptian government, it was decided to sink the ship. For this operation, two steels were sent Model Kumar, with one of them firing the missiles and the other in a covering position on the first. The missiles hit the center of the destroyer, completely paralyzing the propulsion and communication systems. A fire broke out at the base of the mast and the destroyer stood leaning on her left side.

An obituary published in a newspaper in 1967 (photo: courtesy of Itzik Goldenberg)
An obituary published in a newspaper in 1967 (photo: courtesy of Itzik Goldenberg)

The damage to AHI Eilat

There were two explosions in Ahi Eilat. A missile hit the stern of the ship in the area of ​​cannon #3. The missile did not explode but caused a fire to break out above the ammunition stores. Ammunition boxes that were on board began to explode and endangered the lives of the 36 survivors who were trapped in the stern. At this point the commander of the ship announced About the abandonment of the destroyer. The explosion of the fourth missile occurred in the water about 30 meters from the stern of the sinking destroyer. The explosion of the last missile caused severe internal injuries and people who appeared to be safe on the outside were actually in critical condition.

Reserve Brigadier General Shabtai Levy

Shabtai Levy, a former lieutenant colonel in the Israeli Navy, head of a naval ship and one of the commanders who participated in the search and rescue of the wounded from Eilat, told Lahi Fe about the failures that were, according to him, in the disaster, which stemmed from a lack of judgment and arrogance:

In my opinion, there was negligence on the part of the political echelon headed by Moshe Dayan, who demanded that the State of Israel patrol the areas that Israel occupied in the Red Sea arena and prove its sovereignty to the end, which is why vessels such as the Ahi Eilat did so. Moshe Dayan also demanded that a rubber boat pass through the center of the canal With the Israeli flag raised in front of the Egyptian outposts it was like putting ducks in a range, the idea was actually megalomaniac and the tools we had were not suited to these tasks.
Ahi Eilat was actually exposed to the Egyptian attack. It had no means against the sea-to-sea missiles that were launched against it, the fighters were exposed to enemy fire. The patrol was routine when the enemy followed them, two months ago, Ahi Eilat took part in the destruction of two Egyptian vessels So the latter were just waiting for revenge. In the end, it was the complacency of our system.
Proud of you Achi Eilat - Independence Day in Haifa (Photo: Adir Yizirf)
Proud of you brothers of Eilat - Independence Day in Haifa (Photo: Adir Yizirf)

Next month it is expected that the traditional cruise will be held in memory of the fallen "brothers of Eilat", in which military and civilian vessels will be taken and a naval competition will be held.

contact: At watsapBy email

Ben Saar
Ben Saar
The sports reporter in the team lives here • Referral of ideas for articles: [email protected]

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תגובה 1

  1. Ahi Eilat cruise will take place in Haifa Bay on Friday November 1st. The next day, Saturday November 2, we will hold the Pelzur flotilla.

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