In the heart of war: 37 sailors completed the sailors' course in an exciting ceremony at the Sea Arm base in Haifa

In the heart of the war: 34 midshipmen and 3 new midshipmen are graduating • Graduation ceremony of the 149th midshipmen course at the Sea Arm base in Haifa

Difficult, difficult and challenging days continue to pass over all of us, when the "Iron Swords" war has been going on here for 11 months, and at the same time, routine life continues, this evening (Wednesday, 11/9/2024) at the polynomial plaza at the "Dror" anchorage at the base of the naval arm of the navy In Haifa, an exciting graduation ceremony was held for the 149th cycle of the naval arm's course, who were trained in it and at the heart of the war. The ceremony was held in the presence of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Amir Baram, Commander of the Naval Arm, Major General David Sa'ar Selma, Commander of the Naval Arm, Col. Tamir Shemesh, commanders, soldiers, guests and invited families of the graduates.

In the meantime, it should be noted that when the graduates of the 149th batch of sailors course that ended tonight, as they enlisted in the sailors course, they did not imagine that they would experience commanding the various vessels during wartime, not a simulated war, but a real war and this even before receiving the new ranks on their shoulders. Already in the first weeks of the war, they jumped into the battleships, steels and submarines, and continued their practical training in the middle of the sea, in operational missions of defending the country. The war had hardened them a lot, the continuity of the course combined with non-stop fighting, which posed quite a challenge to the new cadets and cadets.

The new sailors did their last regular security in front of the Gaza coast on the ships Steel and the Deborah. Mainly their operational activity was against fishing boats that left Gaza towards Israel, when their activity was in cooperation with the air and ground forces, covering the fighters and also shooting at Gaza, thus They helped a lot with the ground maneuvers and in the fighting in Gaza. They accumulated many operational sea hours - that they will always be the rabbi of the hidden over the visible! The combat and the course prepared them well for the job, they and they will be commanders who trust them and them together.

During the ceremony, the "Sea Officer" pin was revealed to the 37 graduates of the course who successfully completed it and were awarded the rank of lieutenant. Among the graduates are also 3 new female naval officers. The IDF Orchestra and the Navy Band also took part in the ceremony, pleasing the audience with the nostalgic songs of the legendary Navy Band.

As you know, the seaman course is a voluntary and prestigious officer course that trains the future generation of naval commanders, who will be in command of the advanced vessels, including the missile ships, the ongoing security vessels and the submarines. All the graduates of the course will be placed in the coming days on the operational vessels of the sea arm in a variety of operational command positions, and will be part of the overall strengthening of the arm in the "Saar 6" model defense ships, the "Dakar" generation of submarines and other new vessels.

The course lasts two years and four months and consists of three majors, sailing, machine and electronics and includes training for the position of combat officer at sea. Upon completion, its graduates receive lieutenant ranks, a captain's pin, a skipper's license and also a bachelor's degree in political science from Haifa University, which they study during the course.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the commander of the naval wing, Maj. Gen. David Sa'ar Selma, gave moving words, who said:

"This ceremony is very exciting for everyone present here tonight. But in the face of the war, more layers of depth and meaning have been added to this special status," said the commander of the Navy, Major General David Sa'ar Selma, "We are in the middle of the war for our right to live here in security. We have been fighting for almost a year, but unfortunately for all of us, we have also lost fighters in various sectors.

The commander of the naval wing, Major General David Sa'ar Salma, also added:

"We have the patience and fighting spirit in us, and above all - we have faith in the rightness of our way," he continued, "Dear male and female officers, during the training you all sailed many hundreds of hours, you were full partners in the operational activity, full partners in defense and attack efforts, in all the combat arenas You did it as cadets - and starting tomorrow you will do it as commanders, when the weight of responsibility is felt on your shoulders. Hour by hour. Fulfill your duties with dedication and professionalism.

After him, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Amir Baram, went up to the podium and said:

"As commanders at sea, you will be required to lead your subordinates to sail after you on stormy days," declared the Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Amir Baram, "you will be required to be careful, to know and know every detail of the vessel, to be attentive to any change in the movements of the ship and the sea, and at the same time also to the murmurs of the hearts of the people The team at the head of which you will stand - because 'commanding at sea is a challenge for man' and neither in the submarine nor in the missile ship lies the power, but in the people entrusted to you for duty. I can't promise you as the sailors said: 'calm days and good winds' - we are at war 1".

The Deputy Chief of Staff also added:

"Never believe that the war will be smooth and simple, or that those who go on a mission at sea will be able to perfectly assess the strength of the waves, the nature of the enemy and the type of storms they will encounter," he continued, "but the tools you have acquired will allow you to sail safely, the means and vessels will allow you to carry out the mission, and of course the people under your command. A ship goes to sea ready for war! Remember this when you stand on board the submarine or on the bridge of the command! Even in the last day we saw the price of the war, three of our good warriors fell The soldiers of the IDF and its commanders continue to fight the enemy in the air and on land and act at all times with ferocity."

Finally, like the words of the mythological song of the navy band: "Come to us, to us, to the sea, to the exciting wild sea, to this sun, to the strong winds, because the sea is open to all of us!..." And the main thing, as the well-known song says: "May the sea be calm !".

The team of "Hai Peh" the news corporation wishes the new officers, graduates of the 149th seamanship course of the Navy's sea arm, much success in their new position, you are the top-of-the-top, the best, the toughest, we are proud of you. We trust you. The entire State of Israel, an entire country, is counting on you. Go out, sail, drive and always return safely to the home port!