Experts Doubt Feasibility of Netanyahu’s Plan to Raise Altalena Shipwreck from Mediterranean

The wreckage of the Altalena, a ship belonging to the Irgun organization that was shelled in 1948 during Israel's War of Independence, was located overnight about 20 kilometers off the Israeli coast at a depth of 503 meters. The discovery followed months of meticulous planning and a complex maritime search operation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared near the Tel Aviv shore that the Altalena "will be raised from the depths." However, maritime experts and academics have dismissed this claim as unrealistic, stating the chances of recovering the ship intact are virtually zero.

Specialists explain that after nearly 80 years underwater, the Altalena has suffered severe corrosion and would likely disintegrate upon any attempt to lift it. The Heritage Ministry, responsible for the search, focused only on locating the ship and did not plan for its retrieval. Professor Ehud Galili, a marine archaeologist at the University of Haifa, noted that Israel lacks the necessary equipment to raise such a heavy vessel from such depth, and even with advanced ships from countries like Norway or the Netherlands, the operation would be highly complex and risky. He emphasized that the ship’s chemical and biological degradation means it could break apart during extraction, requiring costly preservation efforts if it were successfully raised.

Professor Debi Tzuikel, head of the Maritime Civilizations Department at the University of Haifa, also expressed skepticism about the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of raising the ship. She suggested alternative commemorations, such as organizing a respectful flotilla of descendants or creating a virtual museum, rather than attempting to recover what might be a corroded metal wreck. Environmental concerns were also raised, as the wreck has become an artificial reef supporting marine life, and disturbing it could harm the ecosystem.

Yossi Kabashni, a maritime expert involved in the search, confirmed that most of the ship was dismantled and sold as scrap after it sank, and what remains is largely a corroded metal frame with no significant structures left. He estimated that raising even a symbolic piece could cost millions of dollars, while recovering the entire ship would be prohibitively expensive and technically challenging.

The Altalena sailed from France carrying about 930 immigrants, including Holocaust survivors, and military equipment. A dispute over the ship’s cargo between the newly formed Israel Defense Forces and the Irgun led to its shelling by government order, resulting in 19 deaths. The ship remained partially afloat off Tel Aviv before being sunk on David Ben-Gurion’s orders. Over the decades, there have been attempts to locate and raise the Altalena to serve as a memorial. The recent discovery was made by an Italian vessel contracted for gas pipeline work, with Israeli authorities coordinating the search. The operation cost about one million shekels and involved robotic cameras capturing images of the wreck.

While the discovery is historically significant, experts caution that preserving the memory of the Altalena may be better served through symbolic gestures rather than costly and impractical salvage efforts.