IMMIGRANT SHIP FAILS TO ELUDE NAVY

Chronicle (Levin), 18 February 1947, Page 5

IMMIGRANT SHIP FAILS TO ELUDE NAVY

Received VJondav, 7 p.m. LONDON, Feb. 17. Tlie Daily Mail's Ifaifa corre.sponds?nt coulirms that the Jewish immigrant diip which the Xavy intercepted was ihe Flua whose captai.u and crew are irticled in the United Btates nieychant iiavv. The Americans, being hetter seamen than tlie crews of inany prevjous , llegal ships, managed with the help ot bad weather, to dodge the Royal Navv. On Saturday night the ship gave the slip to two British destroyers which had jiicked her uj). This was bccause the radar in the R.A.F. planes on tailing duty failed. The Navy, when dawn came, found the Ulua with 1400 Jews aboard was not the estimated 40 bur j 2 miles from Tel Aviv. Destroyers went full speed and caught her. The destroyers "cradled" the Ulua, cJosing in on each side and enabling them to steer heiV .This v, iis dangerous because the Ulua /.igzagged 'gfiarply, '•isking rainming by the destroverif . uul 'Nmc was no aecident. Bluejackeis bi'. 'd'd tlie- ship. A blow from a bludgc •. .njured oue bluejacket. Three Jews w ere nlso injured. Reuter's Ilaifa correspondent savs Ihe transfer of the imniigrants from tl.e Ulua to the ferry ship Empire Rivai began immediatoly the illegal ship tied up. The transfei' was earried out smoothJy. Tlie immigrants h,ad sabolaged tlie ships' engines and it arriveu laslied to the side of the tug. As tlie illegal immigrant ship drew alongside the q in the blinding light of searchlights, tlie Jews aboard started singing against a background of shouted orders aniongst the troops 011 the quayside and the h'ooting of tug whistles. Ilaifa Bay eclioed for three hours to the blast of depth charges which |)olu*e launches drupped to disc«;u rrge ' * frogmen " from laying lintpet liiincs 011 the .sides of ferry ships. Forty 111011 of the Sixth Airborne Division, chosen for physique and armed with .wooden staves, relieyed tlie naval parties aboard the ship. The vessel has been reuained ' ' Bhip to Freedoni'' wtiicli was scrawled in llebrew bel.ow tiie bride. Uriderneaih was a placard in English: "Nelson, look at your heirs. " Tlie Anny accoinplished tlie disembarkation smoothly. Major-General Bols, niilitary conimajider in XTorth Palestine. said the four Jews aiul two British sailors b rough t ashore were siek and not injured.