Premier David Ben Gurion, who is also Israel’s Defense Minister, welcomed the Israeli crews of the destroyers Yaffo and Elath, the most recent additions to Israel’s Navy, when they steamed into Haifa yesterday.
The vessels, largest units in the Israeli Navy, are 2,500 ton craft built in 1944 and sold to Israel by the British Navy. The crews which guided the vessels to their anchorage spent months in Plymouth harbor becoming acquainted with the destroyers. While jets flew overhead, Premier Ben Gurion told the crew and official guests that these important additions to the fleet did not compare with what the “enemy” has received from the Communist bloc. “But our advantage, “Mr. Ben Gurion added, “is our superior spirit, which cannot be shipped to our enemies.” He also called it a “great day for Israel and world Jewry” that ships bearing names famed in Jewish maritime history arrived in Israel manned by Jewish sailors.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
