A further mystery was added to the riddle of the disappearance of the Israeli submarine Dakar which vanished with all hands in the Eastern Mediterranean more than a year ago. Admiral Abraham Botzer, commander of Israel’s Navy, said that examination of a buoy from the Dakar that was washed up on a Gaza Strip beach several months ago indicated that the submarine, en route from Britain, might have deviated from its course to Haifa by 40-60 miles. He said the buoy however gave no clues to possible causes of the Dakar’s disappearance nor did it provide evidence to warrant a new search for the craft and her 69 officers and crew.
Admiral Botzer said the buoy was examined by experts from the Israel department of fisheries and Haifa Technion, including experts on corrosion and metallic behavior. Their findings indicated that the buoy had been submerged for more than a year and had been floating on the surface for about a week or two weeks before it was washed ashore. Marine fauna and weeds attached to the buoy’s line indicated that it may have been lost some 60 miles from the Egyptian coast. This led to the conclusion that the Dakar deviated from her course by from six to 10 degrees. He said the buoy was apparently trapped at 600 to 1,200 feet below the surface.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
