[yorky jim]

I have a photo of my fathers of a french liner sunk in HAIFA harbour .
he says there was 250/300 french refugees from syria killed when they sabataged it.
do,s any one know of the ship .and who did it.?
the pic was taken on june 1941.

 

[treeve]

SS PATRIA 25th November 1940
Jewish refugees from Vienna, Prague and Danzig on three Greek cargo ships (Atlantic, Pacific and Milos) arrived at Haifa on the way to Mauritius. The liner Patria was berthed there. The refugees were then transferred to the Patria; as the last refugees were on the gangways, an explosion tore through the liner, with 267 refugees killed. This was the work of the Jewish underground, Haganah, who had intended to prevent the ship from sailing. But did so only by killing those who they wished to prevent from being taken to the camps on Mauritius. Too much explosive had been used.

 

[Hugh MacLean]

ss Patria

Yorkie,

Messageries Maritimes

Patria Built 1914. 1932 chartered from Fabre Line, 1940 purchased from Fabre Line, 1940 destroyed by sabotage at Haifa; loss of 279 lives. 11,885 tons.

Salvaged and scrapped in 1952.

Picture of how she looked at one time here:
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/pcards/0/0/0/doc/pc000716.shtml

Rgds

 

[yorky jim]

the pic i have of her ,she is on her side with what looks like a big crane along side.
hugh thanks for the web site.
yorky