NAVY NEWS, MAY 2008 v
m-promised land
or
nd
yal
be just the ticket, with a promise of was swiftly cleared with no trouble over-reacting; a journalist who 1947 affair saw Zionists gain much the authority behind the original
travel back overland to France. at all, leaving time to attend to observed it said there had been “no support and Britain berated for Mandate, and then its post-war
The public relations aspect the Runnymede Park, which was reprisals.” transporting concentration camp successor, the United Nations.
of such a decision – effectively recognised as having a strong The speedy evacuation of the survivors away from the Promised Those who sought to gate-
transporting Jews back to the leadership. Empire Rival aroused the suspicions Land and back to the country crash the quota system were, in
heartland of the Holocaust – had Damage was caused, and 22 of one Army officer, and a search which caused their suffering. effect, simply pushing qualifying
escaped those who made the people injured, but it was felt revealed a bomb brought on board This simplistic view does legal immigrants to the back of
decision, so the convoy sailed that the links formed by British off the French coast and timed to not account for the fact that the queue.
once more on August 22, having
soldiers who had been on board explode once passengers had left. ‘gatecrashers’ were attempting to The immigrants had also had the
left just 130 immigrants behind
all three ships from Palestine was A Royal Navy team removed the thwart a quota system which was chance to leave the ships in France,
with almost 4,300 still in transit
a factor in quelling trouble. device and detonated it at a safe widely known and generally backed but through personal choice or the
(most regarding the news that they
An Army report tells of some distance. by the international community threat of violence, had decided to
were headed for Germany as too
more inexperienced soldiers The aftermath of the Exodus by way of the League of Nations, stay on board.
ridiculous to be true).
For their part, British politicians
argued that Jewish organisations
could have persuaded the
immigrants to leave in France,
avoiding the trip to Germany, and
Hull damage was ‘self-infl icted’
reiterated that under their Mandate
the British were obliged to maintain
VALENTINE Smith was an able seaman in
as convoy were HM ships Ajax, the balance of population in
HMS Mermaid at the start of the Exodus
Providence and Cardigan Bay, Palestine – the arrival of so many episode.
ter which sent medical staff over on immigrants would have caused
“I was the radar plotter aboard HMS
en occasions to deal with emergencies disruption – and they were also
Mermaid when the President Warfield,
ng, such as the birth of a baby on the obliged to try to avoid sparking
the real Exodus, was lying at Sète, near
es Runnymede Park. further clashes and bloodshed
Marseilles, and was the first to see her,
ay, HMS Brissenden took over from between Jews and Arabs.
like a glowing grain of rice, on the PPI tube
kit Providence, and Ajax was released The RN warships which had
when she moved off,” he said.
on the arrival of HMS Troubridge, prowled just outside French “We shadowed her for seven days till
he which was well-stocked with territorial waters took up escort
we approached Haifa, when she struck
so medical supplies. duties again – by this time the ships
her flag of convenience, ran up the Star of
th Brissenden was replaced involved were HM ships Phoebe,
David and put up a board marked Exodus
in by minesweepers Welfare and Chevron and St Bride’s Bay.
1947.”
nd Skipjack at Malta, and Cardigan A resupply stop at Gibraltar on
Also on board Mermaid at the time was
Bay steamed on ahead to help August 26 (when a bid to damage Bernard Akerman.
with arrangements for the convoy’s the cruiser with explosives was “It was at Sète, near the Spanish
arrival in France. foiled) saw frigates HMS Burghead border, that we ‘picked up’ the Warfield,”
But the French authorities Bay and Tremadoc Bay, plus said Bernard.
proved lukewarm at best, and were destroyer HMS Finisterre, allow “Mermaid shadowed her for a week or
● The President Warfi eld – or Exodus 1947 – in Haifa harbour after her momentous journey
keen to keep numbers disembarking the other three ships to remain on perhaps a little longer.
from France to Palestine
as low as possible; with a small station in the Mediterranean, and “Each morning we ‘closed’ her and
fishing boat hired by Jewish there followed a low-key passage had a good look, taking photographs and followed by a welcome week’s lay-off in when I was on watch in the after engine
organisation Mossad encouraging, across the Bay of Biscay and recording information. Beirut, or sniffing out suspected illegal
room and the order came down from the
via loudspeaker, immigrants to stay
through the Channel, with just one
“If we got too close we were pelted with
immigrants in Southern Europe and bridge for full steam ahead.
ad on board, a stand-off ensued.
stop for 30 minutes to mark the
nuts and bolts and tins of bully beef.
shadowing them on their journey east,”
“The throttles were opened wide and
ed Some immigrants who wished to
funeral at sea of a baby less than
“During this passage the Warfield
said Bernard.
it was the fastest I had known the Ajax
ng land were prevented by extremists
a day old; colours were lowered to
was news headlines, became a political
Kenneth Jones served in HMS Ajax under
to go.
en on board and by the thought of
half mast and the escorts closed in
hot potato and received international
Capt de Courcy-Ireland when the ship
“In the engine room we knew very little
ls, confronting Jews ashore who were
as a mark of respect.
publicity, becoming known as Exodus.
shadowed and intercepted the Exodus.
nd
and the message came down from the
desperate to travel the other way.
HM ships Zest, Bicester and
“As we neared Palestine, Mermaid fell
Two photographs show the former
After a week, by August 5, away and the patrolling destroyers took
bridge to say the Exodus had raised the
by fewer than 100 volunteers had
Bleasdale assumed escort
President Warfield before and after she
over and did the subsequent boarding.”
white flag.”
he disembarked, many of the rest
duties in the Channel and
was damaged in close manoeuvres with
The intelligence-gathering role became
Horace Adams was on board HMS
gly believing a return to Cyprus was
saw the transports to the
Royal Navy warships – manoeuvres which
something of a speciality of the Mermaid
Finisterre when she escorted the three old
he the likeliest outcome.
Elbe, arriving on September
some in the Zionist movement claimed
– as a sloop, she was similar in size to
coal-burning cargo vessels Runnymede
ed By that time most avenues had
6 and 7.
were deliberate rammings.
a destroyer but her anti-submarine role
“The damage was self-inflicted,” said
Park, Ocean Vigour and Empire Rival,
us, been exhausted and the British Under the gaze of the international meant she was not built for the extra Kenneth.
which transported illegal immigrants from
to government sought a place to put press and humanitarian speed, and as such sloops and frigates “When our destroyers went alongside
the President Warfield to Hamburg.
gh the immigrants as a temporary organisations, disembarkation were better suited to the initial stages her to get boarding parties on her, she
“One unfortunate Jew died as we
measure. began on September 8, with Ocean while the faster, nimble destroyers were turned sharply to throw them off on more
steamed slowly – possibly at eight knots
uly After dismissing a number of Park’s immigrants offering very preferred for the interception. than one occasion – hence the damage. – through the Bay of Biscay, and we hove
he locations around the British Empire, little resistance – just ten objected Mermaid also shadowed the Paducah “I with many others used to watch this to for a burial at sea,” said Horace.
for it was decided that Displaced strongly, and one ended up with for a period, but her routine normally vessel day and night when off duty. “Otherwise I do not recall any
Persons Camps in the British zone slight head injuries. involved “a six-week patrol off Palestine, “The final part that I remember was problems.”
ng of occupation in Germany would The following day Empire Rival
004-005_Palestine_may.indd 2 21/4/08 12:31:34
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