The Altalena, the Irgun ship at the center of one of the most painful episodes in Israel’s founding, has been located on the Mediterranean seabed 78 years after it sank. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu announced the discovery Monday.

The ship was found intact at 12:30 a.m. Monday, at a depth of 503 meters west of Israel’s coast, during a maritime search operation using specialized sensors and advanced survey systems. The expedition, launched at Eliyahu’s initiative and led by Roni Sadeh, director of the Marine Mapping Division at the Survey of Israel, followed months of planning.

The Altalena arrived off Israel’s coast in June 1948 carrying immigrants, Irgun fighters, and weapons, weeks after the state’s founding. Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, seeking to consolidate a single national military under government control, ordered the weapons transferred to the newly formed IDF. When the Irgun refused, fighting broke out, and an IDF unit shelled the ship. Irgun commander Menachem Begin ordered his men not to fire back, a decision credited with preventing the confrontation from escalating into civil war. Sixteen Irgun members and three IDF soldiers were killed.

“Tonight we are closing a historical circle on one of the most painful and formative events in the history of Israeli society,” Ben-Gvir said. Eliyahu called the discovery “a defining moment for our national memory.”
Sadeh said the team reached the wreck at over 500 meters “thanks to advanced technologies and the intensive work of a professional and dedicated team at sea.” Officials said further findings and documentation from the site would be presented at a press conference.