The Liberty Incident

LOGS - ISRAEL NAVY

In June 1967, the Israel Navy command center was located at Haifa, atop Mount Carmel. The site was called Stella Maris and consisted of an underground bunker constructed, by the British, during the period of the Palestine Mandate.

A large plotting map of Israel and the surrounding seas was depicted on a table top and the officer in tactical command of the Navy and the command duty officer stood on a raised ledge looking down on the plotting board. A naval operations war log was maintained. The OTC communicated with high command headquarters at the Kirya in Tel Aviv by closed telephone line and with Israel Navy ships by VHF/UHF if the ship was close enough (north of Tel Aviv) or by high frequency single side band (SSB) if the ship was south of Tel Aviv.

Motor Torpedo Boat Division 914 maintained a log on MTB 206. A short time before the start of the 1967 war, the motor torpedo boats were refitted with UHF radios. On June 8, 1967, neither MTB 206 nor 204 were able to communicate on the UHF radios. MTB 203 was able to communicate with the Israel Air Force aircraft and pass messages to the MTB Division Commander on MTB 206.

The Stella Maris naval operations war log and the MTB Division 914 war log in Hebrew are presented below. There are no official English translations of these logs. Following the Hebrew language logs are unofficial sight translations in English. The translations were made by a person fluent in Hebrew and English but not a professional certified translator. Also the translator had limited military experience and may not have captured every nuance that a professional certified translator might have produced. Nevertheless, the English sight translations are believed to be adequate and are subject to verification against the original Hebrew.

Naval Operations War Log Hebrew......... 8 June 0550 - 1615

Naval Operations War Log English.......... 8 June 0550 - 1615

MTB Div 914 War Log Hebrew ............. 8 June 1120 - 1750

MTB Div 914 War Log English .............. 8 June 1120 - 1750

 

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