On October 25, 1946,
Rafiah Athinai ran aground at the entrance to the Levkas Canal. She was refloated, and sailed to Patras.
On October 26, 1946,
Rafiah Athinai sailed from Patras, but was late for her rendez-vous with
Lohita.
On board were eight Greek crew members.
On November 26, 1946,
Rafiah Athinai sailed from Bakar, Yugoslavia, in the dead of winter, in weather conditions and rough seas that made it impossible to depart. 785 passengers boarded at Bakar. Edmund Rosianu cites
Rafiah sailing from Trieste. She charted a two-week voyage south through the Greek Isles in an attempt to evade the British, through the Strait of Otranto and into the Ionian Sea.
On December 6, 1946,
Rafiah Athinai called on Astypalea
(Σημ γραφοντος: φυσικα αυτο ειναι γεωγραφικα αδυνατο)
On December 7, 1946,
Rafiah Athinai rounded the southern tip of Peloponese, to the north of Crete, and
arrived off Syrna Island in the Dodecanese, where she was scheduled to meet a boat that would take off some of the ship's foreign crew. A. Lichowsky cited
Rafiah Athinai'sGavriella destination was Kamila Island, just north of the tip of Crete, where she was to meet up with .
On December 8, 1946,
Rafiah Athinai entered the large bay of Agiou Soassin
(Σημ γραφοντος: τι ειναι αυτο; which was not well-protected, intending to shelter there until the storm abated. Gad Lasker ordered the captain to anchor in a cove.
While attempting to anchor, Rafiah hit rocks in Agiou Soassin Bay, off the south shore of Σύρνα Syrna Island, and took on water. roughly at 36 ° 20 'N 26 ° 42'E - WGS84).
Edmund Rosianu cites
Rafiah hitting the rocks and began sinking on December 7, 1946, at 4:00PM. The passengers jumped overboard, under the worst weather conditions possible, in the freezing cold, with 6-7 meter waves, and climbed to the shore using ropes, and 45 minutes later, the ship sunk.
Eight immigrants died: *Yosef Greenberg (14) * Peppy Weisberg (16) * Tsili Yankowitz (22) * Nachum David Futterman (28) * Dora Katz (28) * Shelly (last name unknown – 14); * Etti (last name and age unknown) * an unidentified passenger. Edmund Rosianu cites twenty people being killed.
They were buried on Σύρνα Syrna island.
Memorial to the lost at Syrna.jpg
On December 8, 1946, the Greek corvette,
Themistocles, was dispatched to Syrna, with relief supplies and 20 policemen. Edmund Rosianu cites Golda Meir, after receiving the SOS, spoke with a high-level English official to search for
Rafiah. An RAF reconnaissance aircraft from Cyprus, alerted by radio, was tasked to sweep the area and drop emergency supplies. On December 9, 1946, and the British minesweeper HMS Providence, working with
HMS Chevron, HHMS Themistocles and
HHMS Aegean managed to rescue the survivors.
HMS Chevron transported the passengers to an LST (Tank Landing Ship) in Crete. Edmund Rosianu cites British soldiers escorting the survivors aboard the British ship, Independence. They were then shipped to the detention Camps on Cyprus, and finally released in 1948.
On January 6th 1947, the Royal Naval Command Mediterranean, sent a telegram to the Admiralty in London: "The cost of rescuing and transporting of the ex-
Athina Jewish survivors is 4,430 pounds sterling and 18 shillings. We hope this will be taken in consideration and the amount will be paid".
(NB, this author: in English we have an expression "what an ---!") "The claim was passed to the Foreign and Colonial Offices. Mr Beith, Foreign Office, drew a marginal note: "I doubt if ever the money will be returned... may be it is better for them to present it to the Jewish Agency". (Cited: The 'Rafiah' (s/s Athina) illegal immigrants vessel A comic epilogue to a sad episode,
http://www.palyam.org)
(NB this author: See next entries)