Current sectionJewish WorldHistoryThe Irgun brought the ship, loaded with weapons, to Israel's shores. In the days after the dismantling of the underground militias, Ben-Gurion viewed the Altalena as a threat to the state's sovereignty and ordered it to be fired upon. Three Israel Defense Forces soldiers and 16 Irgun activists were killedShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribe11:25 AM • August 24 2026 IDTThe Altalena, the immigrant and weapons ship that was sunk off the coast of Tel Aviv 76 years ago, has been found intact at a depth of 503 meters (1650 feet) in the sea, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu said Monday.CommentsIn the NewsAltalena, Symbol of Irgun Underground Militia, Found Intact Deep UnderwaterTreasury Secretary Bessent: Trump's 'Economic D-Day' on Iran to Begin at DawnIsrael's Former Labor Party Leader Announces Pancreatic Cancer DiagnosisThe Last Thing Israel Needs Is Another Leader Afraid to Say 'Palestinian State'The Ultimate Test: Can the IDF Chief Resist Netanyahu's Election-year War Push?Remembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIIDF Marks Detained Palestinians With Numbers as Northern West Bank Raids ExpandAn Israeli Startup Is Reinventing Salmon Farming. It May Upend a Global IndustryThe American Jewish Establishment Is Defending an Israel That No Longer ExistsDavid Remnick on Netanyahu, Mamdani and Israel's 'Failure to Face' GazaGermany Found Its Israeli Villain. Will It Continue to Ignore What Produced Him?Israeli Army Orders Criminal Probes Into Killing of Hind Rajab, Gaza Medics