Current sectionJewish WorldHistoryThe vessel was found 500 meters underwater, over seven decades after it was was brought to Israel's coast by the Irgun militia loaded with weapons and fighters. Ben-Gurion saw it as a threat to the state's sovereignty and ordered it to be fired uponShare 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 formatSubscribeJonathan Lisand Ofer Aderet11:25 AM • August 24 2026 IDTThe Altalena, a ship carrying immigrants and weapons for the right-wing Zionist Irgun militia that was sunk off the coast of Tel Aviv 78 years ago by Israeli authorities, has been found intact at a depth of 503 meters (1,650 feet), far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Amichay Eliyahu said Monday.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:IDFYitzhak RabinBenjamin NetanyahuItamar Ben-GvirHistoryCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesWest BankEisenkotTurkey-InterpolE1 TenderNetanyahuGazaCalifornia Special ElectionHaQuizHaaretz PodcastAltalena Shipwreck Found Intact Underwater 78 Years After IDF Sank Irgun VesselTreasury 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