International Submariners Association meeting in ISRAEL May  2010.

ON 20^TH May 2010 Mike Kirk and Terry Spurling flew from Manchester to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. The prime treason for the trip was to attend the 47th Conference of the International Submariners Associatilon.

Whilst I wished to attend the conference, the main reason for my travel was to re-visit the many Israeli Submariners and Base Staff who I had spent a great deal of time with during the build and sea trial phases of the Project 540 Submarines in the 70s

On arrival I was picked up by an old friend, Dan Tzur, who  deposited me at the Conference Hotel in Natanya. He then informed me that he and his wife Nilly would be picking Betty and I up the next morning, very early, for a visit to the Dead Sea and Massada.

For those not familiar with Massada, it is a cliff top fortress originally built by King Herod ( yes that King Herod) but gained fame as the final strong hold of the Jewish Zealots in their fight against the Romans after the sacking of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The Zealots held out for a number of years against the Roman Siege, until the Romans eventually built a ramp up to the entrance to Massada and broke into the Fortress.They found that all the Jewish personnel were dead. It turned out that they had all decided to die rather than face Roman slavery. Each man had killed his entire family before drawing lots to decide who of the remaining men should die last. They then killed each other until the last man committed suicide.

A place very well worth a visit.

The next day we were picked hp by Dan and Nilly for an all day visit to Ceasarea. It turned out that one of our friends, Avram Peer the last Head of Commission on the P540 Programme, had trained as a relief tour guide for Caesarea. We had a most pleasant day and saw much more than would normally be the case for the average tourist. Much could be said about Caesarea, but this is not the place – think Ben Hur and the Hippodrome Chariot Races and you’ll get a flavour.

The ISA itself was due to start on Sunday 23^rd May with a cocktail party and registration.  As each of us registered we were given a “goodies” bag along with details of each of the next three days’ activities.

Over 300 Members of the ISA registered – 150 Russian Submarines turned up with SA representatives from USA, Argentine, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Ukraine, Turkey, Italy, Japan and of course Israel.

Each of the next three days started with being picked up at the Hotel at around 0800 with visits to a number of the obvious sites in Israel – Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Acro and the Holaucost Memorial  were the main locations. Each of the tour coaches had one of our hosts onboard, together with an Israeli Submariner and a First Aider.

On the afternoon of the third day we visited the Submarine Museum and the Naval Dockyard,

 It was the visit to the Museum that I had most anticipated. The main attraction at the site was the INS GAl which was the first of the three submarines we built in Barrow in the P540 Programme. It was strange to walk round that very small submarine and remember the build and Sea Trials we carried out in Scottish Waters. I had to remind myself how very strange much of that programme was – a German Designed Submarine, built in Barrow for use by the Israeli Navy. I often had to travel to Germany and CHair Meetings between VSEL, Israeli  and German Personnel. I often wondered what certain parts of the middle of the last century had been about.

We had Lunch directly in the shadow of Gal.

My most poignant moment of the whole visit was to stand alongside the Memorial to fallen Israeli Submariners in the Museum. The memorial itself was part of the Bridge Fin of the lost submarine INS DAAKAR. Daakar was lost with all hands (69) in 1968 whilst in transit from UK to Israel. What made it more memorable for me was that Daakar had previously been HMS TOTEM which I took to Malta in 1956 and served on  for 2 ½ years. Betty and the kids had spent many happy hours onboard that vessel when I was duty and moored in Msida Creek.

I have been asked to pen a few words re the loss and eventual location of Daakar – she was located in 1999 at a depth of 3000M. That article will appear later.

The visit to the Naval Dockyard in Haifa was marked by one of the new Israeli Dolphin Submarines surfacing in front of all those assembled on the Jetty without any of us being aware that a submarine was dived in the basin. Very impressive

The final evening of the ISA 2010 was a Gala Dinner with some speeches and presentation of memorabilia to specified persons. It closed with the hand over of the ISA Motif to the 2011 ISA country Representatives – the reps from Turkey as Istanbul is to be the 2011 venue.

I had never attended an ISA International Conference before but must state that I was impressed by the organisation and the comradeship displayed by those attending.

I will probably go to Istanbul next year. In view of the recent Gaza Blockade problems it will be interesting to see if Israeli Submariners are able to attend.

It might be worth suggesting that one or two of our Branch and their WAGS might like to consider joining us?

They cover the Launch of the Dreadnought in 1963

Trials and a visit to Portsmouth in 1963

Trials at Gibraltar again in 1963

We  then jump to February 1968 when Peter Cobb was the C.O. He is shown on the periscope roundabout, a very young David Pulvertaft  in the Wardromm having dinner with the other young chaps, Brian Rutherford can just be seen on the left if you are quick. Coxn Ollie Hards dishing out the rum in the JR's mess and a cinema show in the S.Rates mess.

Two more clips, one of the Reso being launched by the Queen Mother and the other of her (the Reso) being commissioned, which may be of interest to some of you.

Please click on the links below.

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=43224  Launching of Dreadnought 1963

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=69574 Trials & visit to Pompey 1963

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=43478 Dreadnought on trials off and at Gibraltar

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=2444 On board at  Sea 1968 (Peter Cobb C/O)

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=2445  Outakes from above

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=44314 Launching of the Resoloution

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=44929 Commissioning of the Resoloution