THE ISRAELI navy used Cypriot vessels to locate the wreck of one of its submarines, lost in the Mediterranean with its 69-member crew more than 30 years ago.
The wreck of the Dakarwas located on Friday in an area between Cyprus and Crete at a depth of over 3,000 metres. The discovery, by an Israeli- American team using Limassol as its base, has thrown new light on the circumstances of the Dakar’s disappearance.
“They have been looking for the submarine for quite a long time and we went out there, a very good team, and we found it,” captain Duncan McKenzy, of the Flying Enterprise, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
American McKenzy said the submarine had showed up “very well” on sonar and the other Cypriot-owned ship, the Argonaut, was then called in to deploy a “remote operation vehicle” to take pictures of the wreck.
The search had lasted 25 days. The Israeli navy are now considering whether to attempt raising the submarine, an operation made difficult by the depth it lies at.
The Dakardisappeared in January 1968, two weeks after leaving Portsmouth, England, for Haifa on its maiden voyage as an Israeli vessel. The submarine, built in 1945, had been refurbished in Britain but early on the journey its captain complained of a string of mechanical problems.
Photographic evidence from the wreck has led naval experts to suggest the submarine may have been sunk by a collision with a cargo ship.
“The wreckage seen is distorted and crushed, as though something ‘ironed’ it — struck it and did not stop above it, and continued on its way,” ex- naval officer Doron Amir told Reuters.
Military correspondent Roni Daniel said the Dakarprobably saw the cargo ship too late and could not dive in time to avoid a collision. Soon after, the Dakartook on water, plunging to the sea floor in four and a half minutes, he told Reuters.
Among past theories on the submarine’s disappearance was that it had come under attack by Soviet or Egyptian vessels after veering towards Egypt. But the discovery of the wreck between Crete and Cyprus suggests it did not leave its course to near Egypt. “The fact that the submarine was found where it was found dispels rumours and suspicions that persisted for 30 years,” said Shlomo Arel, who was Israeli navy chief at the time of the sinking.
