Dating to February, 1948 (although some sources state 1945) just a few months before the Israeli declaration of independence, this silent footage shows the voyage of the Hagana ship “Unafraid” as it journeys from Europe to British controlled Palestine. Once it arrives there, the ship is seized by the Royal Navy. The film documents a pivotal movement in the history of the state of Israel. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, survivors were evacuated to Palestine, even though the British did not want them to migrate. Here, hundreds of refugees — some of them apparently survivors of Buchenwald — are shown crammed aboard a ship dubbed “SS Unafraid”. The ship sails across the Mediterranean but is soon spotted by British aircraft, and then escorted by a small flotilla of Royal Navy ships. Soon, a destroyer draws alongside and offloads a prize crew. The ship is then deviated to the harbor at Haifa, where its occupants will likely face deportation to an internment camp in Cyprus.
The film begins with shots of a man with field glasses searching the horizon, and other refugees aboard the ship looking out from the ship’s rail. Announcement are made (:52) aboard the ship and those who were huddled below decks allowed to come out for air. A British destroyer is visible (1:22). Various shots of refugees, some of them apparently quite seasick, follow. At (2;24) the destroyer is shown again. At (2:45), the assembled crowd begins to fashion banners and an Israeli flag is hoisted at (3:04) and the crowd stands at attention as it rises to the mast top. At (3:44) another flag is hoisted on the ship’s fantail and the crowd sings what will soon be the national anthem. At 4:31 a banner reads “Haganah Ship Unafraid”. At (4:47), a fake sign used as a disguise, marked Karaco Adalia, is removed from the stern of the ship and thrown overboard. At (4:58) the British destroyer looms large. At (5:12) a woman is shown in labor aboard ship. At (5:23) the baby is delivered and the mother is shown post-partum. At (5:51) more shots of the destroyer escort. At (6:20), another shot of the banner “Hagana Ship Unafraid” is seen. At (6:30) British sailors board the ship from the destroyer, which has now come alongside the refugee boat. At (7:17) a signalman uses flags to communicate with the destroyer crew. At (7:26) a large banner is unfurled reading “Open the door Bevin… your Tommies want to get out and we are coming.” (This refers to Ernest Bevin a British statesman, trade union leader and Labour Party politician who was Foreign Secretary when the Palestinian Mandate ended. He played an important role in the end of the Mandate of Palestine and was strongly opposed to the establishment of the State of Israel.) At (7:36) British sailors are seen aboard the ship, which has now apparently reached the docks at Haifa. At (8:50) a mother nurses her young baby. The End (9:25).
Night-time shots of refugees with large packs boarding rubber boats. Crowded onto deck, rushing into hold and covering selves with tarpaulin when British airplane flies overhead. Airplane is an RAF : Lancaster. British warship (destroyer) sited, Brits jump from their decks to refugee ship. English and Hebrew sign “Haganah Ship Unafraid” and “Jewish” flag raised.
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