Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

HMT Runnymede Park was built in 1944, as a cargo ship, for the Government of Canada, by United Shipyards, in Montreal.
She was delivered on June 8, 1944.
Gross Tonnage: 7,139

On May 25, 1947, the passengers of Mordei haGetaot מורדי הגטאות were transferred to HMT Runnymede Park, for transport to Detention Camp No.55 at Karaolos Καράολος.

Operation Oasis, implemented by the British, involved converting three freighters into caged prison ships.
* 1,464 people were transported on HMT Ocean Vigour
* around 1,409 were transported on HMT Runnymede Park
* 1,526 were transported on HMT Empire Rival
The three ships were cited in press reports as “a floating Auschwitz” and “cages for wild beasts.”
Wikipedia, from article SS Exodus, cited: The British had identified one of the ships, the Runnymede Park, as the vessel most likely to cause them trouble. A confidential report of the time cited: "It was known that the Jews on the Runnymede Park were under the leadership of a young, capable and energetic fanatic, Morenci Miry Rosman, and throughout the operation it had been realised that this ship might give trouble."
HMS Cardigan Bay was assigned to escort the three British mercantiles, joined by with HMS Tremadoc Bay and HMS Burghead Bay.
Able Seaman Alan Green cites: the three transports were escorted from Marseille to the British internment camp in Germany by "the destroyer Troubridge and the Algerines Welfare, Skipjack and Espiegle."
The passengers assumed they would be interned in camps on Cyprus Kibris, but instead, the convoy sailed to Port-de-Bouc.
The British had concluded, although they knew that sending Jews back to Germany and into camps, would set off world-wide protests, that the only place they could send the Maapilim was to the British-controlled zone in Germany, where they would be placed in DP camps, and screened for extremists.

Paul H. Silverstone's Aliyah Bet Project cites: On July 28, 1947, Yod Dalet Halalei Gesher haZiv י"ד חללי גשר א-זיב was "Towed in to Haifa by HMS Rowena." and the Maapilim were "Taken to Cyprus on the Runnymede Park."
Tzvi Ben-Tzur cites: "The Palyamnikim sabotaged the vessel’s engine, forcing the British to tow her into Haifa. On
the day following their arrival in port, the Ma’apilim were transferred to the deportation British vessel “Empire Comfort” and shipped to the detention camps in Cyprus."

On September 17, 1947, 14.00PM, HMS Runnymede Park was evacuated.
One hundred military police and 200 Sherwood Foresters troops were ordered to board HMS Runnymede Park, and eject the Maapilim.
The officer in charge, Lieutenant-Colonel Gregson, provided an assessment of the storming of the vessel, which left up to 33 Maapilim, including four women, injured in the fighting; 68 Jews were held in custody charged with unruly behaviour, and 3 three soldiers were injured.
Lieutenant-Colonel Gregson admitted that he had considered using tear gas against the Maapilim.
He cited: "The Jew is liable to panic and 800-900 Jews fighting to get up a stairway to escape tear smoke could have produced a deplorable business." He added: "It is a very frightening thing to go into the hold full of yelling maniacs when outnumbered six or eight to one."
Lieutenant-Colonel Gregson wrote to his superiors: "After a very short pause, with a lot of yelling and female screams, every available weapon up to a biscuit and bulks of timber was hurled at the soldiers. They withstood it admirably and very stoically till the Jews assaulted and in the first rush several soldiers were downed with half a dozen Jews on top kicking and tearing ... No other troops could have done it as well and as humanely as these British ones did."
He cited: "In the unloading of the Runnymede Park, there was naturally a fair degree of force employed."
"Fire hoses and batons were used on the side of the troops."
"On the part of the emigrants, there was some use of broken bottles, tins were thrown and lumps of bully beef into which jagged pieces of tin had been stuck."
"On the other hand, no firearms, knives or daggers were ever used on either side, nor was tear smoke employed."
He blamed a "few young soldiers getting excited" for slight pushing on the docks."
He cited: "It should be borne in mind that the guiding factor in most of the actions of the Jews is to gain the sympathy of the world press."
Lieutenant-Colonel Gregson banned media from the quayside during the disembarkation.
He cited: ""After disembarkation they are free to spread all the atrocity stories they like, whatever the disembarkation has been like, but if the press is there they have got to put on a show for them to see."

In 1951, HMT Runnymede Park was renamed Lake Michigan.
In 1957, she was renamed Karaostasi.
In 1964, she was renamed Adelphos Petrakis.

In 1967, HMT Runnymede Park burnt, and was scrapped.

Fiona Cristian cites 360 British soldiers, after a bitter three-hour fight aboard HMT Runnymede Park, completed a two-dayhould be forced debarkation of 4,300 prefugees aboard Exodus 1947 from British transport ships, HMT Runnymede Park, HMT Ocean Vigour and Empire Valour (should be Empire Rival), in Hamburg, on September 9, 1947.