Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

Ben Hecht בן הכט was the private luxury yacht /passenger cruise yacht, Argosy.
Registered name: SS Abril USS Cytherea (PK 31) Artheus Argosy Citra
Built: 1931, by Krupp Germania - Werft A. G., Kiel, at the Krupp shipyard, Hamburg.
She sailed under Nicaraguan flag.
Registry Number: M. S. 74, L. R. No.: 5312599
Capacity: 400 tons, 753 gross tons
Length: 62.18 meters
Beam: 9.17 meters
Draft: 3.366 meters
Engine: 2 oil engines, 4 strokes, single action, 16 cylinders.3600 BHP/2648 KW, built by: Atlas – Mak Maschinenbau, Kiel.

Argosy was a private luxury yacht, and was used to smuggle arms to the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War.

During the WW II, Argosy was acquired by the US Navy, and served as Coast Guard ship USS Cythera (PK - 31).

In 1946, the Thyne Shipping Company acquired USS Cythera (PK-31) Ben Hecht בן הכט, classified as war surplus, from United States Coast Guard.
She anchored in Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal, where Yitzhak Ben-Ami oversaw the refurbishing and repairs.
USS Cythera (PK-31) Ben Hecht בן הכט was unique in that she was the only ship prepared by ITzL, with financial help from New York Revisionists and the American League for Free Palestine ALFP, headed by G.M. Gillette, former senator from Iowa.
She was acquired with donations from The League for Free Land of Israel/American League for Free Palestine; the Bergson Group used the proceeds from “A Flag is Born”, which brought in nearly $1-million in ticket revenues and post-performance donations, to purchase the ship.
She was operated by the American Sea and Air Volunteers for Hebrew Repatriation.
Elliott Roosevelt, son of the late president and an experienced yachtsman, offered to serve as captain of USS Cythera (PK-31) Ben Hecht בן הכט, but withdrew after objections from his mother.

On December 27, 1946, after refitting in Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal, USS Cythera (PK-31), renamed SS Abril, sailed from New York City for Southern France and Port-de-Bouc., with a 21-man crew, mostly American volunteers, seven of whom were from Brooklyn.
On the eve of the departure from New York, FBI agents raided SS Abril, expecting to find arms bound for Palestine. but, instead, they found hundreds of lifebelts.
Jeno Berkovitz cites SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט sailed for France on December 26, 1947.
She sailed under Honduran flag, operated by the American Sea and Air Volunteers for Hebrew Repatriation, an offshoot of the American League for Free Palestine and the Hebrew Committee for National Liberation.

Louis Markowitz, age 52, years, served as 2nd Mate aboard SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט.
When Robert 'Bob' Levitan assumed the post of Captain aboard SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט, Louis Markowitz became 2nd Mate.

SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט stopped at Ponta Delgada on her way to Port-de-Bouc.
David Kaplan cites Captain Levitan brought the Abril into Ponta Delgada in the Azores by dead reckoning.'

On January 10, 1947, SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט arrived at Port-de-Bouc, where she was refitted to accommodate her passengers.

Gershom Hakim was relieved of his duties as Captain, when SS Abril Gen Hecht בן הכט reached Marseille, and since the First Mate had never shown up when SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט sailed from New York, Second Mate Hyman Robert Levitan was promoted to Captain.
David Kaplan cites: "our first mate, Robert Levitan was an excellent navigator with his entire sea time experience in the Pacific."

Jack Bernstein served as Seaman aboard SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט.

On March 1, 1947, at Port-de-Bouc, SS Abril took on 600 passengers, and was renamed SS Ben Hecht.
Judith Tydor Bau cites SS Abril sailing from Port-de-Bouc on February 28, 1947.
Paul H. Silverstone's Aliyah Bet Project cites: SS Abril sailing from Port-de-Bouc on February 28, 1947, carrying 597 passengers, sponsored by ITzL.
"284 men, 193 women, 29 children, On board were three journalists."
Shepard Rifkin cites: SS "Abril never moved from her anchorage until it was time to board her passengers." She left the tanker port of Port-de-Bouc "in broad daylight, the passengers singing Hatikva and then she ran aground."
SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט was the only ship whose arrival in Israel after WWII organized by affiliates of the Revisionist Movement, not by Mossad leAliyah Bet.
Conditions on board SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט were difficult, but food was not in short supply, as they had two thousand pounds of kosher salami donated by a Bergson Group supporter.

On March 8, 1947, an Royal Air Force plane sighted Ben Hecht בן הכט.
Jeno Berkovitz cites: "On March 8, everything changed. That afternoon, I happened to be stationed on deck, at the steering wheel. I still remember how good it felt – how the air smelled different as we got close to Eretz Yisrael. We were less than 10 miles from the coast of Tel Aviv, when three British destroyers approached and a British patrol plane circled overhead. I grabbed this flag, it had a big Jewish star on it, and hoisted it up the mast to show them that we were proud to be Jews fighting for our land.”
She was intercepted by Royal Navy destroyers, because armed resistance was expected, the British did not use minesweepers for the operation, just ten miles froms from the coast of Tel Aviv תל אביב.
At 12:15PM, HMS Chieftain joined HMS Chevron two hours later,
The British hailed Ben Hecht בן הכט in English and in German.
At 16:15PM, Ben Hecht בן הכט stopped, and sent her passengers below deck, while discussions took place.
At 17:30PM, HMS Chivalrous and frigate HMS St. Bride's Bay joined.
Ben Hecht בן הכט resumed, making 10 knots, towards Tel Aviv תל אביב.
When warned again, Ben Hecht בן הכט increased speed to 13 knots.
HMS Cheiftain came along side, and 32 officers and British soldiers wearing red berets, called ‘Red Devils’ boarded, and pushed Ben Hecht בן הכט round towards the west.
HMS Chevron boarded 30 more, while 20 soldiers from HMS Chivalrous boarded.
Jeno Berkovitz cites: "British soldiers wearing red berets – we called them 'red devils’'– jumped aboard. They shoved me aside and quickly took control of the ship. The crew and the passengers were brought to a detention camp in Cyprus. The DPs would end up staying there for more than a year, until after Israel’s creation in May 1948."
A photographer, from Life Magazine, was kicked while taking pictures of the boarding party coming aboard, and three British were killed and several injured in an effort capture passengers who plunged into the water.
At 05:33AM, Ben Hecht בן הכט was arrested when she reached teritorial waters.
HMS Octavia came along side, secured a line, and towed Ben Hecht בן הכט to Haifa חיפה.
The passengers were taken to a Detention Camp Number 66, in Cyprus Κύπρος, while the crew members were jailed at Akko Prison כלא עכו.
The British took the American crew members to the Akko Prison כלא עכו, where they were jailed alongside members of the ITzL אצ"ל and Lehi לח"י Stern Group, and announced they would deport the crew members to the United States.
Jeno Berkovitz cites: "To London’s dismay, the detention of the Ben Hecht crewmen became a lightning rod for criticism from Members of Congress, the American press and the US Jewish community. After holding the seamen for a month, the British decided they were more trouble than they were worth and put them on a ship bound for New York."
Meanwhile, the United States Attorney General announced he would not bring criminal charges against them.

In September, 1948, Ben Hecht בן הכט was renamed INS Maoz (K-24), and used as n Israeli Navy commando vessel.
Special small vessels were purchased for the saboteur forces of the navy and Maoz Ben Hecht בן הכט was to be their base ship.

On October 22, 1948, off the coast of Ashkelon, Maoz Ben Hecht בן הכט took part in the attack on two Egyptian Navy ships, Emir el Farouq and the escorting minesweeper.

Maoz Ben Hecht בן הכט was acquired by Navigazione Libera di Golfo of Italy, renamed Santa Maria del Mare, and serves, under Italian flag, as a ferry in the Gulf of Napoli.

In 2008, Santa Maria Del Mare SS Ben Hecht בן הכט was sold by the Italians to investors.
She was refitted, repainted, refurbished and remade into the luxury private yacht she once was, and put up for sale for 15,000,000 Euros.

In 1961, Shepard Rifkin published a novel based on the passage of SS Abril Ben Hecht בן הכט, What Ship? Where Bound?, published by Knopf.