Haapalah / Aliyah Bet

Beriah Biriah ביריה was a small steamer
Registered name: Akbel Ex-Ayten Ex-Serefunur Ex-Cherefnur Ex-Firouze Ex-Nishe Ex-Thessaloniki Ex-Lefkas Ex-Neva
Built: 1896-8.
Capacity: 284 tons
Beriah ביריה sailed under Turkish flag.
Beriah ביריה means Creation, in Hebrew., or With Evil, or With Bad.
Beriah ביריה was son of Asher אשר, and father of Heber and Malchiel. (Genesis. 46:17, Number. 26:44-5, I Chronicles 7:30), after whom the Beriite clan was named.
Beriah ביריה was son of Ephraim אפרים (I Chronicles. 7:20-23), born after the killing of Ephraim's sons, Ezer and Elead, and named "because it went badly with his house."
Beriah ביריה and Shema were the leaders of the clans living in Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath. (1 Chronicles 8:13)
Har Beriah ביריה served as a Byzantine manor house, or monastery, connected with the settlement of Tel Ira, overlooking the Beer Sheva באר שבע basin.
Paul H. Silverstone cites: Beriah ביריה was a settlement in the Galil גליל‎, that was razed by the British, and rebuilt in 1946.

On June 21, 1946, Beriah ביריה Akbel sailed from Sète, carrying 1,108 passengers.
Idith Zertal cites: Beriah ביריה Akbel carried 999 passengers.
Fritz Liebrich cites: Beriah ביריה Akbel sailed from Marseille. carrying 1,015 passenger, who were transferred from Haganah Norsyd.
AmutaYam.org.il cites: Beriah ביריה Akbel sailed from Marseille.and on June 30, 1946, transferred at sea, 1,000 passengers, from Haganah Norsyd.
Peter Lande cites: Beriah ביריה Akbel sailed on June 22, 1946, carrying 1,086 passengers.

Bezalel Drori served as Palyam Commander, and he had no other Palyamniks or Gidoni, wireless radio operator, with him, aboard Beriah ביריה Akbel,when she sailed from Sète.

On June 21, 1946, Meir Eldar sailed on Beriah ביריה Akbel, from Sète for Palestine.

Yehuda Sela Harry Silverman cites "Bezalel Drori and several partisans went over to the "Akbel" and convinced the Turkish captain that it was worth his while to fulfill his part of the bargain that had been made with him. We then started the transfer of the passengers. At the same time, some carpentry work was done on the Akbel so that it would be able to take on so many people. It soon became clear that the vessel was not equipped with everything that the captain had said it was, and that the ship was in very bad condition. All the immigrants were transferred to the Akbel which was now renamed "Haganah Ship Biria."

Yehuda Sela Harry Silverman cites "Bezalel (Drori) sent out an SOS. A British warship, the "Virago," answered our call. She asked what the ship needed, and we answered her that we needed to be towed to Haifa. The ship turned and sailed off but returned in the middle of the night and then turned away again. When we entered the territorial waters of Palestine the British confiscated the ship.'

On June 30, 1946, Balboa SS Haganah הגנה transferred her passengers at sea, about 100 miles off the coast of Palestine, to a Turkish boat, Akbel, renamed Beriah ביריה, after a Zionist settlement which had been taken over by the British earlier that year.
Palyam.org cites "Balboa SS Haganah הגנה tcarried them within 50 miles of Palestine. She met with the old Turkish tub, the "Akbel" at a preset coordinateat sea, and transferred all the Maaplim to the Turkish vessel by launch."
Bernard Marks cites: Balboa SS Haganah הגנה was "followed by a small Turkish “tub” caller Akbel and renamed “Biria”. The ruse was that we were to pretend we were disabled and signal our distress to Akbel, when she came to our rescue, take her by force. We would then install our “cargo” on her and the shoo-shoo would compel her to sail to Haifa, while we returned to Europe for another load."
Akbel Beriah ביריה was intercepted by HMS Virago and towed into Haifa, and her passengers were interned.

On July 1, 1946, Beriah ביריה Akbel was detected by RAF reconnaisance aircraft, and intercepted by HMS Virago, HMS Stevenstone, HMS Talybont and HMS Haydon.
HMS Haydon dropped a depth charge to persuade Beriah ביריה Akbel to stop her engine.

On July 2, 1946, Beriah ביריה Akbel was escorted into Haifa harbor.