Maine Underwater Explorer Chronicles Discovery of Long-Sought Israeli Sub
June 29, 2009 Reported By: Tom Porter on MPBN
On January 25, 1968, the newly-commissioned Israeli submarine, the Dakar, transmitted her last communication. The Dakar was on her way from Gosport in England - where she had been purchased from the British government - to Haifa in Israel. Her last port of call was Gibraltar. Shortly afterward, she and her crew of 70 disappeared beneath the Mediterranean Sea without a trace.
After nearly 28 years of searching unsuccessfully for the wreck of the Dakar, the Israelis enlisted the help of a Maine-based underwater exploration company Nauticos - led by former U.S. submariner David Jourdan.
David Jourdan, who' s based in Cape Porpoise, near Kennebunkport, spent three years combing the Mediterranean before the Dakar was eventually discovered. His book "Never Forgotten: The Search and Discovery of Israel's lost Submarine Dakar" tells the story of the search for the ill-fated vessel.
Praise for Never Forgotten
“The disappearance of the Israeli submarine Dakar was one of the great sea mysteries of the twentieth century. Never Forgotten is epic story-telling by the man who made the incredible discovery possible. David Jourdan’s account of the search is as interesting as it is intriguing.”
—Clive Cussler
“Reading "NEVER FORGOTTEN" by undersea explorer David Jourdan brought back many old memories of the Cold War when I was serving in the U.S. Navy. The story surrounding the loss of the Israel submarine INS DAKAR, always fascinated me as a Naval Intelligence Officer. Its sinking led to all sorts of conspiracy theories so it was great to finally learn the truth!”
—Robert D. Ballard
Links
Purchase Never Forgotten wherever books are sold, including:
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Nauticos LLC
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Israeli Submariner’s Association
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“Never Forgotten is a gripping true story of disaster and discovery. A world-renowned underwater explorer, Dave Jourdan brings the compassion of a veteran submariner and the brilliance of a tested scientist to a story of horror and loss, and the epic search to find and recover lost sailors at sea. A brilliant read!”
—Admiral James Stavridis
U.S. Navy, author of Command at Sea and Destroyer Captain
“A fascinating, hi-tech detective story that solves a 31-year maritime mystery…Jourdan adeptly details the identification of key clues, including the intriguing path of a submerged buoy, and brings the reader along a ghostly underwater search that culminates in the dramatic discovery of the long-lost submarine. Never Forgotten combines the sophisticated search for a lost vessel with the emotional story of the Dakar and its ill-fated crew..”
—Dorothy Cochrane
Curator, Aeronautics Division, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
“The tragedy of the Israeli submarine Dakar left a very deep scar in the hearts of many people in Israel. The tradition of honoring the fallen became a ritual that led to an unprecedented thirty-two year search for the lost submarine...Dave Jourdan’s book is an excellent source to read for all that is known of this mystery.”
—CDR. Yoram Bar-Yam,
Israeli Navy (Ret) a fourteen year veteran of the Israeli Submarine Flotilla.