Mefkure, Wooden motor schooner in Black Sea, Turkey
The Mefkure was a wooden motor schooner about 35 meters (115 ft) long that sailed under Turkish and Red Cross flags as a passenger vessel during World War II. The wreck now rests on the floor of the Black Sea off the Turkish coast.
On August 5, 1944, the ship was attacked by a submarine in the Black Sea and sank within minutes. More than 300 refugees fleeing Nazi persecution lost their lives in the disaster.
The Mefkure was part of a small group of ships carrying Jewish refugees from Romania toward Palestine. In Israel, memorials in Tel Aviv and Ashdod keep the memory of the passengers alive.
The wreck lies deep in the Black Sea and can only be reached by experienced divers. Local providers along the coast can give information about diving conditions and access to the site.
The Mefkure was not sailing alone: it traveled alongside two other refugee ships, the Bulbul and the Morina, both of which reached their destination safely. It remains the only one of the three ships that was never recovered.
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