Kedmah Comes In
Palestine Post Staff
Tel Aviv, Sunday. – With her decks festooned from prow to stern and a light of five Palestine Aviron Company's planes droning overhead, Palestine's firs port-war passenger liner, the Kedmah, steamed into the roadstead this morning on her trial run from Antwerp.
The ship disembarked 104 passengers and sailed at night with 84 passengers for Haifa. On Wednesday she is due to commence a regular fortnightly service between Haifa and Marseilles.
The Kedmah sailed from Antwerp, where she was refitted, and picked up a party of visitors in London, many of them delegates to the Education Conference in Jerusalem. In Marseilles refugees, including survivors from the Begen Belsen death camps, came on board.
The port here was decorated with flags and crowded with prominent citizens when the trim vessel, freshly painted white and trimmed in blue, came in, three hours later.
A delegation had earlier flown up to meet the ship in the Palestine Aviron Company's De Havilland, but the plane was unable to locate the Kedmah. The party included Mr. D. Remez, Chairman of the General Council of Palestine Jews (Vaad Leumi), Mrs. Goldie Myerson and Mr. Gruenbaum of the Jewish Agency Executive and Mr. U. Michaeli of the Aviron Company. The party returned to the port and were among the 300 visitors to board the vessel. Others included the Mayor, Mr. I. Rokach, the Vice Mayor, Mr. E. Perlson, Mr. E. Kaplan, Treasurer of the Jewish Agency Executive and Mr. J. Sprinzak of the General Federation of Labour.
The visitors were shown over the vessel by Jewish naval officers, looking smart in their fresh white British-type uniforms. The Captain as well as the Chief and 2nd Engineers are Scotsmen, the other 90-odd members of the crew being Jewish.
In the afternoon, Mr. D. Remez called upon American Jewry to help to develop Jewish air and steamship services between New York and Palestine. The American Zionist leader, Dr. Israel Goldstein, and Mr. I. Hamlin, the American Jewish Labour leader, promised their help when they return home.
The owners of the 3,504-ton ship are the Kedem Palestine Line Ltd, in which Messrs. Harris and Dixon, a noted British shipping company, and the Zim Navigation Company are equal partners. They hope to add a larger ship within the next six months if the Kedmah service is successful, and to operate a weekly service. The Kedmah was built by Vickers in 1927, and before the war plied the Far East route. Passenger accommodation is for 120 First class and 140 Tourist Class.
Exodus Captain
Among those who came to watch the arrival of the Kedmah was Mr. Bernard Marks, the Captain of the Exodus 1947, who was detained in Haifa but released on bail.
He told a Palestine Post reporter "She is one of the best little jobs sailing the Mediterranean these days," and he could understand the excitement of all the people present. "I have been on ships with all-Jewish crews before," he said, "but it must be a great thrill for them to serve on a Jewish vessel.”
The Palestine Post, שנה עשרים ושתיים, מס' 6469, 28 ביולי 1947, עמ' 1. העתק דיגיטלי באוסף עיתונות יהודית היסטורית של הספרייה הלאומית.
שְׂפַת הַיָּם - מילון מונחים ימיים ועוד 