MV Mefküre

Tel Aviv memorial plaque to Mefkure victims

MV Mefküre was a Turkish wooden motor schooner that played a tragic role in the history of World War II, specifically in the context of the Holocaust and the efforts to rescue Jews from Nazi-occupied Europe. On the night of August 5, 1944, while attempting to transport Jewish refugees from Romania to the British Mandate of Palestine, MV Mefküre was attacked and sunk in the Black Sea by the Soviet submarine Shch-215. The incident resulted in the loss of over 300 lives, making it one of the maritime disasters of the war that is less known but equally poignant in the annals of Jewish wartime tragedy.

Background

The MV Mefküre was part of a clandestine operation aimed at evacuating Jews from the clutches of the Holocaust to the relative safety of Palestine, then under British control. This operation was fraught with danger, as it involved navigating through waters controlled by Axis powers and their allies. The vessel was not equipped for combat or to withstand attacks, being a mere merchant vessel repurposed for the desperate evacuation of refugees.

The Voyage

MV Mefküre set sail from Constanta, Romania, in early August 1944, alongside two other ships, the Bulgaria and the Morina. The convoy was intended to run the blockade that the Axis powers had established in the Black Sea. The Mefküre carried between 300 and 400 Jewish refugees, many of them children, who were seeking escape from the genocidal policies of the Nazis and their collaborators in Eastern Europe.

The Attack

In the darkness of the night, the Soviet submarine Shch-215 encountered the convoy. After sinking the Morina, the submarine turned its attention to the Mefküre. Despite attempts to signal that it was carrying civilians, the Mefküre was hit by torpedoes and gunfire. The ship sank quickly, and the majority of those on board perished either in the attack or by drowning. Only a handful of survivors were rescued by the accompanying ship, Bulgaria, which managed to escape the attack and continue on to Palestine.

Aftermath

The sinking of the MV Mefküre remains a somber chapter in the history of the Holocaust and World War II. It underscores the perilous journey many Jews had to undertake in their quest for safety amid the horrors of war. The incident also highlights the indiscriminate nature of wartime violence, where even neutral or civilian vessels could become targets.

The tragedy of the MV Mefküre is commemorated in various memorials and historical accounts, serving as a reminder of the human cost of war and the desperate measures taken by those seeking refuge from persecution.

See Also

• Holocaust
• Refugees of World War II
• Black Sea campaigns (1941–44)