November 1956, off the coast of Arsuf. After a regular fishing trip, crew members Uriel and Aya are in the wheelhouse navigating north back to their kibbutz near Achziv. Just past Herzliya, the Sa’ar runs aground, slamming into the rocks that run along the shore. To this day, no one can say for sure what happened.
The accident is a huge loss to the fishing community. The Sa'ar was its pride and joy, the second of its kind that had arrived in Israel since 1949, and far more advanced than its predecessor, the Shomreya.
The decision was made to bring it to shore, and fix it. Huge sums of money were put towards the effort, which took longer than expected, and encountered many unforeseen problems.
Despite the efforts, the ocean had other ideas. Just as it seemed that everything was about to pay off, on a stormy night the Saar was dragged back into the current, slamming into the shallow rocks, where it found its final resting place.
Today the wreck sits in the same place, along the pristine, quiet beach, a few kilometres to the north of Arsuf National Park.
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Story credit: Terra Santa