Disappearance of Israeli Sub Dakar Solved

The loss of the Israeli submarine DAKAR on its maiden voyage in 1968, and the discovery by Nauticos Corporation thirty years later, is the subject of a National Geographic Channel (NGC) underwater documentary that will air Friday, November 29th. The DAKAR was a WWII “T-class” boat, built by the British, and sold to the Israelis after modifications, upgrades, and sea trials. In 1968, the DAKAR was en route to Haifa via Gibraltar on its maiden voyage for delivery to the operational fleet. During this transit, communications inexplicably ceased and the submarine was never heard from again. Decade long efforts to locate the sub and determine its fate proved unsuccessful. Under contract for the Israeli Navy, Nauticos Corporation along with subcontractors Williamson & Associates, Inc. and Phoenix International, Inc., set out to find the DAKAR in May of 1999. The submarine was found resting at depth of 10,000 feet in the Mediterranean badly damaged, but recognizable. Its discovery triggered an outpouring of relief from the families of the 69 lost sailors. At last, the fate of their husbands, sons and brothers was known. The following year, Nauticos and a team of forensic experts returned to the site. The team raised the bridge and conning tower of the Israeli submarine, returning it to Haifa to create a memorial, and conducted an extensive forensic investigation to determine the cause of the sinking. Mystery of the Dakar takes viewers under the sea with Nauticos’ recovery mission and combines archival materials, compelling interviews and footage from inside an Israeli submarine to shed new light on the sinking of the INS DAKAR.