Naval Intelligence Department

The Israeli Naval Intelligence Department is a chief unit of the IDF Sea Corps. Like other IDF intelligence bodies, it is professionally subordinate to the Intelligence Directorate.

The NID is responsible for poviding the Corps and the IDF at large with the naval intelligence picture, as part of the Intelligence Community. It provides warning of war or terrorism from the sea; instructs and trains the Sea Corps' on areas related to field intelligence, intelligence-related human resources, and hydrography; and coordinates between the Sea Corps and other elements in the Intelligence Community.

=Activities=

Europe

France

France 1969

The removal of five missile boats from the French shipyard of Cherbourg which were paid for by the Israeli government but were not delivered due to the French arms embargo in 1969. [ [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Cherbourg.html "The Cherbourg Boats" by Doron Geller, Jewish Virtual Library] ] Mistakenly people tend to refer the escape of the 5 boats for Cherbourg Harbor at the Christmas eve 1969 to Mossad. This affair had no relation to Mossad.

The plot to take the boats was made by Israeli Navy and Rear – Admiral, Retired Mordechi (Nick name Mokka) Limon who was the head of IDF mission in Paris France.

The boats were transferred to a straw company called Starboat. This company was Norwegian company for Oil Drills. The idea was of Mokka and he was aided by the connections of Milla Brenner, retired Naval officer Commander in Rank that had the Merchant Marin company for fruits freight ships in Israel.

The boats were sold and transferred legally by the government of Israel to the straw company by the approval of Michel Debré, the French minister of defense.

The crew on board of the ships was Israeli Navy. They kept routine of short sails to the Atlantic. Also they started to operate engines at nights in full noise to make a routine of noise in Cherbourg. The local police came and that issue continued. So the locals gave up on that and it became normal. Prior to escape, small groups of reinforcement navy crew started to come officers ratings and sailors. They purchased food in local stores in small groups to prevent attention, since Cherbourg was a small town and Israeli Navy guys were known there.

Next they asked help from ZIM navigation company Europe Lines for fueling. This was given to them by Edmond Wilhelm Brillant, a retired navy officer. He designed M.V. Lea and M.V. Netanya to provide fuel at the Biscay (Netanya Backup) and Gibralter (Lea).

Commanding officer of escape was Captain Hadar Kimhi, Vice Commander Ezra Kedm Krishinski (Nick name "Karish" which is Shark). The boats are INS Suffa (Storm) skipper Lt. Ronna Arie, INS (Israeli Navy Ship) Ga’ash (Volcano) skipper Lt. Gil Koren, INS Herev (Sward) skipper Lt. Commander Gaddi Ben Zeev, INS Hanit (Spear) skipper Lt. Commander Haim Shaked, INS Hetz (Arrow) skipper Commander Moshe Tabak. The rest is history. (Boats names for oil drill company Starboat 1,2,3,4,5).

=References=