The sole attempt to raise a submarine from the depths of the ocean cost billions of dollars, and the submarine disintegrated. Minister of Defense Moshe Arens: If the only obstacle is financing, we will overcome it
The cost of raising the Dakar submarine, the remains of which were discovered at the weekend close to Crete, will amount to billions of dollars - if such an attempt is possible. It would be like the only similar attempt in military history, when the US army brought a classified Russian submarine to the surface. These are the assessments by navy headquarters, which is investigating the possibility of raising the submarine that sank in 1968, and rescuing the bones of the 69 member crew.
Minister of Defense Moshe Arens today said that if the only obstacle to the rescue attempt is financing, Israel would not hesitate to allocate the necessary resources for it. OC Navy Adm. Alex Tal said no technology existed enabling the submarine to be brought to the surface from a depth of 3 kilometers, which is where the Dakar was discovered. The Israel Defense Forces will probably prefer to leave the submarine at the site, and declare the location the crew’s burial place.
Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz commented, "It can be assumed that there will be extraordinary difficulties in extricating the submarine or other evidence."
The Dakar was discovered last Thursday afternoon by the US company Nauticus, which also discovered the Titanic.
Published by Israel's Business Arena May 30, 1999