Cannon that sunk ‘Altalena’ in 1948 to be moved to Menachem Begin Heritage Center

The weapon used to fire on the Irgun vessel was nicknamed the "holy cannon" by Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion.

JNS Staff

The Irgun ship “Altalena” burning off the Tel Aviv beach after being shelled by the Haganah, the precursor to the Israel Defense Forces on June 22, 1948. Photo by Hulton-Deutsch/Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images.

(Sept. 3, 2025 / JNS)  Israel’s Defense Ministry has agreed to transfer the cannon that shelled the Altalena, the Irgun cargo ship that the newly created Israel Defense Forces shelled off the Tel Aviv beach in 1948, to the Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Hebrew media reported on Wednesday.