Israel issued, in February last, a set of three stamps showing respectively the ports of Elat, Ashdod, and Haifa, all of these stamps showing various ships in the ports. One ship is very easily recognisable as the Theodor Herzl, on the Haifa stamp. This Zim Line twin-screw passenger liner of 9,914 gross tons and 2,913 deadweight, is 487 ft 1 1 ins. in length; beam 64 ft. 8 ins. and draft 21 ft. 5 ins.
The vessel was built to work in the Mediterranean, between Haifa and Marseilles, with off-season cruises in the Mediterranean, or from New York to the Caribbean. She left London on May 7, 1957, on her maiden voyage to Haifa, only after a thorough search of the ship had followed a warning that a bomb had been placed on board. A frogman inspected the underwater section of the hull to see if a limpet mine had been attached to it. Nothing was found. The bomb scare began with a message to a London newspaper, which passed the warning to the police, who were at once sent to the ship in the West India Dock, while a special lunch was taking place. Among the guests were Sir David Eccles (president of the Board of Trade), Mr. E. Elath (Israeli Ambassador), the Lord Mayor of London (Sir Cullam Welch) and Dr. Israel Brodie (Chief Rabbi). The search went on throughout the afternoon and all passengers had to stand by their baggage in the customs shed to see it cleared. It was hardly the bright, cheerful send-off one associates with a maiden voyage. Info E Argyle SB5/69. Israel SG407.