(photo from Haifa University via Ashernet)
The replica of the Ma’agan Michael ship took its first voyage on March 17, near where the original vessel was discovered in 1985 by Ami Eshel, a member of Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael, some 70 metres from the kibbutz. Organized by the University of Haifa and the Israel Antiquities Authority, the replica has been built over the past two years, using the same materials and methods as 2,500 years ago. The ship was removed from the water in 1988, and is on display at the university’s Hecht Museum. Most of it had been covered in sand, so the keel, numerous wooden plates, 14 crossbars and the base of the mast were all preserved, offering researchers rare insight into the method used to construct the ship. In addition, a carpenter’s toolbox was found, which sparked the dream of building a replica using the same methods as the original shipwrights. After two year’s work, the project was completed and the replica was taken to Israel Shipyards and then to Kishon Harbour. Prof. Yaacov Kahanov, the leading spirit behind the project, passed away just before the work was finished. (Edgar Asher)