Turkey marks anniversary of 1942 refugee ship disaster

By Fahri Aksut

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey on Monday commemorated a World War II attack in the Black Sea, where 786 people died when a vessel carrying Jewish refugees was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine.

In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said a ceremony was hosted by the Governorship of Istanbul, with the support of the Turkish Jewish Community, in remembrance of this tragic incident.

Aksoy said the commemoration ceremonies have been annually held at Istanbul's Sarayburnu district on Feb. 24, since 2015.

"As we once again remember with the ceremony held today, at Sarayburnu, we commemorate with respect and honour the memories of all those who lost their lives in the Struma vessel in the hope of fleeing the Holocaust 78 years ago," he added.

The Struma vessel, carrying Jewish refugees fleeing the persecution of Nazis and their allies during the World War II, was torpedoed by a Soviet submarine in the international waters of the Black Sea on 24 February 1942, resulting in deaths of 768 people, including 108 children.