Israeli Navy Retires Iconic Missile Boat INS Keshet After 44 Years
The Israeli Navy has retired INS Keshet after 44 years of service. Known as the Submarine Hunter, the iconic missile boat completed its final mission and is being dismantled at Haifa Port.
The Israeli Navy has officially retired INS Keshet, its oldest missile boat, after 44 years of active service. The vessel, famously known as the "Princess of the Flotilla" and the "Submarine Hunter," docked for the last time at the naval base in Haifa, where crew members are currently dismantling its weapon systems, anti-air defenses, and combat equipment to be repurposed as spare parts for other Sa'ar 4.5-class corvettes.
Legacy of the Submarine Hunter
Commissioned in 1982 and built by Israel Shipyards, INS Keshet underwent extensive structural modifications throughout its four-decade career, including a conversion into a Nirit-class missile boat equipped with advanced radar systems. Lieutenant Commander A., commander of the advanced Sa'ar 6-class missile boat INS Oz who previously commanded INS Keshet during the early stages of the Swords of Iron war, reflected on the vessel's storied history.
"She is a home, and that is always how you treat her.»
