The `` Struma '' disaster was the sinking Catastrophe on 24 February 1942 of a ship , , that had been trying to take Bringing nearly 800 Jewish refugees from Axis-allied Romania to Mandatory Palestine .

`` Struma '' was only long , had a beam of only and a draught of only but an estimated 791 refugees and 10 crew were crammed Filling into her .

`` Struma '' s diesel engine failed Earnings_and_losses several times between her departure Departing from Constanţa on the Black Sea on 12 December 1941 and her arrival Arriving in Istanbul on 15 December .

On 23 February 1942 , with her engine still inoperable and her refugee passengers aboard , Turkish authorities towed Self_motion `` Struma '' from Istanbul through the Bosphorus out to the coast of Şile in North Istanbul .

The `` Struma '' disaster joined Becoming_a_member that of SS `` Patria '' – sunk Self_motion after Haganah sabotage while laden Bringing with Jewish refugees 15 months earlier – as rallying points for the Irgun and Lehi revisionist Zionist clandestine movements , encouraging their violent revolt Change_of_leadership against the British presence in Palestine .