Yohai Ben-Nun

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Yohai Ben-Nun (17 December 1924 - 6 June 1994) was the sixth commander of the Israeli Sea Corps.

[edit] Biography

Yohai Ben-Nun was born in Jerusalem, his parents members of the First Aliyah. Ben-Nun joined the Palmach in 1941 and spent three years training and eventually rising to the rank of a squad leader. In 1944, he joined the sea corps of the Palmach. In a covert operation in 1945, he sank two British Royal Navy ships.

At the outbreak of the Independence War he founded Shayetet 13, the Israeli naval commando unit. He commanded a force who sank the Egyptian Navy flag ship, an operation for which he was awarded the Hero of Israel decoration.

Yohai Ben-Nun continued to serve in the Israeli Navy after the war and in the Sinai War he served as the commander of the INS Yafo taking part in the capturing of an Egyptian destroyer. After the war he returned to command Shayetet 13.

Ben-Nun was appointed the commander of the Israeli Navy in 1960, a position he used for creating a larger fleet with an attack capability.

Although he retired in 1966, during the Six-Day War Ben-Nun volunteered for service and fought in the Naval operations and on the Golan Heights.

As a civilian, Ben-Nun managed a company for exploring seas and lakes in 1968-1982. After the Yom Kippur War, he joined the protesters who called for the resignation of the government.