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Yohai Ben-Nun | |
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| Native name | יוחאי בן-נון |
| Born | (1924-12-17)17 December 1924 |
| Died | 6 June 1994(1994-06-06) (aged 69) |
| Allegiance |  Israel |
| Branch |  Israeli Navy |
| Rank | Aluf |
| Conflicts |  1947–1949 Palestine war Sinai War Six-Day War |
| Awards |  Hero of Israel |
| Other work | Founder and Director General of Israel's Oceanographic and Limnological Research Ltd |
| Signature |  |
Yohai Ben-Nun (Hebrew:יוחאי בן-נון; December 17, 1924 – June 6, 1994) was the sixth commander of theIsraeli Navy, one of the founders of the Israeli Special Forces and aHero of Israel.
Yohai Ben-Nun born on December 17, 1924, in Haifa to a Russian expatriate and a Palestinian Jew. His parents were members of theFirst Aliyah. He spent his childhood in Jerusalem. At the age of 16 he enlisted in theHaganah. Ben-Nun joined thePalmach in 1941 and spent three years training and eventually rising to the rank of a squad leader. In 1944, he joined thePal-Yam, the sea corps of thePalmach. He participated in a covert operation in 1945, in which two British boats were sunk.
At the outbreak of the1948 Arab–Israeli War, he foundedShayetet 13, the Israeli naval commando unit. He commanded a force that sank theEgyptian Navy flagship, theEmir Farouk, in theIsraeli naval campaign in Operation Yoav, for which he was awarded theHero of Israel decoration. When it was replaced by theMedal of Valor, he was awarded the newer medal automatically.
Ben-Nun volunteered for an extremely risky mission. He was to ride an explosive boat (similar to an Italian MTM one) and aim it at the Egyptian sloop. Because the Egyptians would spot the boat and maneuver to avoid it, it had been decided that it would be guided by a volunteer sitting astride it. The volunteer would jump off at the very last moment—just 50–100 meters from the target. Even if Egyptian searchlights spotted the e-boat, it would be too late. Yohai and the boat were maneuvered as close as possible by rowboat before the e-boat was launched with Ben-Nun astride. His comrades began to row away after the explosion, but then they heard a voice and Ben-Nun appeared. Once on board the rowboat, he explained that the Egyptian searchlights had turned dark just as he got near enough to aim his boat and leap off.
Ben-Nun continued to serve in the Israeli Navy after the war. In theSinai War, he served as the commander of theINSYafo, taking part in the capture 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 to create a larger fleet with a better attack capability.
Although he retired in 1966, during theSix-Day War Ben-Nun volunteered for service and fought in the naval operations and on theGolan Heights.
As a civilian, Ben-Nun founded a semi-governmental company, חקר ימים ואגמים בע״מ (Israel's Oceanographic and Limnological Research Ltd), for scientific research related to oceanographic and freshwater subjects. He was Director General from 1968 to 1982. After theYom Kippur War, he joined the protesters who called for the resignation of the government.
Ben-Nun died on June 6, 1994, inNew York City, and was buried in kibbutzMa'agan Michael.
A marine research foundation, The Admiral Yohai Ben-Nun Foundation for Marine and Freshwater Research, was established in his name.
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